Album of the Week: Fabolous “Loso’s Way”

ARTIST: Fabolous

ALBUM: Loso’s Way

SOUNDS LIKE: Fab’s interpretation of Jay-Z’s American Gangster x R&B singers

FUN FACT: The former king of throwbacks keeps his jerseys locked up in the basement.

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: Back when Ghetto Fabolous dropped, the Brooklyn MC’s catchy singles, punchline-filled freestyles, and dare we say, “swag” made kids from all five boroughs want to be like him. Eight years later, Fabolous has grown from a flashy newcomer with hood-certified mixtapes to a veteran with a gang of hits. By now, both fans and critics have become used to his R&B-assisted lead singles followed by albums that rarely live up to the hype. As if to address past career missteps, Fabolous returns with Loso’s Way—a conceptual album loosely based on Brian de Palma’s film Carlito’s Way…

Lyrically, the album’s filled with rewind-worthy punchlines and good-old braggadocio. On “The Way ‘Intro,’” Fab comments on how he’s often overlooked amongst the industry’s greats: “Let’s talk about how I kill everything I touches/Or how I walked in this game with no crutches/No Diddy, no Dupri, no Dr. Dre/No Cash Money from Baby, no Rocs from Jay.” Keeping up with the movie theme, the rapper flows melodically on “Pachanga,” where over a soulful loop and bouncy drums he talks of changed friendships—a reference to the movie character that betrays Carlito for Benny Blanco. He continues his own version of the film’s plot on “I Miss My Love”—a near-six-minute tale about a drug dealer going back to his criminal activities.

But like other releases from Fabolous, he relies a little too heavily on a familiar formula—female-oriented singles accompanied by a string of R&B acts that detract from the overall theme of the album. Ne-Yo (“Makin’ Love”), Trey Songz (“Last Time”), Ryan Leslie (“The Fabolous Life”), Keri Hilson (“Everything, Everyday, Everywhere”), and the now all-too-familiar “Throw It In The Bag” featuring The-Dream are all enjoyable tracks, but have no real connection to the album’s concept. The sole posse cut “There He Go”—featuring Paul Cain, Red Café, and Freck Billionaire—is a little underwhelming, while “Money Goes, Honey Stay (When the Money Goes Remix)” featuring Jay-Z sounds great on paper but loses because of its bland hook. Overall, despite the album’s reliance on tried-and-true methods, Loso’s Way includes enough solid materials that deserves a listen. Just don’t throw it in the bag.

KEY TRACKS (LISTEN):
“The Way ‘Intro’”

“Pachanga”

“I Miss My Love”

CLICK HERE TO BUY THE ALBUM ON MP3 FOR $6.99