John Jackson flowed from the rap scene back in 2001 with 'Ghetto Fabolous'. Thanks to DJ Clue, Fabolous had a record deal, a goal, and a fan base. In fact, DJ Clue had Jackson spontaneously rhyme live, for millions of people, on Clue's New York City radio show. From this point on John Jackson found himself known only as Fabolous. From the time he lit up on that particular radio show, Fabolous found that millions were about to fall in love with his laid back style. It was that style that caught Clue's attention and eventually took the world by storm.

Despite Fabs September 11, 2000 debut, his album still managed to shoot to the number 4 slot on the billboard. To add more limelight to the situation, Jay-Z also released 'The Blueprint' on that day, an album that would be hard to compete with at any given time, let alone the day of an unforgettable tragedy. While Fab didn't overcome Jigga's sales numbers, he did put together a brilliant run than ran out of ran out of gas only 3 spots from the top. Since Fab's freestyle debut and the release of his debut album 'Ghetto Fabolous', Jackson has put together an impressive resume. From landing a spot in Rolling Stone's Hot issue, to making Teen People's list of 25 Hottest Stars Under 25, to his inclusion in Paper magazine's Beautiful People issue, from Nelly nabbing Fab to open his ever-successful Nellyville tour, to Reebok scooping Fab up for the hottest sneaker commercial of the year, to EA Sports making Fab an actual character in its NBA Live 2003 video game, Fab has gained both lovers and haters.

After his debut release I found myself enjoying the music, but I was far from being considered a fan. Of course the fair weather fans were out in numbers as everyone was trying to jump on his dick. If you are not fond of the term, well I urge you to consider the music scene. Tons of musicians enter the scene under the radar (to most people), but once the media advertises them they are swallowed by the public. Case in point would be Fifty Cent. He offers nothing new to the rap game, but through constant promotion 50 Cent has exploded. Fabolous is the same type of artist. Fans love him during a release and soon after, but once the shiny coating has washed away his album is as good as forgotten about. It may seem as though I am treking off on a tangent, but I disagree. I am trying to express my point. The point is that these artists are nothing special, their music is of no REAL substance, and many hardcore music addicts can discredit them (to a point). Do I think that Fifty Cent is a great musician? No. I think that his album is solid at first glance, but once you expose yourself to it long enough you quickly see that it falls short of those initial expectations. Fabolous, especially 'Ghetto Fabolous' was that same exact way. I am also not claiming that these artists lack talent, I am simply trying to state that people often get carried away by the hype. Let the music quality shine through, not the image.

At first the album was nothing short of incredible. But soon after, my jaw returned closed and I noticed the similarity of beats and the overall mediocrity. A term that seems to be associating Fab lately would be: Bubble Gum Rap, I would have to agree. His songs are not necessarily solid, but instead offer the characteristics that allow them to be quickly appetizing. People hear them and think instant hit, but like I stated earlier it doesn't take long before that song finds its way to the back of the play list. At the top of that list would be the latest artist that has been overly exposed, thus the music scene grinds its gears in a constant circular cycle.

"Street Dreams" is more of the same.

I was excited to give it a listen being that I was in the mood for some club hits; songs that were both fun and exciting. To my disappointment I wasn't able to find anything breathtaking. The album isn't poor, but it sure isn't anything out of the ordinary. I hate to say it, but it is typical Fabolous. The irony in that statement is that Fabolous doesn't have enough albums in his discography to have inherited a certain style, but once you hear it you will instantly recognize it as a Fab album. It seems like a nice continuation to 'Ghetto Fabolous'.

If nothing else it does come off as a fun approach to an album. The album does not offer listeners a refreshing sound, but that aspect is always debateable. If you have had Fab on the shelf for the past year, or this is your first exposure to his style then you may feel differently. Just a warning though, if you like hardcore rap then you should look elsewhere. If you are an avid fan of "what's hot" at the current time then maybe you owe it to yourself to sample 'Street Dreams'. One thing is for sure, this album isn't going to be labelled a classic and it most certainly will give NO competition in the race for album of the year.

Of course this album is not an exact replica to 'Ghetto Fabolous', but it is very difficult to notice that Fab has changed anything in his approach. His lyricism seems to have aged if only slightly and he may be more appreciative for music in general, but you wouldn't know the latter from this collection of jams. Instead you will be informed that Fab is on the same road that he has been on for the past 2 years. It boils down to this: If you wouldn't mind hearing a continuation to 'Ghetto Fabolous' then think about adding this to your collection, however, if you were expecting a little more then maybe, just maybe, you should skip this altogether. One thing that does prevail is the kids egotistical attitude. Fab bites (mocks) so many phrases; so many that it seems gimmicky. At first I was thinking, "Yea that's good", but by the end of the album, after hearing 15 or so bites I was like, "Man you are either a complete jerk or you are trying hard to market this album" I have yet to decide where I stand.

Breakdown
I have pondered the idea of track by track, but instead let me break it up and focus on a few tracks.

01. The Intro is surely nothing to look forward to, as most are not. But in this version you get to hear Dj Clue speaking complete nonsense. Skip it.

02. Not Give A Fuck will bring back vivid memories of 'Ghetto Fabolous'. Personally I wish that he would have used this first spot for a track that sounded completely distant from his debut, but instead he put this monster to bat first in this line-up of 19 players. The track isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it is trendy and simply put, "more of the same."

