Discovered in 1998 by the renowned DJ Clue, Fabolous went on to go platinum with his 2001 debut album, Ghetto Fabolous. Now with the release of his sophomore album, Street Dreams, he aims to recapture the successful party vibe of his debut. In fact, he accomplishes this with clubbish beats and a fluid flow. However, he does not display any growth lyrically since his debut as the majority of the album centers on drugs, guns and hoes.

In a rap world filled with odd name spellings, Fabolous' is one of the few that actually irks me. I managed to put this bad first impression aside, but couldn't neglect a second bad impression. Naming the album Street Dreams seems like a slap to the face of Nas' legendary single, which bears the same name. I'm also not much of a fan of Fabolous' indistinctive vocals, which rarely end up stuck in my head.

Regardless, his flow does win me over on the infectious leadoff track, 'Don't give a F***.' Two of the bonus tracks: 'Throw Back' and 'Keepin It Gangsta (remix)' are clearly the gems of the album, as M.O.P. rips it up on the latter track. Mary J Blige shines with her chorus on the collaborative 'My Life.' The horn-laced beat on impressive 'Forgive me Father' is coupled with the catchy and ironic chorus of "forgive me father for I have sinned / but look at all this money that I spend / and look at all this jewelry that I'm in / and look at all the places that I've been / and look at all the women and those grins / look at the blue flames that I'm in." This chorus basically sums up the concept behind the album.

As much as I tried, I just couldn't get into this album. However, with a few drinks and a feel-good vibe, this album is ideal to get any party started and the heads bobbin. But no matter what the party, it's likely to eventually lose out against the ladies' copy of the Nelly album.

Click here to buy the album at amazon.com