Overview
Ab-Soul is a conscious rapper from Carson California whose musical focus is the glamorization of drug usage. Although Ab-Soul is a talented lyricist, his presentation is highly subdued. Furthermore, despite the fantastic collaborations to be found on this album, none of them allow Ab-Soul to be the focal point. His delivery consists of a considerably high yell similar to Meek Mill. However, its not fair to focus solely on musicality when Ab-Soul is so heavily focused on his message. There is an extremely high concentration of political and ethically charged lyricism in EVERY song. They're not necessarily the deepest messages or even the most coherent, but they all come off extremely sincere.
Defining Track
Terrorist Threats is a track that features Danny Brown. The instrumental is incredible, the chorus is incredible, Danny Brown's verse is incredible, but Ab-Soul's verse is good. The song explores political corruption and inconsistent opportunity distribution. Although this is the focus, it's filtered through an empathy campaign about their own lives introspectively.
Final Thoughts
Ab-Soul's most powerful attribute is being relatable. This is by far, one of the most humble albums with its level of attention. However, his weakness is the fact that he lacks any sort of presence. This album as a whole would be absolutely nothing without the collaborations but maybe it's the anti-glamorous presentation that makes him so well-respected as an underground artist.
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