Throwback Thursday: Jaheim – “Fabulous” (featuring Tha’ Rayne)
Long before he was showing up to funerals in questionable attire, Jaheim was putting out soulful thug ballads about disadvantaged youth.
“Fabulous,” which samples “Wake Up Everybody” by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, was the lead single from Jaheim’s sophomore album, Still Ghetto. The song is a touching ode to the experiences of black people living below the poverty line. It talks about all the obstacles to upward mobility (e.g., incarceration, teenage pregnancy) as well as all of the eccentricities (e.g., the fashion, the “funny” names) that make them fabulous.
At the time of its release, I could appreciate the positivity of the song’s message, but 17 years later, its lyrics ring poignant. So many of the people that are judged for “making bad decisions” are simply caught up in the cycle of poverty, and this song speaks to that.
If you weren’t hip to this gem, you’re welcome. Click play.
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