Ab-Soul

Ab-Soul’s Return Will Continue With ‘The Intelligent Movement Tour’ This Summer

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In January, Ab-Soul asked LeBron James to “A&R the next album.” Will King James and the Los Angeles Lakers still be playing basketball come June? That’s anyone’s guess. But we know undoubtedly that Ab-Soul will be on his The Intelligent Movement Tour, beginning on June 2, as announced today, April 5:

Ab-Soul dropped Herbert last December, his first album since 2016’s Do What Thou Wilt. “It’s satisfying, if not always delightful, to see that those rap nerd tendencies haven’t left him,” Uproxx wrote of the album, also applauding Ab-Soul for “endeavoring to discuss more earthbound subjects on Herbert — even when those topics get dark.”

More recently, Ab-Soul celebrated his birthday in February with an NPR “Tiny Desk Concert,” where he performed Herbert tracks “Message In A Bottle,” “It Be Like That,” “FOMF,” “Fallacy,” “Do Better,” and “Gotta Rap.”

Check out where you can witness Ab-Soul perform those tracks (and more) live below, and find ticket information here.

06/02 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall
06/04 — Detroit, MI @ Shelter
06/05 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
06/07 — Denver, CO @ Cervantes Otherside
06/09 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Hive Festival
06/11 — Seattle, WA @ Neumos
06/12 — Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
06/15 – Oakland, CA @ New Parish
06/18 — Los Angeles, CA @ Roxy
06/20 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
06/22 – Dallas, TX @ Studio At The Factory
06/23 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
06/25 — Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
06/27 — Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry
06/28 – New York, NY @ Racket
06/29 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage
06/30 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

Ab-Soul Announces “Intelligent Movement” Tour

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Just as Top Dawg promised, Ab-Soul will be hitting the road in support of Herbert. The Carson, CA rapper emerged with his latest studio album in December to close out a triumphant year for TDE. Though we’re almost five months removed from the album’s release, Ab will be coming to a city near you this summer. The announcement comes after Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith confirmed tour plans for the Black Lip Pastor.

 The rapper announced the Intelligent Movement tour this morning, which kicks off in Toronto on June 6th before closing things out in Boston on June 30th. Soulo hasn’t unveiled the opening acts, though we’d presume it’s someone from the TDE camp. However, the 17-date trek will bring Ab-Soul across America. Expect to see him in cities like Detroit, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and New York, among others. Though we only have two months until it launches, it seems like a promising indication that he has new music coming soon.

Ab-Soul Shares Tour Dates But Where’s The Deluxe?

In the past few months, we’ve heard some promising updates from Ab-Soul. For one, he’s already plotting the release of the deluxe edition of Herbert. During an interview on Mackwop TV, Ab-Soul confirmed that the deluxe edition of the project was on the way. However, he stated it would drop on the late Doebuger’s birthday (April 1st), though it looks like it got pushed back further. However, with the tour expected to launch in a few months, we’re probably not far away from Soulo dropping that for us. Maybe then, we’ll see the rumored Jay-Z collab.

In addition to the re-release of Herbert, Soulo also is working on his follow-up album. Though we had to wait a few six years between his latest album and Do What Thou Wilt, he confirmed that he’s already cheffing up his next opus for a 2023 release. However, Top Dawg said that he aims for it to drop by December. Additionally, the TDE founder also said that a Black Hippy project could potentially see the light of day this year. All in all, there’s a lot to look forward to from Top Dawg Entertainment this year. Check out the Intelligent Movement tour dates above. 

Anthony ‘Top Dawg’ Tiffith Teases That A Black Hippy ‘Album Or EP’ Could Be In The Works Soon

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Top Dawg Entertainment has come a long way since 2012 when the above photo was taken at SXSW. Kendrick Lamar has since won a few Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize, Schoolboy Q has taken up golf, Ab-Soul has survived depression and anxiety, and Jay Rock… is still Jay Rock, I guess. He keeps to himself a lot.

