In the 2000s, hip-hop and R&B collaborations were always a golden ticket to a hit song. The soft, smooth quality of a singer’s voice juxtaposed with a rapper’s harder exterior made for an addictive mix. Ne-Yo and Fabolous were great at it, respectively, but they always made magic together. The luscious, absurdly catchy “Make Me Better” peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Moreover, Fab proved to be the secret touch needed to make “She Got Her Own” such a great record.
But why stop at one-off collaborations? Why not make an entire album filled with such records? Jay-Z and R. Kelly did it twice, most famously with Best of Both Worlds in 2002. According to Ne-Yo, a full-length record was supposed to happen with them a while ago.
In a conversation with Carl Lamarre for Billboard, the “Sexy Love” crooner fervently said Fabolous would’ve been the one artist he would do a full collab record with. However, busy schedules kept them booked, and the stars never aligned for it to work out properly.
“Me and Fab talked about that for a long time, just getting together and knocking out 12, 13 records together,” he shared. “But to be honest, the universe must not want it to happen, because his schedule constantly has moving that way and my schedule constantly has been moving another way.”
Ne-Yo Said the Long-Awaited Fabolous Collab Album May Never Happen
Admittedly, though, the “So Sick” singer does think about the potential frequently, noting how well their voices pair on a song. “He’s the only person [who] ever came to me like, ‘Yo, we should like, what do you feel like that would sound like?’” Ne-Yo said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know. But I mean, your voice and my voice complement each other. So, I don’t see it being a bad thing. We should give her a try.’ Fab, holla at your boy.”
To really capture how long a Fabolous and Ne-Yo album has been teased, back in 2011, the Brooklyn MC detailed some of the prospects for the album. He shared that Ryan Leslie would’ve fronted the bulk of the production, saying that “(Look At Her) You Be Killin Em Pt. 2” is the closest approximation to what that album would sound like.
Currently, Ne-Yo is in the process of releasing Highway 79 on July 10, 2026, his latest foray into country music.
The post Ne-Yo Teases Long-Awaited Potential Collab Album With Fabolous, Says ‘The Universe Must Not Want It to Happen’ appeared first on VICE.
