Customer Reviews

Street Dreams (Clean)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

This album is the sophmore effort from Brooklyn rapper Fabolous. The success of his first album, "Ghetto Fabolous", has made this a much anticipated album, and for those who know what to expect from the F-A, B-O, it doesn't dissapoint.

In all honesty, this album is not going to be thought of as a classic like "It Takes A Nation Of Millions..." or "The Chronic", but you shouldn't expect that caliber of album. Fabolous doesn't have the political consciousness of Chuck D, or the pure lyrical skills of Jay-Z, but he still comes to the mic strong. The title of the first album would better suit this album, since being "ghetto fabulous" seems to be the theme. Platinum on his chains, chrome on his wheels, curves on his women, and the emotions that go with these seem to be the common thread through this album.

That said, this is still a very strong album. As mentioned earlier, if you know what to expect, it delivers. The reason it gets only four stars is because fans of Fabolous were left waiting and guessing for almost 4 months as the release date got pushed back over and over. However, it has an undeniable appeal. Crafty lyrics and a delivery with a smoothness that few can match make this a great sounding record. Beats mostly come courtesy of DJ Clue and Duro, and sound great. Respect is due to Fabolous for not hooking up with the Neptunes, getting Pharell Williams to sing a hook and releasing a single that he knows will sell records. Instead, he has released the club pumping "This Is My Party", "Can't Let You Go", and "Damn". These three songs are actually a great gauge on what the record is about. There are the "knod-ya-headers" like "This Is My Party", the slower, ghetto love themed songs like "Can't Let You Go", and the lyric oriented songs like "Damn" all coming together to make an album that appeals to a wide spectrum of hip-hop listeners.

All in all, this is a great album. As long as the listener goes in with the knowledge that this record is not going to shake up the industry, and just enjoys some smooth lyrics laced with some tight beats, they will come out satisfied.

Fabolous diffenently represented on his 2nd album, preventing a sophmore slump. I just bought this CD this after noon and it has a ton of hot tracks. Unlike this website says it does not have 9 songs, its contains 17 songs plus 3 bonus tracks, all of which are good, and most are just sick. I give Fabolouses lyrics a 4, but when I started to play it in my car the beats just pound, definetly some of the hardest hittin beats I've heard, i just had to give the album a 5 for that unbelivable feature.
The up-tempo flavor he is bringing to the rap game us elevating him to a pop superstar, and in a couple of more years he could be one of the greats of all-time. This album is slightly better than his first album, which to say the least is awesome, this album just had a few more awesome songs and rhythms that will keep you listenin all day. He also has alot of guest apperances on this album from rappers like Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliot, Styles, Ashanti, Mary J Blige, Jada Kiss, and MOP.

Some hot tracks on the CD to check out are.

#2. Don't Give a...BR>#3. Damn
#5. Can't Let You Go
#8. Up On Things
#9. Sickalicious
#10. Its My Party
#13. Respect
#15. Never Duplicated
#18. Throw Back
#20. Trade it All Part 2

Every should go get this album, its about the best [$] you can spend. Keep it up FAB!

Fabolous, one of the newer rappers on the scene, really impressed me on his sophmore album, "Street Dreams". Not that his 2001 debut "Ghetto Fabolous" was horrible, but, aside from tracks like "Right Now & Later On", "Can't Deny It" (w/ Nate Dogg), and "Keepin' It Gangsta", it really wasn't anything special. I've been anticipating something new from Fabolous for so long that i bought EVERYTHING he was featured on from 2001 till the release date of this album (3/04/03). The reason for this was i knew Fabolous had some very good raps in some songs, and that he could do a really good album one day. My 'dream' was to hear some fresh, new, hot songs from Fabolous on a cd where i wouldn't have to skip 1 track. Well, from 2001 till now i bought several titles that featured Fabolous: "Barbershop: The Soundtrack" (because it featured "Trade It All Pt. 2" with P. Diddy & Jagged Edge), "Beninzo Remix Project" (because it featured the "Bootee" Remix that featured Fabolous & G-Dep), i even bought Clipse's "Lord Willin'" album to hear Fabolous on "Comedy Central" (i ended up loving the Clipse album). And when i heard in late 2002 that Fabolous's new album was coming out in January of '03 i looked for anything i could find about it. Well, come around January, the release date went from January to March 4th! I couldn't believe it, but on March 4th i went to my local record store and bought the first copy put out on the shelves! I listened to it in the car on the way home and i loved it. I'll tell you what i thought about here in a second, but here's the track listing (and some of my thoughts about each track) for ya'll who don't have it yet:

