Ab-Soul on Going Deeper, Post-Babylonia and Being the Last Black Hippy To Get a Wiki
Ab-Soul is comfortable with his status as Top Dawg Entertainment's secret weapon. Instead of going for the quick buck, Ab's guiding principle has been a focus on the long run. Control System, his 2012 LP, was ahead of its time and more than a year after the release, Ab-Soul is cementing his status as a quiet spokesperson, voicing the problems of his generation like few others.
Speaking on Control System, Ab-Soul lays open his game plan – which, even now, is still in the process of unfolding. "Just about every song on the record was designed to talk about certain subjects that I wouldn't be able to have a regular conversation with my friends about. I don't think a lot of us have been looking at life though the helicopter lens. That’s what I wanted to provide with Control System."
The lens he provides extends from deconstructing hip hop's problematic gender inequalities, to penning revolutionary manifestos, giving nods to ancient knowledge, and questioning the status quo of religion and spirituality. Preaching from a deeply personal place, Ab-Soul builds on the gift he had already grasped on his previous mixtapes Long Term and Long Term Vol. 2. Control System provides the next step to the "regular nigga" image he had been purposefully crafting over his previous releases. The boy with the dark shades found the light.
"[Control System] was a way for me to talk about political, economical and social issues with my friends, who wouldn't normally care about these kinds of conversations. But if I put it in a tight song then they'll listen."
Listen they did. Pineal glands, pyramids and planetary cataclysms found their way (back) into rap discourse, by way of artists like Pro Era, The Underachievers and Flatbush Zombies. The official closing of ranks between Ab and the Beastcoast camp took place in November 2012 on "Enter the Void," his collaboration with Joey Bada$$.
“You’re not just gonna read one book and find the answer, let alone at the click of a button... It ain't easy, but it shouldn’t be.”
"Tell my momma I'm a shaman rhymin'" is the way Ab starts his verse directed at "the new generation of lost souls," transformed into "blind drones" through "student loans, iPhones, reality TV shows." He calls it "Post Babylonia," a state in which you're considering what fruit to grow when the dollar crashes, while doing drugs and eating fast food. There's a control system out there, designed to keep you preoccupied with lesser matters. "I think we're living in a time where people are asking a lot more questions. You're not just gonna read one book and find the answer, let alone at the click of a button. Seek and ye shall find. It ain't easy, but it shouldn't be."
Ab-Soul's creative path over the past 18 months has been marked by tragedy. In February 2012, Ab lost his long-term partner and regular collaborator Alori Joh. Reports say that she took her own life jumping off a radio tower in Compton. Since then, Ab has audibly shifted to more earnest, abstract and philosophical subject matter. "Double Standards" addresses how society views each gender's sexual exploits. Tracks like "Terrorist Threats" and "A Rebellion" are about as radically political as rap music gets in the '10s.
Ab-Soul and his TDE crew rarely discuss Alori's passing, but on "The Book of Soul," Ab pens a deeply touching ode to his muse. "I guess the Mayans weren’t lying – 2012 my world ended." Later in the song he professes, "Everything I love gets taken away / My momma and music is next / And if that happens before I turn 28 / Then I'm going out with Kurt Cobain."
"I’m the only Black Hippie who's still a hundred percent independent. There's a good reason for that."
The track provides the tear-jerking final chapter to an opus that quietly rivals the accomplishment of Ab's partner-in-rhyme Kendrick Lamar and his highly acclaimed major label debut. Ab-Soul's ascent into the big leagues, though, still lies some time ahead. "I’m the only Black Hippie who's still a hundred percent independent. There's a good reason for that." Able to spread his message in whichever way he feels, Ab's status as man of the people remains unchallenged among the TDE camp. "At TDE we all understand the power of music. So we don't take that lightly. We try to make sure that we use this power to help others, not just take their money."
Music might be his mission, but Ab-Soul is not a missionary. The revolution may not come in the form of an iTunes download, but realizing that is a good first step. "I'm not an activist or anything like that. I'm not trying to get people to mob behind me in the streets. I'm not gonna go put up picket signs on Wall Street. I'm not that person. I'm just sharing this information. You should take it however it fits you."
