Fabolous

Breezy, monumentally conceited, and blessed with an agile flow and mind for wordplay, Fabolous came closer than anyone to duplicating Jay-Z's singular personality at a time when the latter ruled hip-hop radio. But Fab never struck a workable balance between populism and egotism, a task perfected by his model, who uses one to reinforce the other. Only the off-message Eminem and, later, 50 Cent coul...