Fabolous' new label, Def Jam, rolls out a wide red carpet for
From Nothin' to Somethin', enlisting a great deal of starpower to bolster its new artist's fourth album.
Akon,
Rihanna,
Jay-Z,
Lloyd,
Junior Reid, and even
Ne-Yo (on a track produced by
Timbaland) make appearances, while there is room made for past collaborators like
Just Blaze,
Swizz Beatz,
Young Jeezy, longtime cohort
DJ Clue?, and the otherwise missing-in-action
Lil' Mo. In another sense, it's the same old, same old, with
Fabolous covering a bunch of niches: there's the booming, borderline sluggish Southern track (the
Jeezy feature "Diamonds"), a couple raucous East Coast bangers ("Brooklyn," "Return of the Hustle"), several R&B crossovers, and a couple melodramatic moments (including "What Should I Do"). Although this is one of the better albums in
Fabolous' discography, the guest appearances are overwhelming, and the disc ends up similar to a compilation of
Fabolous features, as if all guest stars gathered together and staged a coup. In at least half the tracks, the headliner struggles to reclaim the spotlight, and at times it seems entirely possible that the space is being used for something other than an actual
Fabolous album. For instance,
Akon not only dominates "Change Up," but two of the singer/producer's artists --
T-Pain and
Red Café -- are heard on other tracks. Those looking to the disc for some pure top-form
Fab will find a few spots of hotness, especially within "Brooklyn" -- a geographic anthem that outstrips
Busta Rhymes' "New York Sh*t." Given
Fab's usual kicked-back demeanor, some wordplay is bound to be overlooked (like "They should call me Karat Jeter, maybe Canary Bonds"), but regardless, there is not enough of it. After all, a separation of
Fabolous' rhymes from all the guest verses and vocal hooks would result in two EPs: one by
Fabolous and another by a mismatched supergroup. ~ Andy Kellman