Top Dawg Entertainment’s run to the top of hip-hop will forever be enshrined in the genre’s history. Rising out of Carson, California, the label went from Los Angeles’s impoverished streets to selling out world tours. The label’s rise mirrored what Death Row could do decades earlier—with less chaos. However, Ab-Soul’s name was rarely mentioned in the context of Top Dawg Entertainment’s mainstream success. The Carson MC is more so an under-spoken and patient verse creator compared to his contemporaries. However, he’s meticulously compiled an impressive resume over the past decade.
Ab-Soul wrote his first rap verse at 12, scheming over Twista’s “Emotions.” A self-described nerd and outcast in school, he contracted Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which is the reason for his light-sensitive eyes and trademark black shades. Severely teased at school for his condition, he began utilizing rapping as an outlet. By the early 2000s, he started recording songs before he met the president of TDE. After signing with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2007, he joined the West Coast hip-hop group Black Hippy. The collective consisted of Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q.
Ab-Soul Broke Out With 2012’s Control System
Black Hippy quickly gained notoriety throughout Los Angeles, making Ab-Soul’s solo career under TDE a logical next step. While Longterm served as his debut mixtape, 2012’s Control System would become a beloved and gatekept project for alternative rap fans. The album mirrored many of the sonic ideations of Kendrick Lamar’s Section 80, picking from various jazzy beats. Ab-Soul would continue to lean into a darker persona over the next four years, releasing 2014’s These Days and 2016’s Do What Thou Wilt. The latter would become his most critically acclaimed project of the lot, featuring the hit track “The Law” featuring Mac Miller and Rapsody. While Ab-Soul has never reached the mainstream popularity of many of his contemporaries, his ability to stay true to his eclectic nature has garnered a loyal fanbase.
Ab-Soul’s New Album Focuses On Vulnerability
In 2022, Ab returned after a six-year hiatus for the personal and reinvigorating Herbert. The project saw him motivated for the first time in a long time. The wait wasn’t intended to be that long, as the album was initially slated to release in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic. He told GQ, “The pandemic is probably where it was the roughest, where it was the darkest for me. We all kinda had to sit with ourselves, in solitude.” However, Herbert isn’t as focused on the negativity that Ab-Soul was feeling during the pandemic. Instead, the record focuses on his personal improvements in mental health. The rapper admitted to attempting suicide and detailed his incredible recovery.
The seasoned veteran went on to discuss the album with XXL, stating, “The album Herbert is about getting back to self. I just kinda feel like I was becoming Ab-Soul more than Herbert. So, this album, to say the least, is dedicated to the people that refuse to call me Ab-Soul. That still call me Herbert or Herbie or Herb. It’s about getting back to the roots. Getting back to the foundation, to the source. Getting back to self.” Ab-Soul expressed growth in his musical chops on the project, experimenting more with auto-tune choruses while proving he’s still one of the most intricate writers in Los Angeles’s hip-hop arena.
He’s L.A.’s Underground MC
In essence, Ab-Soul has morphed himself into TDE’s staple underground artist over the years. For fans who resonate less with the booming 808s and larger-than-life production of Kendrick Lamar or Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul’s sound acts as a refreshing detour for Los Angeles loyalist rap fans. He’s heavily contributed to hip-hop’s continued focus on lyricism and emotional vulnerability. As he puts it plainly on Herbert, “I don’t know what to think.” However, Ab-Soul embraces that sense of obscurity through his music, gaining his respect within the industry.
The past calendar year has been a period of change for Ab-Soul. Following up on the success of Herbert, he collaborated with fellow TDE member Zacari on “Motions.” Beyond his music creation, he welcomed a pair of twins to the world in April. However, he’s remained purposefully coy regarding who the mother is. In addition, he is partnering with the Mickey Factz Pendulum Ink Academy, where he’s teaching a class surrounding hip-hop songwriting. He isn’t the first MC to spread his pen game to the rest of the world, with rappers such as Lupe Fiasco and Q-Tip also teaching hip-hop courses. The placement speaks volumes to Ab-Soul’s notoriety and respect within the genre, making him the untold hero of Top Dawg Entertainment.
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