Released: 2003 • Features: Tamia
“Into You” by Fabolous featuring Tamia is a captivating love ballad where the rapper professes his deep affection and attraction towards his woman. It’s a smooth blend of urban love confession and extravagant hip-hop lifestyle.
As the track flows, Fabolous kicks off with a memorable verse. He talks about his feelings for this special girl and how he mentions her in interviews, underscoring the seriousness of his devotion. With lines like “I wanna be more than a friend to you now,” he’s opening up an entirely new chapter of intimacy. The reference to “the problems from the ’90s into 2-thou'” can be seen as a nod to leaving past troubles and moving forward to a brighter future.
He continues to talk about the lavish lifestyle he’s prepared to offer her, like winter bikini trips and shopping sprees on 5th Avenue. But it’s not just about material things. He makes it clear he’s not worried about other men, making a slick play on words with “slide up in you,” hinting at their sexual chemistry. Wrapping up the first few verses, he affirms it’s about her, not jealousy, but the principle. It underlines his true feelings for her, and he’s “so into you”.
As the song progresses, Fabolous lays out more sequence of his affection, detailing the luxury lifestyle they could lead, from the Florida villa to the “drop top three and a quarter.” But the true depth of his feelings is revealed in lines like “Sweet thing, just to think of you dippin’ would have me with the blue’s so hard, you would think I was crippin’.” A clever play on words and a nod to the Crips gang – whose color is blue – implying he would be so sad if she left him. The song’s chorus – “I really like what you’ve done to me, I can’t really explain it, I’m so into you” – echoes his deep emotional involvement.
In verse three, he delves into more personal territory, noting how her cooking reminds him of Ruth’s Chris steakhouse. He appreciates her not for his flashy possessions or wealth, but because she loves his smile despite his chipped tooth, a vulnerable mention rarely seen in hip-hop lyrics. He also suggests that he’s done with the player lifestyle because it became too stressful and now she’s his rescuer, his superwoman. The lines “Let’s fly to St. Barts, while the villa be painted just so we can get really acquainted” show the depth of Fab’s commitment, and that he’s ready for them to get to truly know each other far away from the distractions of the glitzy hip-hop world.
Throughout the track, Fabolous never shies away from expressing his feelings. This hip-hop ballad is infused with sincere and swag-filled nods to a significant other, establishing a parallel between hip-hop culture and romantic devotion. It’s a fresh take on the softer side of rap that doesn’t compromise the genre’s swagger, showcasing that even in the flashy world of hip-hop, love still reigns all.
