On party anthems like “Young’n,” New York rapper Fabolous had a raucous delivery and a lust for the good life. But his new single, “Breathe,” is a sharp reversal: Its countdown-like chorus—“One and then the two / Two and then the three / Three and then the four / Then you gotta breathe”—is the perfect soundtrack for our tense election season. “I named it ‘Breathe’ because I want people to exhale the old music,” says the rapper (born John Jackson in Bed-Stuy), “and inhale my new, more serious self.” And though his new CD, Real Talk, features contributions from southern producers, Fabolous says it has the feel of the five boroughs at its core: “The music goes everywhere, but it all comes back to New York.”

Related:

• Archive: “Music Features”
• Articles by Ethan Brown
• Table of Contents: November 8, 2004 issue of New York | Subscribe!