A defining year in hip hop came in 2001, as there were plenty of big shifts with Fabolous’ debut being one of them. Meanwhile, Jay-Z and Nas battled for the top spot, Fat Joe became a platinum artist, Ja Rule and Ludacris established themselves as forces. The year of 2001 was interesting, as Mr. Cheeks also had a breakout year.
Thirteen years have passed since 2001, yet the year still feels like it was only a couple of months ago. In many ways, Fabolous still seems like a newer artist, despite being a force on the mixtape scene for well over a decade. Even to Fabolous, it all feels like it happened yesterday.
Fabolous felt nostalgic yesterday, so he reflected back to his first magazine feature, which was his XXL “Show and Prove.” He mentioned how, in the interview, he was asked if he felt fans would compare him to Mase. In the post, he went on to call himself a “young OG” in the game.
