By DJ YRS Jerzy
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
In order to know where the game is going, people have to look back at where it’s been and who the players were. When it comes to the mixtapes in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Fabolous had the game on lock. He teamed up with DJ Drama for his mixtape series, There Is No Competition, which included bangers.
With this year being the 40th/39th anniversary of hip hop, Hip Hop Vibe has done it’s best to cover various moments in hip hop history. Even though Fabolous’ run with There Is No Competition was not that long ago, it deserves a second look. This series ran from 2008 through 2011.
Fabolous held the game down with this series, but made the decision to end it in 2011. However, as fans already know, Fabolous has a new series he is keeping the streets fed with. But, below, there is a compilation of some of Fabolous’ best moments with his There Is No Competition series that people still argue about now when it comes to the Brooklyn rhymer’s status in the game.
Yesterday, Fabolous concluded The S.O.U.L. Tape mixtape series with The S.O.U.L. Tape 3.
Read up on Fabolous’ There Is No Competition mixtape series below:
There Is No Competition hosted by DJ Drama
After taking a hiatus from the mixtape game, Fabolous set out to return in 2008 in a big way and that meant DJ Drama. At the time, DJ Drama was hot after doing his mixtapes with Lil Wayne, T.I., Young Jeezy, and a few others. Fabolous tied his name to DJ Drama’s movement with his There Is No Competition series.
Early in 2008, Fabolous released the original There Is No Competition with DJ Drama and he changed the game. The mixtape featured Fabolous’ Desert Storm label-mates, Freck Billionaire, Paul Cain, and Red Cafe. Other guest appearances came from LA The Darkman and Willie The Kid, along with more.
Fabolous realized he had something on his hands and DJ Drama had yet another classic mixtape under his belt. Soon, Fabolous returned with another album, but fans wanted more of There Is No Competition. Over the next year, Fabolous teased the next tape.
Download There Is No Competition by Fabolous here.
There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service
Throughout 2009, Fabolous announced release dates for the second installment of the There Is No Competition series. With each release date, Fabolous ended up delaying the tape for various reasons. Finally, Fabolous pushed the tape back to 2010 because of The Funeral Service sub-title.
Fabolous planned a Christmas release, but he didn’t want to bring death to the celebration. Instead, Fabolous decided to wait until 2010 to unveil the official sequel, There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service. DJ Drama was the host of the mixtape and Fabolous kept the usual guests.
This mixtape featured appearances from Juelz Santana, Lloyd Banks, Paul Cain, Vado, Cam’ron, and more. At a time when Fabolous wasn’t putting albums out, he kept the streets hot with his There Is No Competition series. The mixtape helped to further cement his legacy on the streets.
Watch the There Is No Competition mixtape trailer below:
Download There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service by Fabolous here.
There Is No Competition 2: The Grieving Music EP
What has become a commonplace now was something new a few years ago with rappers releasing their mixtapes via retail was something new in 2010. On the heels of the second edition of Fabolous’ There Is No Competition, he decided to package some tracks for an EP. The Grieving Music EP was the final result.
Fabolous managed to pull off the independent release through high sales on iTunes. He included some of his tracks with Vado, Red Cafe, and Cam’ron on the ten track project. There Is No Competition 2: The Grieving Music EP ended up being one of 2010’s most-respected projects.
Although the project was an independent release, Fabolous had the full support of both Desert Storm Records and Def Jam. The project was, at this point, considered a prequel to Fabolous’ next album. Three years later, the album has still yet to be released.
Watch The Grieving Music EP promo below:
Download There Is No Competition 2: The Grieving Music EP by Fabolous here.
There Is No Competition 3: Death Comes in 3’s
As everyone saw on yesterday, Fabolous doesn’t do terribly long mixtape series, he ends them after the third edition. By the end of 2011, Fabolous decided he would revisit his There Is No Competition series. In the end, Fabolous decided to close There Is No Competition.
The third edition of There Is No Competition was sub-titled Death Comes in 3’s and Fabolous came through big time. He did a media run for the mixtape and made it known he was ending the mixtape series. Fabolous then shifted his focus to his Soul Tape series.
Fabolous has a habit of dropping mixtapes on Christmas day and he concluded his There Is No Competition series on Christmas 2011. This final tape made for a classic ending to a modern classic series. Once again, Fabolous and DJ Drama were teamed up and Jadakiss, Styles P, Meek Mill, Lloyd Banks helped them out.
Watch the There Is No Competition 3 mixtape trailer below:
Download There Is No Competition 3: Death Comes In 3’s by Fabolous here.
Follow DJ YRS Jerzy on Twitter @IAMDJYRSJERZY.
