Real Talk (Fabolous album)

Real Talk is the third studio album by American rapper Fabolous. It was released on November 9, 2004 by Desert Storm Records and Atlantic Records. The production on the album was handled by DJ Khaled, The Neptunes, Trackmasters, J. R. Rotem, Just Blaze and Scott Storch, among others.

Real Talk
Studio album by
Fabolous
ReleasedNovember 9, 2004 (2004-11-09)
Recorded2003–04
GenreHip hop
Length75:07
LabelDesert Storm, Atlantic
ProducerDJ Khaled, The Neptunes, Trackmasters, J. R. Rotem, Just Blaze, Scott Storch, JV, Hotrunner, Flame Throwers, Gerard Harmon, Keith Wilkins, Reefa, Dangerous
Fabolous chronology
Street Dreams
(2003)		 Real Talk
(2004)		 From Nothin' to Somethin'
(2007)
Singles from Real Talk
  1. "Breathe"
    Released: August 31, 2004
  2. "Baby"
    Released: March 24, 2005

Real Talk was supported two singles: "Breathe" which is produced by Just Blaze and "Baby" which is produced by Flame Throwers and contains guest vocals from Mike Shorey. Videos were created for the singles "Do the Damn Thing" featuring Young Jeezy, which received minor airplay on BET, and "Tit 4 Tat" featuring Pharrell, which includes a portion of the album track "Round and Round. The album was received lukewarm from a critical standpoint but was a commercial success. The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 179,000 copies in its first week and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[1][2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
HipHopDX[5]
RapReviews[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Situation[8]
USA Today[9]

Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews gave note of the album's lengthy runtime being a challenge for listeners but commended Fabolous for striking a balance between "materialism and spiritualism" throughout the track listing with help from his producers utilizing his "smooth monotone flow" in the right places, concluding that, "I'm not yet prepared to say Fabolous is DA TRUTH or that his rhyme writing has put him into echelons anywhere near the all-time greats, but he's come a long way since his Ghetto Fabolous days. You may find Real Talk a refreshing change of pace too."[6] K.B. Tindal of HipHopDX praised Fabolous for remaining consistent in delivering club bangers ("Tit 4 Tat"), romantic slow jams ("Baby") and street cuts ("Don't Stop Won't Stop"), saying "There are always the pure exotic street flow wit hard punch lines to the gut that Fab delivers as well as the smoothly shaped ballads that he always dishes out the chicks. On Real Talk, Fab delivers as usual."[5] Steve Jones of USA Today praised Fabolous' lyricism having more direct sharpness and maturity to elevate the record's "brash confidence" alongside the usual hip-hop tropes, concluding that, "In the past, his hits have tended to lean toward female fans. But with Real Talk, he balances matters."[9] Kris Ex, writing for Blender, was critical of Fabolous' lack of distinct character but praised him for being an entertaining wordsmith with a breezy yet confident flow, concluding that "It's this tension that keeps Real Talk from being a collection of one-serving throwaways: Fabolous lands dazzling lyrical stunts while sounding like he's coasting along on cruise control."[4] AllMusic's Andy Kellman gave praise to "Breathe" for showing "signs of being a hip-hop classic" but was critical of Fabolous stretching his rapping skills by unconvincingly taking on various styles and a "mixed bag of satisfactory-to-strong crossovers", concluding that, "[T]here's enough quality material to help fill out a Fabolous best-of, but the touch-all-bases formula inhibits the album's potential of being any better than Ghetto Fabolous or Street Dreams."[3]

Commercial performance

Real Talk debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 with 179,000 copies sold in its first week.[1] This became Fabolous' third US top-ten debut.[1] On December 13, 2004, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies.[2] As of February 2007, the album sold over 550,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[10]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Exodus" Black Ice1:25
2."Don't Stop Won't Stop"J. Jackson, J. AlexanderJV3:37
3."Real Talk (123)"J. Jackson, D. Murchinson, T. LovelaceHotrunner4:26
4."Gangsta"J. Jackson, K. KhaledDJ Khaled3:42
5."Tit 4 Tat" (featuring Pharrell)J. Jackson, P. Williams, C. Hugo, H.P. Baxxter, Rick J. Jordan, Ferris Bueller, Jens Thele, Shahin Moshirian and Stephan Browarczyk, Scooter (band)The Neptunes4:38
6."Baby" (featuring Mike Shorey)J. Jackson, D. ThorntonFlame Throwers4:55
7."Girls"J. Jackson, S. Barnes, J.C. OlivierTrackmasters3:41
8."Church" (featuring Charlie Murphy)J. Jackson, G. Harmon, K. Wilkins, C. MurphyGerard Harmon, Keith Wilkins4:55
9."Can You Hear Me" (featuring Jasmin Lopez)J. Jackson, J. Rotem, J. LopezJ. R. Rotem4:57
10."Do the Damn Thang" (featuring Young Jeezy)J. Jackson, J. Jenkins, S. SlaterReefa4:23
11."Holla At Somebody Real" (featuring Lil' Mo)J. Jackson, C. Loving, S. SlaterReefa3:47
12."It's Alright" (featuring Sean Paul)J. Jackson, J. Smith, S. HenriquesJust Blaze3:45
13."Breathe"J. Jackson, J. SmithJust Blaze4:28
14."Young & Sexy" (featuring Mike Shorey & Pharrell)J. Jackson, P. Williams, C. HugoThe Neptunes4:18
15."Round and Round"J. Jackson, S. StorchScott Storch3:40
16."In My Hood"J. Jackson, H. Campbell, T. Crawford, P. PittsDangerous5:19
17."Ghetto" (featuring Thara)J. Jackson, S. Storch, T. PrashadScott Storch4:16
18."Po Po" (featuring Nate Dogg & Paul Cain)J. Jackson, K. Pratt, J. R. Rotem, P. Cain, N. HaleJ. R. Rotem4:39

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[2] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Eminem Takes Early 'Encore' To No. 1". Billboard. November 17, 2004. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. "American album certifications – Fabolous – Real Talk". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  3. Kellman, Andy (n.d.). "Real Talk - Fabolous". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  4. Ex, Kris (n.d.). "Real Talk - Fabolous". Blender. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  5. Tindal, K.B. (December 8, 2004). "Fabolous - Real Talk". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  6. Juon, Steve 'Flash' (November 9, 2004). "Fabolous :: Real Talk :: Desert Storm/Atlantic Records". RapReviews. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  7. Caramanica, Jon (December 9, 2004). "Fabolous: Real Talk". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  8. Tang, Melisa (n.d.). "Fabolous - Real Talk". The Situation. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  9. Jones, Steve (November 8, 2004). "Elton John's 'Peachtree Road': An unforgettable joy ride". USA Today. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  10. "Fabolous Sets Date For Long-Delayed Album". Billboard. February 13, 2007. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Fabolous – {{{album}}}" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  12. "Lescharts.com – Fabolous – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  14. "Fabolous Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  15. "Fabolous Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  16. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
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