![]() Ab-Soul has always thrived along the unconventional records and his presence on HERBERT still shows symptoms of his unorthodox mindset. ![]() Though the album is at his best when Soul gets his hands on the spacey, obscure-sounding records the lead singles, “MOONSHOOTER” & “GANG’NEM” serve as fitting examples as they vastly differ in sound but emit the same free-spirited feel on record. Ab-Soul displays such diversity as he adapts to the mixture of instrumentals, effortlessly flipping them into concrete records with such profound depth. Sonically speaking, Soul manages to strike all corners as well, ranging across different styles from head-nodding beats to soothing instrumentals. The bold statement in the chorus displays a more assertive side to Ab-Soul as he raps over a Preemo beat in his traditional form (“I like to call myself the God of rap / But really I just gotta rap”). However, the real eye-catcher came in the form of a DJ Premier-produced bar-fest, titled “GOTTA RAP”, which felt like a definitive Ab-Soul record. For every “HOLLANDAISE” or “GOODMAN” we also see a “DO BETTER” and “FALLACY”, proving that Soul was capable of reaching that medium. The levels of transparency that were reached helped elevate Soul to new heights as he strikes a new balance to loose lyricism and song structuring (a medium that lyrical heavyweights always struggled to hit). Soul even goes on to say (“First they love me, then they hate me, then they love me again / I’m scratchin’ my head, I’m rubbin’ my chin / This ain’t the way it was supposed to be, supposedly, I’m close to an end / Don’t push me, I’m close to the edge, I’m no rookie”) as his opening lines to both halves of the record.įrom there on out, Ab-Soul locks in, rapping at a caliber we’ve never heard him reach before. After hitting the midway point into the tune, the tempo shifts entirely as a monologue on how Ab-Soul’s success didn’t meet industry expectations seemingly fuelled the fire. The record starts off on a high note as Soul reflects upon his extended break and how it has intertwined with his career as an artist, leading with a scripture that transitions into a melancholic intro. For the first time since the 2012 underground blockbuster, Soul is in his most transparent state, laying out different aspects of his life that have taken the wheel over his hiatus. Rather than throw out the billboard-lurking classics that each member dabbled in, the black-lip pastor clearly had his own knack for deeper concepts through this art, leading him to delve deeper into hypotheticals rather than living in the moment. Photography: Jerritt Clarkįollowing the release of his 2012 breakthrough record, Control System, it was clear that Soul took a complete left turn in comparison to his TDE-affiliated peers. Titled after his forename, HERBERT is the most personal collection of Ab-Soul’s life within his catalog, marking the shit from his hypothetical theses towards the realm of reality and life. His latest record serves as a relic of victory, proving these seemingly unwinnable battles can be triumphed upon and taken on one at a time. ![]() Coupled with issues of personal loss, drug addiction, and even suicide attempts, it seemed like Soul was constantly faced with a set of never-ending trials that tested his strength. Right when it looked like it was the second soul brother’s time to return, the world entered quarantine for a deadly pandemic. It had been a hot minute since we had last heard from the black lip bastard himself as he took some time off after the release of his 2016 record, Do What Thou Wilt. The return of Ab-Soul has been one for the history books displaying triumph over a series of trials and tribulations through the world’s darkest period and living to tell the story. ![]()
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