But collectively, there’s one thing we never really got from Black Hippy: A full group project. That may change soon, despite their vocal reticence throughout the years, if the man who started their label has his way. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith teased a potential project from them during a Twitter Q&A session with fans.

When one fan asked whether the group would ever do a remix of “Vice City,” Top’s favorite Black Hippy track per a previous answer, the label head went one step further. “I think they will…” he replied. “They owe y’all an album or EP.”

Now, whether such a thing will come to fruition remains to be seen. As mentioned above, it seems very much like at least two (maybe three) members of the collective are halfway retired as it is, Kendrick is busy with PgLang and his cousin Baby Keem’s career, and three-quarters of the group have kids — which can really change the calculus for album release strategies. Hopefully, they can carve out some time to get into the studio together, though, because as a group, their chemistry was always unmatched and extremely enjoyable.

Ab-Soul Lights Up “Tiny Desk Concert” On His Birthday

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We’re inching closer to the conclusion of Black History Month. To highlight exceptional artists, NPR hosted Ab-Soul for its Tiny Desk Concert. The Carson, Calif., native is an applauded lyricist in Hip Hop, and he took his talents—and musicians—to the outlet’s coveted stage. We don’t often get to see Ab in a live, stripped-down session, so this unique performance is one that fans should not miss.

The Rap icon dubbed his band the Soulersystem, and unsurprisingly, Ab-Soul included several Herbert tracks in his set. His most recent release was Ab’s first offering in six years, and it was a return that was welcomed with open arms. “We just here to restore the feeling,” he said on Tiny Desk. It seems that the rapper, too, is celebrating the culture’s milestone this year. “What you say? Fifty years of Hip Hop?”

Ab-Soul Chose To Release This Concert On His Birthday

LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 26: Rapper Ab-Soul performs onstage during day 2 of the 2015 Life is Beautiful festival on September 26, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by FilmMagic/FilmMagic)

Not only are we celebrating seeing Ab-Soul in concert, but today (February 23) just happens to be the emcee’s birthday. We’re sure loved ones have surrounded him as he marks the end of one lap around the sun and the beginning of another. Additionally, Ab highlighted his “guardian angel,” DoeBurger, whose photo he had printed on a custom jacket. He held up the garb during his performance, paying tribute to one of his best friends who passed away in 2021.

During the years he wasn’t pushing out new music, Ab has experienced significant changes. Last year, he sat down with Charlamagne Tha God to speak about Herbert, as well as surviving a suicide attempt. Ab detailed his story, revealing he jumped from a freeway overpass, survived, and walked home. This isn’t to say his injuries weren’t devastating, as he shared in his interview.

Ab-Soul Previously Detailed His Experience

“I ain’t even got my implants yet. My jaw’s f*cked up, I got a lot of work to do still,” he said at the time. “My foot is completely reconstructed, all the way to my pelvis. Everything but my knee. It doesn’t even make sense that my knee wasn’t affected. My femur, everything was affected except my knee.” He’s in a much better place and his story has helped others who are struggling. Check out Ab-Soul on Tiny Desk above.

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Ab-Soul Put On A Passionate Performance For His Tiny Desk Concert, Shared On His Birthday

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Last year, Ab-Soul released his new album Herbert featuring collaborations with artists like Big Sean, Russ, Joey Badass, and Jhené Aiko. He also teamed up with Zacari earlier this month for the track “Motions.” Now, he’s back with an NPR Tiny Desk.

His enthusiastic performance includes “Message In A Bottle,” “Bohemian Grove,” “It Be Like That,” “FOMF,” “Terrorist Threats,” “Fallacy,” “Do Better,” “The Book of Soul,” and “Gotta Rap.” His passionate flows are set to a mesmeric, eclectic backdrop of guitars, trumpets, and saxophones; there’s a sense of vibrant community amongst the cluster of talented musicians packed in the small space. To make it better, today is his birthday. What better way to celebrate?

