Mistah F.A.B. Signs with Atlantic

Major labels had been locked in a bidding war over him since January, and F.A.B. spoke with every label head. On September 29, 2006, the site reported the decision: Mistah F.A.B., a rapper from Oakland in the Bay Area, signed a major deal with Atlantic Records. Together with his own label, Faeva Afta, and Thizz Entertainment, he planned to release his next album there. Atlantic had shown the greatest and, above all, most consistent interest, F.A.B. explained. The album was to be called The Yellow Bus Rider and slated to arrive in early 2007.

After Years in the Shadows: The Hyphy Wave Rolls Nationwide

The deal came at a time when the Bay Area was once again drawing nationwide attention after years in the shadows. In 2005 and 2006, the “hyphy” style was the big story: booming bass, shrill synthesizers, and plenty of party energy. With the album Son of a Pimp (April 2005, Thizz Entertainment) and tracks like “Super Sic Wit It” and “Ghost Ride It,” Mistah F.A.B. was among the most visible figures of that wave. For the site, which focused primarily on the West Coast and Tupac’s Bay Area years, reporting the news was a natural choice.

The Atlantic Album Never Came Out

The Atlantic album never came out. The title Da Yellow Bus Rydah (in the report: The Yellow Bus Rider) was pushed back multiple times. For a time, it was announced for 2009 under the new title The Bus Ride; ultimately, his discography lists it as unreleased. Instead, another album, Da Baydestrian, was released via Thizz Entertainment in May 2007, and F.A.B. continued working independently through mixtapes and collaborative albums.

It did not hurt his reputation. To this day, Mistah F.A.B. is regarded as one of the defining and most colorful figures of the hyphy movement; some call him its “crown prince.” The 2006 report thus stands for a typical story of those years: a big major deal, a big promise, and in the end the road back to independence.