I know, but don’t get it twisted, there’s nothing imitation about him. He’s no Jay-Z clone(is that a subliminal diss?), he’s Mistah F.A.B. and-right here, right now I’m saying it-although the name might throw you for a loop, get used to it. Whether the Bay ever climb’s itself out of its grave or not, this Oakland, Ca native is going to be around for awhile-real talk!
On his debut Nig-latin, F.A.B. laces each and every track with his lighthearted lyrically charismatic flow, bringing a sense of fun and skill that is lacking in the majority of the overkilled thugged-out typical Bay releases. Like on the Hard Knock Life-ish “The Ghetto”, F.A.B. takes what could easily be another take on an already played out subject, and flips it into an upbeat musical gem about making the best of what they have.
Other highlights along those lines include his ode to his hometown,”Born Up”, “He’s Sick”, “Do The Damn Thing” featuring Preacher, and the hilarious “Beaverduck”.
But F.A.B. has much more to offer than just feel-good joints. His seriousness, and sharp storytelling ability kicks in on “Worries”, where F.A.B. turns himself inside-out, pouring his heart and life into the track bringing you into his reality. “He was cool from the gunshot, but this is where the fun stops/ one doc says ‘check the DNA’/now listen closely to what I’m about to say/my father, he was far from gay/but the disease is straight, when you needle play/and I need to say, I used to smoke so much weed a day/ just to keep them dreams away…” The powerful song details the death of his father, his brother’s incarceration, and his mother’s addiction leaving you dead-silent upon listening to it.
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“Nothing To A Boss”, with its bluesy horns and R&B Brown’s old-school crooning, is another look into F.A.B.’s troubled world as well as a personal favorite. And the same can be said about “The Sports & The Streets”.
Nig-Latin is an extremely strong debut effort from F.A.B. who, on the mic, comes off more like a seasoned veteran than a rookie. This is only the beginning of a bright future for F.A.B.
