Fabolous Talks About Making “Breathe” After ‘Going Too Far One Way’ With Female Friendly, Radio Hits: ‘That Wasn’t a ‘106 & Park’ Joint’
Fabolous says that he made “Breathe” to not be type casted into just making records that he believed women would like.
In a new interview on Carmelo Anthony and Mero’s 7PM in Brooklyn, Fab detailed why he chose to make the song — explaining that his popularity at the time was because of songs like “Can’t Let You Go” and “Trade It All” with Jagged Edge. To be on the radio, he believed he had to make those kinds of songs — even if that wasn’t all that he wanted to rap about.
“I’m going too far one way and it might get to a point where people don’t even know you even rap or put you in the category,” he explained.
“At the time radio was dominated by you had to make those songs to get on radio,” he elaborated later. “I go back a little bit. That’s where ‘Breathe’ came from — I’m going too far one way.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Fab gave Lil Wayne his flowers for how much the New Orleans legend has influenced hip-hop and its culture.
“There’s a lot of influence with Lil Wayne,” explained Fab. “He’s not always recognized for his footprint on the game as far as like, even just the texture, or look.”
“When you see it, it’s either a norm, or you connected it to somebody else, but it came from (him),” he continued. “The face tats, the dreads, the skinny jeans, whatever, all of the came from a lineage of Wayne bringing that to the game. I’m not even saying that he created it on Earth, I’m just saying that a lot of guys have taken some of that and did they own thing with it as well even down to the music or the style of it.”
Fab also talked about mixtape culture and how it was more appreciated than albums at the time.
Fab has been very reflective about his earlier career lately. Last month, he opened up about a lesson that he learned after Beyoncé confronted him over a line he rapped about her sister Solange.
On an episode of The Pivot, Fab explained that he had no idea that Bey listened to his mixtape music. The moment however, made him begin choosing his lyrics more wisely. “So I took that in as an older hip-hop artist now I kept that in mind as I move forward you know what I’m saying. Before that, I didn’t care; I would just say anything.”
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You can watch the full interview above.
