![]() ![]() Except Timothy didn’t have a stripped-down, bass-heavy beat backing him That makes a world of difference. Soul calls for all the gangs in the world to unify in order to take over the White House, much like Timothy Leary once called for space colonization. He also puts his ‘sinister literature’ on full display, comparing himself to a stoned Albert Einstein, before concluding, “I’m a diamond ring in the trash, no reason to brag, it’s sad.” Soul continues his underdog brap-brap on “Terrorist Threats,” a Danny Brown-assisted futuristic call to arms. He supports himself outside the systems of control (more on those later). On “Track Two,” a synth-laden banger, Soul does well to convince us of his outlaw status. That is the sign of a true maker.Īb-Soul-Terrorist_Threats-EM0512 Download: Ab-Soul – Terrorist Threats f. Which means, Soul can take a bevy of similar sounds, and shape them to communicate a wide range of ideas. Yet, all of the beats more or less fall under the same category They are sparse, space-age, atmospheric dirges (Kudos to Digi+Phonics for mastering their schtick). There is gangsta rap, conscious rap, stoner rap, trill rap, however you want to label them. For instance, there are many different kinds of rap on Control System. Ab-Soul is a dynamic artist, yet at the same time he has this peculiar gift for cohesiveness. He has a raspy, high-pitched, often-contemplative delivery, that can either excite a reaction, make the listener smile, or make them cry. Unlike other contemporary rappers, who often invite comparisons to earlier artists – Kendrick and ScHoolboy to early Eminem, ASVP Rocky to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – Ab-Soul is an artist unto himself. It also sets a precedent for future swag-era rap recordings They need to entertain, stimulate, push boundaries, and above all else, convince the audience that the maker is indeed trill: true and real. It proves that the self-proclaimed ‘deep thinker’ of TDE (which includes Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Soul) is a star on his own merit. If there was a weak link in Top Dawg Entertainment's roster, the more polished Control System repaired it hip-hop fans have a lot to look forward to out of the west coast again.Ab-Soul’s new full-length, independent album, Control System, accomplishes two things. In general, it's baffling that Longterm Mentality was even released with the superior-in-every-way Control System only a year removed - but such is the patience of youth. ![]() But nonetheless, similar examples are sparse throughout and cannot shake a prevailing dated vibe. Kendrick Lamar-featured "Illuminate" brings an atmospheric, at times 80s sounding beat to an excellent interplay between Ab and Lamar. Granted, this beat selection is not to the same, anachronistic extreme his previous effort went for. It is definitely (and probably intentionally) different from the rest of the crew's more electronic influenced sounds in that Ab-Soul elects to go with a more classic style. While not as severe a detractor as in Longterm Mentality, it is frustrating that the production is still as weak as it is. The main issue with Control System is not the rapping. Late-album gem "The Book of Soul" strikes a delicate balance between therapy session and remembrance, and is one of the more heartfelt rap performances of recent memory. Potentially, he is the type of emcee more meant for guest feature spots in moderation, but his innate storytelling ability lends one to believe otherwise. Ab-Soul performs well in this complementary role and shows how versatile he really is, almost a west-coast amalgam of Brown and Kanye West, yet still a slightly weaker and more inconsistent sum than the parts. Brown destroys the mic especially, yet on first listen it's strangely difficult to differentiate the two from each other. Most notably, "Terrorist Threats" shines a spotlight on this and provides a direct comparison to featured guest/ upstart phenomenon Danny Brown. Proper studio follow-up, Control System, finds Ab-Soul taking continued advantage of his unique flow - a style that emphasizes interesting alliterative diction and continued expansion of singing duties among other things. The weakest of these Black Hippy releases was (unquestionably) Ab-Soul's Longterm Mentality, a poorly produced, meandering affair that just barely separated itself from the chaff purely through its vocal merits. Where Section.80 proved Lamar's worth and elite lyricism, the rest of the crew trailed slightly behind with exceptional efforts from Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock. LA collective Black Hippy took 2011 by storm with well-received releases by all members, spearheaded in force by Kendrick Lamar's debut LP, Section.80. Review Summary: Hip-hop fans have something to look forward to out of the west coast again ![]()
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