Fabolous has been in the game for 20 years now, but
there was a time he was just a young kid looking for a deal. He had made a song
using Puff Daddy's All About The Benjamins beat back in 1998, and it started
circulating around his hood in Brooklyn. From there, he started getting people's
attention, and ended up getting noticed by someone who knew the legendary DJ
Clue.
Let me allow him narrate it himself...below are his words from his Self Made Taste Better interview with Brett Berish...
"Well, my thing started circulating around my neighborhood,
and umm to the point where people were like reciting my lyrics...It started
just circulating in my neighborhood, and umm some guy that I knew who was my
friend umm was reciting something, and somebody heard it, and asked them like,
yo, is that Mase? Or is that, you know another artist? He's like nah that's my
friend. So he was like, yo I want to meet this guy. He brings him to meet me.
And he was like, well umm yo I heard some of your stuff I want to hear more. I
want to see what you can do. And umm I think I can get you signed. I can get
you a record deal.
And umm, like I before, I had went through a couple of you know people...So I wasn't you know, crazy excited. I just was like, alright. I probably was about 18, 19...I was at the end of my high school...I probably was still like 18. So he was, you know, just telling me he could do things. He actually put me in a studio. This was one of the first times I went to like a real recording studio. And umm, we laid a couple of...kind of like freestyle songs you know, over other peoples beats. We did a song or two. He wanted to use that as his way to let other people hear me...shopping around. Cos even the stuff that I had did previously recording was kind of like inner house, somebody's tape recorder, kind of thing. It wasn't a professional what's the name, but...so he had now put me in this recording studio, we made, I guess you can call it like a demo. And umm was playing it for people. And one of the people that he would even suggest that he would play it for and he could get me rolling with was DJ Clue.
And umm, he played it for DJ Clue...DJ Clue was a big mixtape DJ at the time. You know. Somebody that we listened to. I had never even seen him before. All I knew was his voice and his legend of tapes, that's it. I never met him before. And umm, you know, one of his promises was like, we gonna get you to DJ Clue, you gonna be on one of his mixtapes. So of course being on a DJ Clue mixtape at this time was a big thing, You know. It's definitely a way to get you more exposed. So I just was still rolling with the punches, not banking on it, but kind of like, I'm rolling with it...you know, see what happens.
He took it, let Clue hear it. Clue was interested. Clue asked me to come up to a radio show he was doing on Hot 97. I thought I was just going there to meet him, to, you know maybe rap for him personally. And when I go there, Clue was like, 'yo we're gonna have you rap over the radio.' And I was like, 'oh, okay.' But I knew this was like an opportunity for me. And it goes back to what I was saying about inner city kids, they don't have these opportunities. So I don't know if I was completely like in the knowledge or prepared for this, but I knew it was an opportunity, and I knew this was an opportunity that could lead to another opportunity...
I went up there, kind of like I said, I thought this was an opportunity for myself. Noreaga, the rapper at the time, he was there. And umm, he was squatchin hot, this is like 98. And he's you know, got all kinda...all kinda stuff going. You know Noreaga had just popped off. He came from a group, his group member got locked up, so now he is solo and all the attention is on him, so he got a great umm...even him being there, gave me more ears. You know what I'm saying. Because people were there to listen to him of course. So I just kind of got my head together, and umm, when it came back to radio I freestyled. And then Noreaga freestyled, and then I kind of felt like well this is my opportunity, let me get one more in, you know what I'm saying. Because I just wanted to leave my impression. I may never get this shot ever again. So I freestyled again, Noreaga freestyled again. And I think just, not only was they impressed by what I did, he also liked that I didn't back down, like after I did one and just like okay cool with that, that I came again. You know what I'm saying. And umm, you know, from that moment Clue was like, 'yo I'm impressed. I want to work with you. I wanna...and I had no idea any of this was going to happen. It was just an opportunity that got put before me, and I was like, alright I got to step up to this opportunity and make the most of it."
And as they say, the rest is history. Fabolous is still here, 21 years later.
