1 month ago
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You could argue that Ab-Soul has always been the resident underachiever in the West Coast rap supergroup Black Hippy, a team full of overachievers. You could argue just as easily that Ab-Soul was Black Hippy’s secret weapon, the most underrated part of the group. Either way, Ab-Soul has always been a mercurial presence, and when he fully locks in, he’s an absolute beast. On his new album Soul Burger, Ab-Soul is locked in.
Soul Burger follows Herbert, the album that Ab-Soul released two years ago. It also follows some big moments this summer — Ab-Soul reuniting with his old Black Hippy comrades at Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out concert and in his “Not Like Us” video. In recent months, Ab-Soul has released weeks like “Squeeze 1st 2” and the JID collab “Crazier.” He only announced the release of Soul Burger last week, but the album is here now. It’s a full-length tribute to Ab-Soul’s late friend DoeBurger.
Soul Burger opens with an allusion to the first scene from the movie Belly, and it’s an appropriately epic intro. The rest of the LP has plenty of big-name guests, including Vince Staples, Doechii, Lupe Fiasco, Ty Dolla $ign, JasonMartin, Blxst, and Punch. The late DoeBurger makes an appearance, too. ScHoolboy Q doesn’t rap on the album, but he contributes production, as do people like 9th Wonder, Terrace Martin, and Beat Butcha. But the real attraction here is a focused and motivated Ab-Soul, who sounds as good as he ever has. The album is really impressive on first listen, and you can stream it below.
Soul Burger is out now on TDE.
English (US) · 