1. Intro - The typical DJ Clue intro, similar to the first 10 or 11 seconds of the first song off of "Ghetto Fabolous".

2. Not Give A F*** (10/10) - An excellent Fabolous track. Sounds like something you would've heard on "Ghetto Fabolous", just with a little more polished sound.

3. D*** (10/10) - Yeah baby, this is the party anthem! Fab brings out an unstoppable set of rhymes to a club shakin' Trackmasters beat, what else can you ask for?

4. Call Me (10/10) - This is a layed back track about a girl stalking Fab after a one-night stand. Has an upbeat sound and some really good verses by the F-A-B-0-L-O-U-S!

5. Can't Let You Go (feat/ Lil' Mo & Mike Shorey) (10/10) - The smooth, R&B influenced second single. Has a nice storyline and a good rhythem, also since it features Lil' Mo & new comer Mike Shorey, it makes it even better.

6. Bad B***** (10/10)- Another club rattling song, only this one wasn't meant for the club. Fab's story of two [chicks] with him makes a good lyrical story while the kickin' beat brings more to it.

7. Why Wouldn't I (feat/ Paul Cain) (9.5/10) - The first track that didn't thrill me, but still a good beat and some good raps by Fab & Paul.

8. Up On Things (feat/ Snoop Dogg) (9/10) - Not as good as I expected a Snoop Dogg featured track to be. This song uses the all-too memorable sample that Dr. Dre used on his 1999 hit single "Still D.R.E".

9. Sickalicious (feat/ Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott) (7/10) - I expected way more from this track than it had to offer. Missy only raps the chorus (same thing Ja did on "Ride For This" from "Ghetto Fabolous") while Fab does an OK job on the main rapping.

10. This Is My Party (10/10) - Your right it's your party Fab! So go head and get 'fly if u want to'! This is one of the best party/club songs from a rap artist i've heard in a while (other than 50's "In Da Club"). This club bangin' lead single may have not gone that far on the charts, but is still being played in my cd player daily.

11. Into You (feat/ Ashanti) (10/10) - I can't stop listening to this song. Ashanti does an excellent singing job and Fab's smooth, R&B influenced vocals make it an almost sure radio success.

12. Change You Change Me (10/10) - Didn't love it the first listen, but after 2 or 3 times it became a favorite of mine. One of the only songs where Fab raps completely alone (i'm not counting the backup singers on tracks like "D***" and "Call Me").

13. Respect (9/10) - A pretty good track. Fab gets aggrevated about having to 'kill' someone to get some respect.

14. Forgive Me Father (7/10) - Not really that interesting. Good beat, but the song suffers from senseless lyrics.

15. Never Duplicated (8/10) - Better, but still somewhat senseless lyrics, very good beat, though, courtesy of Kanye West.

16. Wake Up - ? (WHY is this track listed? It's not even there! And even worse, in the booklet it says who produced it [Timbaland] and where it was produced and everything, but IT'S NOT EVEN ON THE ALBUM!)

17. My Life (feat/ Mary J. Blige) (8/10) - Would've been a perfect song except for 2 things. First, the sample of Mary's own song "What's The 411?" (also, to noteably used by J.Lo & LL Cool J on her new single "All I Have") makes the track seem too annoyningly similar to the J.Lo song. Second, it's not Fab's best raps ever.

BONUS TRACKS

18. Throw Back (10/10) - Yes! This is awesome! The beat is non-stop and the lyrics from Fab about his throw backs make it excellent. I love this track! Probably my second favorite behind "Into You" and "Call Me".

