He may be TDE’s best kept secret, but to fans he is TopDawg’s underdog. Ab-Soul, born Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, is yet another Cali native signed to Top Dawg Entertainment but you definitely should not box him in as just another West Coast rapper. Fueled with lyricism, arrogance and imagery, Ab-Soul takes fans on a trip through the good and bad times.
Here’s a look at nine things we’ve learned about TDE’s underdog through his music.
1. Grateful for the opportunity to share his music with his fans, Ab-soul is determined to win despite past obstacles.
Stigmata- Ab-Soul featuring Action Bronson and Asaad
“Watch with the internet alone, I enlighten the whole globe/That’s iTunes from a n*gga with astigmatism/I got it from my moms, thank you Steve Jobs/You Took my grandpa job and you gave me a job/Not just a physical but digital way of displaying my rhymes/And making these kind people pay a fine/I’ve been through a lot, I deserve a lot. This works fine.”
2. Speaking of obstacles, Ab-Soul went through a hard time after losing his girlfriend, singer Alori Joh. In this song, as well as several other songs, he reminisces about Joh and makes a vow to make it in the industry for the both of them.
Holy, Holy- Vic Mensa feat. Ab-Soul and The Chicago Kid
“See these the type of records make me think about Alori/It kills me insider we can’t hear her side of the story/I kept my Metro PCS with all of our text messages/As evidence that I was thinking holy matrimony/Holy moly was I incorrect, chain smoking cigarettes/My tee is wrinkled but the irony is that I’m so depressed/Ain’t no gettin’ over this, I just lost my everything/Meaning that even me breathing now is inhumane/She live through me until I die, this what love sound like/I’m her baby boy, she my rib I’m always by her side/God lend me my angel for a day or so/I’d pack up all my sins in every L I blow and let em go”
3. Ab-Soul isn’t big on regret. Perhaps he’s referencing a now tarnished friendship with a female friend that consoled him after Joh’s death or maybe another a former lover- either way, he does not bask in regret but simply wants to see to it that they’re on good terms.
Closure- Ab-Soul
“I don’t regret a second that we shared, hell no/In fact I often wish that you was here, right now, ow, ow/Cause when Lori left me you was right there/Lord knows you had the right care/I wonder if you still praying to the East/I wonder if you ever forgave me.”
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4. At age 10, Ab-Soul was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a life-threatening skin condition which the outer layer of skin separates from the inner layer of skin due to cell death.
Book of Soul- Ab-Soul
“I came into this hurtful Earth in perfect health/Caught Stevens-Johnson syndrome when I was was ten years old/Internal and external favor, 80%, Fatality rate at the time, ain’t that some sh*t/Severe pink eye, my eyes swollen shut/For like two or three months, it’s still bright as f*ck/And I even lost my lip skin/Grew back darker than its regional pigment/Skin disfigured from boils and blisters/Unidentifiable by my little sister/Come to think of it, I could’ve got a crazy check/The shrink thought I’d be traumatized, but I’m alright.”
5. Ab-Soul had dreams of being an NBA player. Soul has mentioned this on other songs but this time, redefines his destiny by saying what he does not want to be remembered as.
Terrorist Threats- Ab-Soul feat. Jhene Aiko and Danny Brown
“To creep through the back door, the typical black boy in the good old USA/Before I pushed rhymes like weight, I used to wanna play for the NBA/F*ck I’m doing talking ’bout pineal glands/Ancient ways of Sumerians, ain’t nothing wrong with a righteous man/This why I had to write this man, for my n*ggas on the corner/Selling water to somebody’s daughter, fluctuating prices man/I ain’t got no gavel, I ain’t tryna fight nobody’s battle/I just wanna be free, I ain’t tryna be nobody’s chattel.”
6. He is the most underrated artist signed to TDE. After comparing himself to Jay Rock, Kendrick and ScHoolboy Q, he comes to the conclusion that people aren’t interested in his metaphors.
Top Dawg Under Dawg- Ab-Soul
“Go back to what’s happening/Jay Rock finna drop and walk you all around Watts/Kendrick keep getting chased by cameramen/And for the first time, you’ve seen a Hoover Crip on the charts/As for me, I’m still an amateur/Venting, looking for the right Canon/To capture your attention, I need honorable mention/Most of all I need to exist in the fourth dimension/But n*ggas say I sing better than I rap/Who gives a crap about all them damn metaphors and diction?/Took a step back to reevaluate my steez/Went to friend zone alone and wrote a gang of trees/Labels calling for everybody except for me/Like I ain’t got the recipe, like this ain’t my destiny”
7. No one’s messing with TDE. Despite feeling as if he’s overlooked, Ab-Soul is confident that he is surrounded by a group of go-getters and judging by their track history, he’s definitely right.
Track Two- Ab-Soul
“When I roll through the city it give me a rush/Yeah I’m high off life but I’m rolling blunts/And they couldn’t wait for Soul to reappear/Click, boom. T.N.T, TDE, we in here/Mm, mm, mm! I can smell fear/From a mile away, you might as well get from round here.”
8. Despite it all, he is still battling his demons.
These Days- Ab-Soul
“So I should be happy, but this sh*t is stressing’/Staring at heaven like “F*ck is perfection?”/I’m popping downers to deal with depression/Cause when you the plug here come the finessing/Smoking dope with the hitters/Don’t know no new n*ggas and business is business/Can I get a motherf*cking witness?”
9. He understands the fault in how men and women are perceived. Okay, this may be a little too controversial but Ab-Soul isn’t one to stray away from touchy situations. You have to admit he has a good point.
Double Standards- Ab-Soul
“To my n*ggas having b*tches, it’s what you just do/To the b*tches having n*ggas, this what a slut do/My aunt told me always treat my lady right/My uncle told me only love em for a night/You can see the immediate disconnection/Between a man and a woman, the reason for regression/For example, you heard of Amber Cole/But you don’t know that n*gga that was getting dome.”
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