Born John Jackson on Nov. 18, 1977, Fabolous was raised in Brooklyn’s Brevoort Houses by parents of black and Dominican heritage. His big break came in 1998 with a live freestyle performance on DJ Clue’s influential hip-hop radio show in New York City. Clue saw promise in the novice performer, so began featuring him on a variety of mix tapes and singles (most notably the #11 single “Superwoman (Part II”) by Lil’ Mo) before signing him to his start-up label, Desert Storm. There he was teamed with a stellar line-up of producers and artists, including Ja Rule, The Neptunes, Timbaland, and the go-to vocalist of the moment, Nate Dogg, who performed on Fabolous’ 2001 debut single, “I Can’t Deny It.”
The single rocketed up the Billboard Hot 100 chart and laid the groundwork for his debut album, Ghetto Fabolous (2001). Despite having the misfortune of dropping on Sept. 11, 2001, the album debuted at #4 on the Top 200 charts before eventually attaining platinum status. It also opened doors to a variety of star-making opportunities for the young artist, including going on tour and opening for superstars like Jay-Z and Nelly, to appearing in television commercials for Reebok.
The year 2002 proved to be an equally stellar time for Fabolous, with a rash of guest appearances on tracks by Bow Wow and others, as well as collaborations with P. Diddy and Jagged Edge. He also contributed a song to Electronic Arts’ video game “NBA Live 2003” (the eventual soundtrack compilation that included this song achieved platinum status in sales and became the highest-selling video game soundtrack to date).
The following year saw the release of his sophomore CD, Street Dreams, which, despite yielding two more Top 10 singles – “Can’t Let You Go” (with Lil’ Mo) and “Into You,” (which was released in two separate versions, one with actress/singer Ashanti, and the other with Tamia) – the album received less critical praise than its predecessor. However, 2003 was marred by a pair of weapons charges against the singer (both were dismissed). Fabolous’ third CD, Real Talk, (2004) fared even more poorly, with just one Top 10 single, and only a gold certification in sales.
In 2005, Fabolous became the latest real life figure to earn his own superhero alter ego when Marvel Comics bestowed the honor upon him and the “Joint Chiefs” – Atlantic Records’ hip-hop roster, including Fat Joe, Trick Daddy, TI, and Twista. In 2006, Fabolous left Atlantic for the venerable Def Jam Records, which released his latest CD, From the Bottom to the Top. He also released a mix tape, Loso’s Way, which featured his brother, fellow rapper Paul Cain.
Fabolous’ film and television appearances had been occasional at best – most of his on-screen credits were as himself for a variety of hip-hop related specials and documentaries, including “Scarface: Origins of a Hip Hop Classic” (2003) and MTV’s “Cribs” (2000- ). In 2005, he made a surprising appearance on the reality series “The Apprentice” (NBC, 2004- ) and its CBS clone “The Cut” (2005). The following year, the rapper-sometimes-actor showed up in The Game’s odd confessional feature, “Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin” (2006). That same year, Fabolous made his acting debut in a supporting role as a gunman in “Scary Movie 4.”