DX: Well, you know some of your detractors have got you pegged as some sort of new millennium L.L. Cool J that does too many chick records.
F: You run your situation by what’s successful for you. So if a female-friendly record works for me because of the kind of songs I have put out [previously]… Like, every now and then, of course to be versatile you can switch it up, but I don’t think you should [steer] away from that because of what people are saying or [based on what] people really think. A lot of the thinkers are not even the people who buy your records or support your record. I think really people in general who may know music they know other than that [commercial side]. They may be able to say, "Okay, I respect him for doing that [commercial record] because I guess that’s what he does business-wise."

With the last album, we had “Make Me Better” [and] “Baby Don’t Go” as the singles, [but] there [were] all these other cuts on [the album]. “Diamonds” is not like any other kind of song that I’ve ever done. It’s a more southern feel, a more cheesier kind of feel of a song, but it was something that I don’t think anybody could of just said, "Okay, I’ma put him on this." It was a record that I did for a different kind of audience to keep myself in the light of different audiences. If you rapped every time for one audience you would continue to have that one audience. I never hear anybody saying, "Okay, this person only makes street/hardcore rap. He needs to do something else and be more commercial."

DX: [Like] where’s M.O.P.’s love song?
F: Exactly! Because that might not work for them. They could try it. You never know, maybe they can make a hit talking about something else. But you look at M.O.P. and you say, "Okay, their strength is in making hardcore rap." And I think everbody accepts them for that. Now, as far as their artistry, I don’t know if they’re the kind of versatile group who would try to do something else. I haven’t seen that in their careers. But I take those chances within my career. I try different kinds of music, whether it hits or miss and see what it does. Lil Wayne has a song right now about lollipops and I guess everybody still respects his artistry as far as his lyrical talent. I even look at that as like, “Okay, he took a chance.” He could've came out with something you would commonly just expect from him and then that’s it. I don’t think it would've took him any further than where he is already [though]. So I just think you gotta try different things and come to that [point].

And as far as the L.L. [comparison], hey, if the [female-friendly] records work for me and they work for L.L… L.L. is not a bad person to be compared to as far as his longevity in the game. Maybe his longevity has came from being able to create radio-friendly and female-friendly records also. And I’m taking a page out of his book because I’m on my fifth album. A lot of people who are so-called praised in the game, they haven’t even reached as far [as I have] making albums and being around this long. So I’m well aware of what I’m doing and what I’ve accomplished and I’m happy with that.

DX: But you know working with Britney Spears is only gonna make the haters hate more. Why even get on a Britney Spears record at this point? That seems more like you helping her than her helping you.
F: Exactly. It really wasn’t for her to help me. This is where a Britney Spears record works, the white people who play Britney Spears, all it does is give me some time on their ears. And that’s all [working with her] is for really for me. It’s just really about expanding [my audience]. If I get another [fan by them saying], "Who’s that on that track?" "That’s Fab." Okay, great.

DX: I wouldn’t worry too much that recording with Britney might weaken your street cred ‘cause according to reports you roll with a bunch of celebrity-robbing thugs. Is Fab’s Street Fam crew really a bunch of wolves?
F: That’s the so-called rumor [that we are]. I roll with my friends. I don’t know how they got painted as…

DX: The new Decepticons or something [writer’s note: For those that don’t know, the Decepticons were a notorious gang of teenage jackers formed at Brooklyn Tech High School in the 1980’s] .
F: Yeah. I don’t know how we got painted as that. Actually, Street Family is just a small crew of friends and also the artists that I’m working with. We’re not a gang. I don’t know where it came in [that we’re] like this organized crime [syndicate]. I read some of the stuff myself [with] my friends and we kinda laugh. I think they sensationalize a lot of things because I guess Hip Hop artists will get you publicity. It’ll get you a front page [story]. It’ll get you in the newspaper.

And to say the least, if we were that gang [that media claims we are] the only thing [being] Hip Hop would do would [be to] make us a little bit hotter than you supposed to be. Like, Hip Hop right now is so hot that if you were doing something [illegal] and using Hip Hop [as a cover], I don’t think you’d wanna do that at all. Continued on page 4 »