20 of the Best Fabolous Songs

It all started 18 years ago when John Jackson, then known as Sport, dropped a freestyle alongside Nore on DJ Clue's Hot 97 radio show. The rest—as they say—is history. A mixtape fixture for the remainder of the 1990s, the Brooklyn rapper (who changed his name to Fabolous) signed to DJ Clue's Desert Storm Records. By the time his debut album Ghetto Fabolous dropped (on 9/11), the buzz of the first singles "Can't Deny It" featuring Nate Dog and "Youngin'(Holla Back)" pushed the album into the #2 spot on the Billboard charts. Throughout the span of his first three albums alone, the Brooklyn rapper scored numerous hit records, like "So Into You," (a reworked collaboration with Tamia who had a hit with the same name—he later replaced her with Ashanti on the album version). In fact, by 2004 he had two platinum plaques and a gold record under his belt.

Having worked with an enviable laundry list of the who's who in hip-hop, he's managed to not only stay relevant, but remarkably consistent, delivering what fans expect while seemingly reinventing his focus. From his studio albums, the There Is No Competition series and The Soul Tape series, to the Young OG tapes and most recently his Summertime Shootouts tapes, he always has a hit.

Now, with almost two decades in the game, Fab (still) has a track record as one of the most lyrical, respected and successful rappers from New York City. He has yet to release a disappointing project. The rapper and fashion icon, who turned 40 earlier this month, has an intimidating catalog for new fans to try sifting through. Here at XXL, we've taken a close look his discography and put together a list of Fabolous' top 20 songs. Sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S’s best tracks.