19. Keepin' It Gangsta [Remix] (feat/ Jadakiss, Styles, and M.O.P) (10/10) - I liked the original, and a remix with Jada & Stlyles and M.O.P! How can it not be an awesome track.

20. Trade It All Pt. 2 (feat/ P. Diddy and Jagged Edge) (10/10) - The remix of "Trade It All" from the previously mentioned "Barbershop" soundtrack. A great ending to a great album.

I'm gonna keep a look out for any NEW Fabolous songs and keep buying his CD's until he doesn't make them anymore, i love his style and the production behind him, so, why not? Fab, keep keepin' it gangsta!

i only found 4 songs actually tolerable fabulous is great lyricist but hes making way too many love songs this album was just disgusting i dont know what to say only thing helpful i can say in this review is dont buy this album if you are a true hiphop fan go pick up a 2pac pharcyde NAs or KRS ONE album

Let's be honest...Fabolous(love the spelling)would have never been signed to a label 10 years ago. There seems to be no quality control in the rap industry these days. I'm not trying to spread negativity...but man this guy has virtually no skills. Total lack of originality, the title of the album is the title of a Nas song...and the lead single finds him reciting the old 50's song 'It's my party'.Yet, he is all over MTV and selling tons of albums. I just hope the jiggy era comes to end soon. Everyone should be really sick of the same old topics like cars, money, alcohol, jewelry, etc. You know who we have to thank for all of this don't you? That's right, P.Diddy started this whole mess.

I lost the password to my first account, luckily I posted this review before I lost it. Here's the old review I copied from the
"See All ___ Customer Reviews".

Street Dreams is my all time favorite album. Fabolous has ill lyrics, a dope flow, dope wordplay and a good delivery.

I will rate all of the tracks on this album now from 1 to 10. 1 being the lowest, 5 being satisfactory and 10 being the highest.

1. Intro -
2. Not Give a **** - 9/10
3. D*** - 5/10
4. Call Me - 9/10
5. Can't Let You Go - 9/10
6. Bad ***** - 9/10
7. Why Wouldn't I - 5/10
8. Up on Things - 5/10
9. Sickalicious - 5/10
10. This is My Party - 9/10
11. Into You - 10/10
12. Change You or Change Me - 8/10
13. Respect - 6/10
14. Forgive Me Father - 5/10
15. Never Duplicated - 5/10
16. Wake Up -
17. My Life - 8/10
18. Throw Back - 7/10
19. Keepin' It Gangsta Remix - 9/10
20. Trade it All Pt. 2 - 10/10

Not Give a **** is one of my favorite songs on the album. He lays down some very good rhymes.With lyrics like "These dudes dont stand a chance/When I pull up like the Pamper Brand/On Those Lambo Slants/....", I really thought the second verse was his best on this song.

Call Me is another good song. Who is featured on this song? Is it Ashanti? Whoever it is, she has a great voice. Fabolous spits lyrics like "Cause she's been lookin' for the kid like Bush was searchin for Bin Laden...". It's songs like this that make Fabolous my favorite rapper.

Can't Let You Go is my second favorite song. He has some dope lyrics backed up by a tremendous instrumental. I especially like the ending of this song. The video for this song was good too. I listen to this song all the time, my older brother also likes this song.

This is my Party is my favorite club banger. Once again, he lays down really good rhymes in the first verse, and the third verse. In my opinion, the second verse isn't so good.

Into You is my absolute favorite song ever. I love the video. I love the instrumental. Fabolous has dope lyrics on this song. Tamia is a really vocalist. Lines like "...with the blue so hard you think I was crippin'" really made this song good. The video is good. I hope that in the future, there will be more love songs like this and Can't Let You Go.


Overall, I think that this album is worth buying. I bought "Street Dreams" in 2005, which was a few years after it was released. I really regret buying the album now, because I love it, and I wanted to see the videos (Can't Let You Go, This is My Party, etc.) when they were on MTV and BET. Fortunately, I got to seethe videos this year on www.blastro.com. I hope Fabolous releases another album that is like this in the future. I give this album a 9/10. "Street Dreams" is one of the best albums I ever heard.

Keep up the good work Fabolous.

