What a time to be from the Bay Area! The Golden State Warriors are on their way to the NBA finals and, over the holiday weekend, one of Oakland’s legends in hip-hop just released a new album. It’s been ten years since Mista F.A.B. entered the rap game. To commemorate the moment, the Oakland rapper has released the sequel to Son of a Pimp, Son of a Pimp 2 , on Faeva Afta Music/EMPIRE. Son of a Pimp 2 marks Mistah F.A.B.’s first studio album since 2007’s Da Baydestrian. For this new project, the “Bay Area Ambassador” has called on his many comrades in the industry to help with the album. Mistah F.A.B.’s Rolodex of features includes E-40, Kendrick Lamar, Boosie Badazz, Keyshia Cole, Too $hort, Snoop Dogg, 2 Chainz, Raekwon, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Lupe Fiasco, and many others. On the production side of thinga, Mistah F.A.B.’s Son of a Pimp 2 features Pete Rock, IAMSU, Jake One, P-Lo, The Mekanix, Tha Bizness, and Erk Tha Jerk. The album’s content shares similar thoughts of today’s #BlackLivesMatter movement in that it documents social disparities between race and class, mass incarceration, and such. According to AudibleTreats… “Son of a Pimp 2 is an inspirational reflection on how the rapper overcame a tumultuous upbringing to become an upstanding citizen in his community.” The rise and fall of the Hyphy movement in the mid ’00s left him a casualty of his contract with Atlantic, but Mistah F.A.B. has kept busy. He has released several free mixtapes, including The Grind is a Terrible Thing to Waste series in 2009 and 2011, 2010’s I Lost My Backpack, 2011’s I Found My Backpack and 2012’s Da Yellow Bus Rydah. F.A.B. is also an accomplished songwriter, penning B.o.B’s 3x platinum hit “Headbandz” and co-writing Chris Brown’s 2014 smash hit “Loyal.” Throughout his career, Mistah F.A.B. has balanced his music with his role as a pillar in the Oakland community, sponsoring and organizing numerous charitable works, including backpack giveaways, toy drives, turkey drives, Easter Egg hunts, scholarship funding, fundraising for group homes, creating programs for musicians and building local recording studios. In 2014, the city of Oakland officially made February 8th Mistah F.A.B. Day, in honor of his work in his community. Inspired by the death of his mother and the birth of his daughter, Mistah F.A.B. calls Son of a Pimp 2 his best work to date. Stream Son of a Pimp 2 on Spotify !