You can watch the full interview below...or just skip to the 18 minute mark and hear him talk about how he got signed to DJ Clue's label, Desert Storm Records.
Let me allow him narrate it himself...below are his words from his Self Made Taste Better interview with Brett Berish...
"Well, my thing started circulating around my neighborhood,
and umm to the point where people were like reciting my lyrics...It started
just circulating in my neighborhood, and umm some guy that I knew who was my
friend umm was reciting something, and somebody heard it, and asked them like,
yo, is that Mase? Or is that, you know another artist? He's like nah that's my
friend. So he was like, yo I want to meet this guy. He brings him to meet me.
And he was like, well umm yo I heard some of your stuff I want to hear more. I
want to see what you can do. And umm I think I can get you signed. I can get
you a record deal. And umm, like I before, I had went through a couple of you know people...So I wasn't you know, crazy excited. I just was like, alright. I probably was about 18, 19...I was at the end of my high school...I probably was still like 18. So he was, you know, just telling me he could do things. He actually put me in a studio. This was one of the first times I went to like a real recording studio. And umm, we laid a couple of...kind of like freestyle songs you know, over other peoples beats. We did a song or two. He wanted to use that as his way to let other people hear me...shopping around. Cos even the stuff that I had did previously recording was kind of like inner house, somebody's tape recorder, kind of thing. It wasn't a professional what's the name, but...so he had now put me in this recording studio, we made, I guess you can call it like a demo. And umm was playing it for people. And one of the people that he would even suggest that he would play it for and he could get me rolling with was DJ Clue.
And umm, he played it for DJ Clue...DJ Clue was a big mixtape DJ at the time. You know. Somebody that we listened to. I had never even seen him before. All I knew was his voice and his legend of tapes, that's it. I never met him before. And umm, you know, one of his promises was like, we gonna get you to DJ Clue, you gonna be on one of his mixtapes. So of course being on a DJ Clue mixtape at this time was a big thing, You know. It's definitely a way to get you more exposed. So I just was still rolling with the punches, not banking on it, but kind of like, I'm rolling with it...you know, see what happens.
He took it, let Clue hear it. Clue was interested. Clue asked me to come up to a radio show he was doing on Hot 97. I thought I was just going there to meet him, to, you know maybe rap for him personally. And when I go there, Clue was like, 'yo we're gonna have you rap over the radio.' And I was like, 'oh, okay.' But I knew this was like an opportunity for me. And it goes back to what I was saying about inner city kids, they don't have these opportunities. So I don't know if I was completely like in the knowledge or prepared for this, but I knew it was an opportunity, and I knew this was an opportunity that could lead to another opportunity...
I went up there, kind of like I said, I thought this was an opportunity for myself. Noreaga, the rapper at the time, he was there. And umm, he was squatchin hot, this is like 98. And he's you know, got all kinda...all kinda stuff going. You know Noreaga had just popped off. He came from a group, his group member got locked up, so now he is solo and all the attention is on him, so he got a great umm...even him being there, gave me more ears. You know what I'm saying. Because people were there to listen to him of course. So I just kind of got my head together, and umm, when it came back to radio I freestyled. And then Noreaga freestyled, and then I kind of felt like well this is my opportunity, let me get one more in, you know what I'm saying. Because I just wanted to leave my impression. I may never get this shot ever again. So I freestyled again, Noreaga freestyled again. And I think just, not only was they impressed by what I did, he also liked that I didn't back down, like after I did one and just like okay cool with that, that I came again. You know what I'm saying. And umm, you know, from that moment Clue was like, 'yo I'm impressed. I want to work with you. I wanna...and I had no idea any of this was going to happen. It was just an opportunity that got put before me, and I was like, alright I got to step up to this opportunity and make the most of it."
And as they say, the rest is history. Fabolous is still here, 21 years later.
You can watch the full interview below...or just skip to the 18 minute mark and hear him talk about how he got signed to DJ Clue's label, Desert Storm Records.
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