There is a lyric "girl, the way you cook a steak". I'm a vegetarian. Don't people have any consideration??

This album is a very hit title. Fabolous is truly talented at what he does. The intro with DJ Clue seemed kind of stupid, but oh well. Not Give a F**K is a great song with a tight beat. D**n is also a nice song which is hot in clubs and parties. Call Me is okay, but you can get bored of it after a few listens. Can't let u go is a very good song and Lil Mo and Mike Shorey come out strong on it. Bad B***h is a great song all about lesbi**s (funny too). Why Wouldn;t I is a tight song, but after a few listens you will probably be skipping this one. Up On Things with west coast gangsta Snoop D.O.G.G is a dope west coast track. If dr.Dre produced it this track would be blazin, but clue came thru. Sickalicious with Missy is one of my favourites on the album. This is My Party is not that great of a song, but is still worth a couple of listens. Into You with sexy Ashanti is a pretty good track and most likely the next single. Change You or change me is a song with a great point to it, and the piano laced beat makes it tight. Respect is one of my favourites of the album, but I don't overplay it. It might get boring, I don;t know. Forgive Me Father isn't that great, but is also worth a few listens. Never Duplicated is not that great either, but one or two listens aren't that bad. Wake Up does not appear on this album. My Life is one of the best songs on the album featuring a sample of JLO'S All I have. Throw Back is a tuff song all about throw backs (who would have guessed). Keeping it Gangsta (rmx) is my favourite song on the album, blazin beat and gangsta verse from M.O.P. Trade it All pt.2 is a great song with a nice chorus from Jagged Edge. Overall, a great album and you should definetely go pick it up if you haven't already.

Fabolous returns from nearly a year and a half long silent era with his second LP entitled "Street Dreams" (named after Nas' famous remake of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" song). A question arises for the young MC's latest effort and is answered positively. 'Can Fabolous avoid the sophomore jinx (unlike Nelly)?' Yes, "Street Dreams" is a witty, party-friendly album with a message behind it all. In songs like the 'sweaty-girl' anthem, "Damn", Fab spits claims like "I'm so cool/When I walk in, it feels like there's a draft in the room" and comes off equally well on "Sickalicious", where he and Missy Elliott provide slick vocals to one of the best beats I've heard in a while.

The opening track, "Not Give A F***" turns from a dark, dreamy ballad to a fast-paced 'welcome-back' song seamlessly, where Fabolous can show off his lyricism which has improved greatly since "Ghetto Fabolous". "Call Me" and "Can't Let You Go" are both equally smooth places for Fab to explain his love for women thoroughly, but he ends up reversing his repertoire with the prostitute-friendly "Bad B****" which is just as funky. Snoop Dogg provides his famous west-coast-style lyrics to "Up On Things", leaving "This Is My Party" looking like a bad song.

Ashanti joins the mix on "Into You", yet another love song with a nostalgic guitar riff taking care of the beat. Fabolous returns to a gritty, 'street' additude in "Change You Or Change Me", which describes 'the game's' effects on people every day and follows it with the hardcore "Respect" and the club-banging "Forgive Me Father". Finally, "My Life", which is a successful knock off of J-Lo and LL Cool J's "All I Have" uses Mary J. Blige to finish off the album on a high note. The three bonus tracks only help more.

Now I have been waitin fo this album since i heard Fab's debut album which was off the meter. This cd "Street Dreams" howeva straight [smells.] now im not sayin there's no good songs cause there is. Like 3 of them (Not Give a... Never Duplicated, adn the hottest one Forgive Me Father. the lyrics are so weak on many of the tracks that i wanna throw the damn cd out the window. now i was thinkin...Fab and Nelly show mad similarities after ive heard "Street Dreams" 1. both went mainly R&B with their sophmore lp 2. both made songs wit hot beats but had stupid...topics on their sophmore joint(Air Force Ones and Fab's made "Throw Backs" 3. both albums are weaker than their first one. So overall im mad disapointed in Fab here, even though he says, "The Game Ain't Changed Me" which is [wrong] because it did change him and it changed him in a bad way he turning into Ja Rule(goin from straight gangsta to an R&B [singer.]