A statement shared upon the announcement of the album Herbert explained the complexity of the meaning and making of it. “Herbert is a deliberately intimate portrait of the man behind Ab-Soul going back to his foundation,” the statement reads. “As noted by the name of the record, leaving the conspiracy theories, he’s known for behind while emphasizing his musicality. After suffering through a series of unspeakable tragedies, Stevens completed the album as a changed man with a new sense of purpose.”

Watch his Tiny Desk concert above.

Zacari And Ab-Soul Go Through The ‘Motions’ On Their New Single

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Zacari and Ab-Soul have another gem on their hands. On their new collaborative single, “Motions,” both artists walk us through a day in their lives, as they deal with industry protocol, adjusting to fame, and navigating friendships and relationships.

“I’m just goin’ through the motions / Liftin’ off the ground / Driftin’ like the cloud / I’m just goin’ through the motions,” the two sing on the song’s chorus.

“Motions” marks the Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates’ third total collab. Last year, the two worked together on “Do Better” from Ab-Soul’s fifth studio album, Herbert, and have previously collaborated on “RAW (Backwards)” from his 2016 album, Do What Thou Wilt.

Zacari has appeared on several TDE collaborations over the years, alongside artists like Isaiah Rashad and Kendrick Lamar. He officially signed to the label in 2019, and released his debut EP Run Wild Run Free later that year.

Last year, he also collaborated on tracks with Blxst and MIA.

Though he hasn’t released a full-length album of his own yet, fans of Zacari can expect to hear it in the near future.

Last year, he revealed in an Instagram post that he plans to drop his full-length debut in 2023.

In the meantime, you can listen to “Motions” above.

Lance Skiiiwalker’s “Audiodidactic” Album Lands With Ab-Soul & Isaiah Rashad Features

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Top Dawg Entertainment’s artists are a force to be reckoned with this New Music Friday. Previously we highlighted Zacari’s new “Motions” single in tandem with Ab-Soul. Now, we have another appearance from each of those artists on Lance Skiiiwalker’s latest project. Audiodidactic landed on DSPs at midnight, complete with 11 tracks as well as an additional guest appearance from V.C.R.

Ahead of his album’s debut, the artist dropped off “Beantown” as a single in late January. “I experienced Boston once while I was on tour, it felt like a really cool city,” he explained of that release. “Thinking about it more, I realized it was missing a love song. I haven’t heard anything about Boston in that world. The record is more about the vibes I felt there than a particular person, the girl is a metaphor.”

Image provided to HNHH by artist

While he carries most of the titles on his own, Skiiiwalker did recruit Ab-Soul to help him on “Church.” A few songs later, on “Sample Talk,” we once again hear from another TDE star, Isaiah Rashad. As mentioned earlier, V.C.R also helped his friend, specifically showing out on the eighth title, “It Was All.”

Audiodidactic marks the Chicago native’s first full-length effort since he dropped Introverted Intuition in 2016. More recently, he delivered a pair of EPs in 2021 to hold fans over until today’s album was ready. Along with that, Skiiwalker shared an accompanying visual for “Where To With You.”

Before his inevitable rise to fame, the “Lover’s Lane” artist was discovered by former TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar. He’s previously been described as the collective’s “secret weapon” by Moosa, their president. Aside from his own releases, Lance has worked alongside names like ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul on their own tapes.

Stream Lance Skiiiwalker’s Audiodidactic album on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, tell us your top three favourite titles in the comments, and check back later for more hip-hop release updates.

Audiodidactic Tracklist:

  1. Friends
  2. Where To With You
  3. Church (with Ab-Soul)
  4. IG
  5. Everybody Hurts Somebody
  6. Sample Talk (with Isaiah Rashad)
  7. I Just Want
  8. It Was All (with V.C.R)
  9. Beantown
  10. Audiodidactic
  11. (Ni) Radio Whispers