Street Dreams

ニューヨーク、ブルックリンのラッパーFabolous。ファースト・アルバムを遥かに凌ぐ大ヒットを記録！

His first record was the hottest rap debut of 2001 (despite an ominous release date: 9/11), and Fabolous consolidated his commercial clout, if not his artistic importance, with a safe sophomore record called Street Dreams. There's little doubt that Fabolous has rapping talents to match his name, with the smoothest flow of any East Coaster and dozens of great ideas. To capitalize on what made Ghetto Fabolous such a big hit, Street Dreams has plenty of club tracks ("Can't Let You Go," and "Trade It All, Pt. 2" featuring P. Diddy) and a few that advertise his hardcore credentials ("Not Give a F***," "Up on Things" featuring Snoop Dogg, "Keepin It Gangsta" with Styles and Jadakiss). Elsewhere he dismisses a raft of female admirers ("Call Me," "Into You" featuring Ashanti) and shows a level of general disinterest to rival anyone with a major-label deal. One of the singles, "This Is My Party," is one of the worst tracks on the album, a lame mid-tempo grind with a one-note chorus featuring Fabolous intoning "This is my party, so get fly if you like to" over and over. The productions are much better than the songs, with good work coming from Tone & Poke, Timbaland, and executive producers DJ Clue and Duro. ~ John Bush

声ネタを45回転でループさせてソウル感を出すのではなく、“Call Me”でのXOや、アシャンティ、メアリーJ・ブライジなど素材の良さを贅沢に使い、トラックもサンプリングを適度に盛り込む。新しさはないのに時流に沿ったド真ん中の作品。MCとして大きな存在感を感じさせるわけでもなく、いずれも八分目といった具合の脱力ラップが、どの曲でも中心に鎮座し、楽曲中で絶対的な存在感を放つ。この2作目で化けた?　いや、ファボラスというMCの魅力とその活かし方がようやく確立されたというべき。ファボラスの知恵袋が、ストリートとメジャーの両方でプロップスを獲得しているDJクルーだけに、市場の観察眼と熟慮された方法論の果てに本作のような完成度の高い作品が出来上がったのは納得できる。全体のバランスの良さと完成度の高さ、最近のアルバムのなかでは頭ひとつ出ています。
bounce (C)高橋 荒太郎