Fortunately 03. Damn is a real nice song. You can wrap this track up and place it on the shelf with all of the other quickly forgotten jams. However, this track is going to be hot from the get go. It will be phased out by some other fresh over-player radio hits, but enjoy this one while it lasts. From his smooth laid back flow to the simplistic beat, this song remains on course from start to finish. By the end of the jam you may find yourself slightly bored because the chorus is highly repetitive, but if you can put aside this issue then you may find this to the best tracks on the album.

Skipping 04, 05

06. Bad Bitch is a decent track. Forgive me now because I cant think of the beat used in the jam, but it is not new, nor does he attempt to sound different from its original form. Fab doesn't take the beat to new levels, but uses it and throws down an average track with a nice chorus. I found myself really bumping to the track thanks to the chorus alone. I wasn't impressed from anything other than that. It hooked me from the first time I heard it and til this minute I still enjoy it. It isnt F A B O L O U S, but moreso just D E C E N T. Bad Bitch remains one of my favorite joints on the album.

Skipping 07

08. Up On Things is probably my favorite jam on the album for the fact that Snoop is on board. The addition of Snoop is an amazing addition at that. Ill admit that I am a pretty big Snoop fan, but from a general hip hop standpoint, the track is concrete. The beat is not overly sophisticated, but it is fluid enough to relieve any disappointment that may have been building up. This song isn't hardcore either, but it is definitely entertaining. One additional note, Snoop is on board as a feat, therefore, his voice and style does not overshadow Fab. This is clearly Fabolous's track, Snoop is just along for the ride. The beat doesn't bleed the typical Snoop beat blood, but instead everything glows Fab style. With that said, this is a great track. Even if you don't buy this album, grab this track.

Skipping 09, 10,

I was planning to skip 11. Into You, but after taking a few extra listens I couldn't help but want to include this. The track features Ashanti, which guarantees a sweet sounding vocal style (unless Ja Rule is somehow involved, he isn't here) and overall a fairly solid track. Complimenting the influence of Ashanti is the fact that Fab exhibits his lyricism at its finest. While you will not find this to be the deepest track ever written, it is a fine display from a rapper trying to avoid the sophomore slump. Overall this is a great sounding track.

Skipping 12

13. Respect is comical to say the least. After listening to this a few times I suddenly wondered when Fab made the transition to street thug. I'd much rather bet that Fab carries marshmallows in his pocket rather than a gun of any sort, but hey if he wants to rap about this stuff, so be it. Just be aware, no one in their right mind can take Fab seriously when he spits about topics that he knows nothing about. In any event, the song is dang good. The beat is nicely done and the rhymes are equally impressive. When I compliment the song I am disregarding the lyrical content. The chorus has a great hook and may be the only track that leaves you wanting more, if only he was spitting out different words.

Skipping 14

15. Never Duplicated is yet another stop on the comedy tour. The jam seems to be about rappers who are trying to mimic his style, but they can never achieve to 'duplicate' his sound. Again I found myself grinning over the premise, does he really think that millions of people are envious of his style? Really? I understand that he has earned the right to be arrogant, but one can only stomach so much. Again disregarding the content for what its worth, the song is hot. Overall this one pulls you around, side to side leaving your attention completely consumed. This is an excellent tune, if only to give you a good laugh.

Skipping 16 (Does not appear on this album)

The following three songs are bonus tracks, two of them have been around the scene for a lengthy period of time. I cannot say for certain whether the first bonus (Throw Back) has surfaced its ugly head anywhere prior to this release, one can only hope that it did not. I found the bonus tracks to be entirely boring. I suppose that may be due to the fact that after a dozen listens to the album I am literally exhausted, or maybe not. Over the past two days I have blazed this album in order to provide an accurate review (based on my opinions of course), but ill front with you, I have had my fix of Fabolous. It will be quite sometime before I listen to another full run through. I plan on revisiting a few individual songs, but as a whole this Fab isn't worth a full listen.

If you are a hardcore Fab fan then I would expect you to love this during every second. If you are not in that class, then there is a good chance that you will not be showing this off to all of your friends. To be brutally honest, it just isn't very good. If you have a copy of 'Ghetto Fabolous' in your collection then you have no reason to shell out 15 dollars for this copy of 'Ghetto Fabolous 2'. I cant say that I would recommend this to any hip hop heads, but I suppose that I would recommend this to those 15 year olds that have a new favorite band every week. If you like solidified music by musicians who have firmly been established in the scene, then stay the heck away from this. If you have 15 dollars that you plan on throwing away, then hey there is a new Fabolous album out!

Rating: 2.5 Planets because a few songs on the album really attempt to pull the other nasty tracks out of the sophomore ditch. Unfortunately they are unable to do so.

Track Listing:
01. Intro
02. Not Give A Fuck
03. Damn
04. Call Me
05. Can't Let You Go (Feat Shorey / Lil Mo)
06. Bad Bitch
07. Why Wouldn't I (Feat Paul Cain)
08. Up On Things (Feat Snoop Dogg)
09. Sickalicious (Feat Missy Elliot)
10. This Is My Party
11. Into You (Feat Ashanti)
12. Change You Or Change Me
13. Respect
14. Forgive Me Father
15. Never Duplicated
16. Wake Up (Does Not Appear On the Album)
17. My Life
18. Throw Back (Bonus)
19. Trade It All Pt 2 (Bonus)
20. Keepin It Gangsta (Bonus)

Ramz Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Planets


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