Say hello to Fabo, hip hop's most colorful character. A truly original personality and voice, Lefabian "Fabo" Williams, is known for delivering unforgettable hooks and catchy melodies, but his musical reach goes broader than what's expected, which can be heard on his Atlantic Records solo debut, GIK Muzik (pronounced Geek). An acronym for Give Instead of Kill, Fabo is one of a very few artists in the game that sings and raps his rhymes, although he doesn't refer to what he does as neither singing nor rapping, but rather GIK'ing. Fabo's soulful voice perfectly compliments his immensely likeable character while staying true to the fundamentals of hip hop. "I grew up listening to Al Green, The Temptations, anything that came on the radio because we couldn't afford any CD players or tape decks, but I like vintage music," explains Fabo. "I'm a soulful little brother; I think I got more soul in me and you can hear that in the music but I mean I'm not leaving out of my element. I still love to dance and make dance music."
Fabo first came to attention as the hyper-active and animated frontman of the breakout hit-making crew D4L, although he has been involved in the Atlanta music scene for over a decade. D4L's debut album Down for Life, quickly propelled the distinctive rappers into an overnight sensation with the smash single, "Laffy Taffy", which claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart beating out Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us". The infectious track, which also shot to No. 1 on the Hot Digital Songs chart beating out Kanye West's "Gold Digger", made Scan Sound history for digital down load sales in 2006.
Raised in Bankhead Courts, a section of Atlanta that is widely known for its hard knock way of life and housing projects Perry Homes, the high octane performer may have been short on finances and luxuries, but he has always been long on imagination. "It's a whole other world," Fabo says about growing up on Bankhead. "It's like Mars; 'I'm from Mars,' that's what I call it. Bankhead is like 39.4 million miles away from Atlanta. It ain't the same as what everybody else thinks it to be. I mean everybody's got their own perception of their project but my project is Mars. That's why I made the song, "Scottie" and I talk about seeing spaceships on Bankhead; it's because I feel like I live on mars."
Known just as much for his vast collection of tube socks and white sunglasses (a tribute to his brother serving a life sentence) as he is for referring in first person to his altar ego "Todla" (pronounced two dollar) and his roaring trademark chants of "Ohhh" and "What's Happenin'", GIK Muzik, finds the rising star versatile in flow, delivery and lyrical content. "Giking has a few different meanings but it's like flying. It's my ideal of something or someone taking me away from whatever is bothering me. You can be Gik'ed up on the Lord, music, or whatever it is that makes you feel good. With GIK Music, I am using my mouthpiece to help somebody and give them information that will add to their life, not take it away."
While the hard-hitting single, "How You Do That", featuring Grand Hustle's Young Dro is a powerfully delivered, bass driven ghetto anthem, the uplifting dance track "Glow Man," finds Fabo perfecting his wicked rhyme skills like a lyrical beast. "I've got a few party songs, I got a little singing on there, but basically I'm keeping it real player. Growing up, I had a problem with authority and with music, I can do what I want, how I want to; it's my survival mechanism."
With guest appearances from Yung Joc, Young Dro, Kandi (Xscape), Darron Jones of 112 and Young Jeezy and production by Mr. Colli Park (Ying Yang Twins), GIK Muzik is a refreshing debut that is inventive and crisp, empowered by Fabo's madcap energy, likeable sense of humor, instantly catchy rhymes, ingenious snap tracks, as well as bass heavy music that sets off the lyricist/singer's flow nicely. "If you're tired of listening to everything else that you've been listening too, if you're tired of being apart of a system that everybody else thinks they created, then this is the album for you. I've built on what I've learned over the years and am grinding, taking music to a whole other level. D4L was like high school, a stepping stone but I'm in college now with my solo album and still looking for a job."
GIK Muzik offers several fun, radio ready cuts that kids can chant on the playground yet there are plenty of adult-only songs that let hip hop heads know that Fabo has taken a giant artistic and stylistic leap forward. "My music is not just rap, I'm an artist, so it comes from everything; it comes from the house; uncles, aunties, folks in the neighborhood playing spades, having fish fry's, trapping, anything and everything that I've experienced and have done. It comes from my time in jail and me not wanting to be in that kind of situation again. It comes from me wanting to go farther and be better than I was yesterday."
One of the most engaging personalities to bless the mic in recent years, Fabo has parlayed a visually distinctive appeal and acrobatic dancing skills, as well as a smooth, grammatically creative flow into a winning combination that is sure to spark a trend across the globe. "I look at myself like the Picasso of the rap game. I'm painting a real colorful picture with my style and music. In the industry, everybody wants to put you in a category, but I'm an artist, whether it's an R&B artist, a hip hop artist, pop artist or an alternative artist. I feel good to do what it is that I do as an artist and entertainer and feel good about life. Everyday that God wakes me up is a good day that I'm going to enjoy and live my art."
