Ab-Soul's close friend, collaborator and yin to his yang, Armon “Doe Burger” Stringer passed away in 2021 and Soulo carries the tastemaker's spirit with him to this day. The 37-year-old dedicated his sixth studio album to Stringer asalbum/4h3I43cFQyDqezGcREnTK6?si=syiEucpxSPeUACgVgIIblw” target=”_blank”> Soul Burger — the fusion of Ab-Soul and Doe — hit streaming services on Friday (November 9).
It's almost 2:00 a.m. on the West Coast and Ab-Soul still hasn't fallen asleep when he calls me Bulletin board. “I've been the sickest lyricist and the sickest MC, which I'm proud of, but what can I do now to touch more people and take it further?” the Top Dawg Entertainment rapper asks rhetorically.
Soulo has proven himself 10 times over as one of rap's top electromaniacs and death pens over the past decade-plus, but his mission is different by serving Soul Burger.
“This is to get the crowd jumping and more focused on the emotion rather than being so cerebral,” he says, before quoting Quincy Jones days before the legendary producer's death. “I think Quincy Jones said, 'You've got to leave some room for God to intervene.' I was banging my head against the wall, bringing the worst metaphor for expressing myself.”
The Underground Emperor sought advice from a number of people and challenged himself in the studio, assembling a versatile cast of guests including Ty Dolla $ign, Doechii, Vince Staples, Blxst, JID, Lupe Fiasco and more, joining him on the LP, which begins cinematically like the opening scene Belly.
There are certain moments in a career that fans wish they could hold on to forever. Soulo enjoyed one of those in June when he joined his former TDE brother Kendrick Lamar on stage at the Pop Out concert, where they rapped “6:16 in LA” together. “Pulling me on stage and kicking it to me made me feel like he was checking me to see if I still had it. Like he was looking for my approval,' she thinks. “This is our relationship.”
Find much more below with Ab-Soul detailing how his first Billboard Hot 100 hit “Pi” landed in the hands of J. Cole, as well as explaining Drake's viral “Redemption” tweet and living as a rapper with Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Ab-Soul
Justin James Agoncillo
I heard you say this is a Soul Burger work and not an “Ab-Soul work”. Could you explain the difference between when you went into it creatively and what you intended with it?
It's basically an ode to my brother Doe Burger. If you're familiar with me, you should be familiar with it, hence the name Soul Burger. It should serve as the fusion of me and him together. We were yin and yang in many ways. I really wanted to channel him as best I could to keep him with me. I say this often, but I don't know how I manage without him. My only logical explanation is that he must be with me. This is an album that I feel like he wanted me to make. He was a real connoisseur. I appreciated his opinion. A true artist in his own right. I really hope he's proud of it.
Long live the Doe Burger. I wanted to get into a few tracks starting with the open “9 Mile”. I felt like I was walking into his opening scene Belly.
Honestly, I wanted to go in and feel it Belly. This is actually what I've been practicing lately. I just try not to think about it too much and go with the feeling. Just try to complement the music more than focusing so much on what I'm saying. I am a poet by nature. I wrote a million rhymes a million times. I was challenging myself to really catch a vibe. Fill in the music in relation to what I'm trying to convey lyrically, metaphors, puns and similes. It worked for me. I have been honest throughout my career. I shared my testimony. I feel like it was more important to me that people listen to what I'm saying to feel the music.
Definitively. I know you were talking to DJ Hed about wanting to do some rides here as Underground Emperor. Like you wanted to compete on another level to be in this conversation. Detail the altitude you are trying to do.
I just challenge myself to take advice and collaborate and ask questions. I've been the sickest lyricist and the sickest MC, which I'm proud of, but what can I do now to touch more people and take it further? Why not go for everything you can get in this art form? Compete at all levels. I still try not to compromise the spirit that brought me here, but how can I take it further?
It's dope to see that humility and that willingness to challenge yourself over a decade later Control System in 2012.
I'm glad you said that. I can't win Control System free. It is a goal for us to take it further. I have to win Control System. I need someone to report another project of mine. Control System it was frequency man. It was a time when it was just pure hunger. I wasn't worried about numbers or work. I really did what I wanted to do. I made the art I wanted to make unapologetically and I'm trying to get back to that.
You debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with J. Cole's “Pi” earlier this year. I know the whole backstory with that how you didn't know Cole was going to end up getting the record [Might Delete Later]. Have you had a conversation with him since then about how you need to go bar-to-bar soon and get your lick back?
Daylyt, is part of the team now. He works very closely with us and especially with Punch. Shout into the room full of mirrors. Me and him are close and we had a sparring session going back and forth on some lyrical exercise. It's called “Pi” because the song ironically ended at three minutes and 14 seconds. This was long before the battle and all that. He sent it to Cole and I didn't know it. it was [Daylyt’s] record. I woke up one morning and had a crazy J. Cole lyric on my phone. I say, “Brother what? You must inform me. He's one of the best rappers in the world.”
I had a little issue with Cole, because he was supposed to be on my last album Herbert. Cole is a true artist, he probably just couldn't catch the vibe – and that's proof, because he was immediately moved by it. A true rapper rapper. I immediately called him saying, “Brother, I need my return.” We're all really cool. The whole Dreamville camp. He respected that. He had the inspiration to do a lock on with the Jedi and threw us out [Atlanta]. It was dope, we all got to build and create. He had that spirit. I told him straight out, “We have to fight.” In divine timing when the stars align.
Rapping “6:16 in LA” on Pop Out with Kendrick, what does that moment mean to you when you look back on it?
Not only is this one of my favorite records by him, period. Beef aside, this was such a beautiful record together. He was saying such deep things. Like my favorite line, “There's opportunity when you live with loss/ I find myself when I fall behind.” He was speaking to all of us. This was more than a battle. He made me look in the mirror. It was bigger than that and that ended up being Pop Out. He took a battle and used it as an opportunity for unification. It was amazing. He was kicking that s–t. I don't play for Dot. I have learned so much from him and all my brothers. I expect nothing from him, and this has been an honor and a privilege.
You said 'Redemption Was Off The Table For Drake' and you've had a lot of reactions, so I wanted to ask you about the past months and how it's been going.
I'm really glad you asked. I got a lot of backlash from it. I was a bit impulsive with my answer. You know how the internet is coming. If you read that correctly, I started with a Dot quote and ended with a Dot quote. It goes back to me saying it was more than a battle for me. This battle made me look at myself in the mirror. He felt that something more than his opponent was something for us all to learn. This was a smart move. It was personal, but it has nothing to do with me.
What I was saying was that everybody was coming up to me, asking me how I felt about it. I just hear all these opinions and stuff like that and I'm just sick of it. I was like, if Drake is one of the top MCs where the industry and the media put him – those guys are superstars. I'm treading lightly talking about these guys. Dot is my brother and I expect nothing less from him. I'm biased, but it did what it does. But I'm saying that if Drake is the MC I hope he is, then redemption isn't off the table. You know who the gang is. Dot curled legs.
I don't know what everyone thought I was trying to do. It was obvious that it worked. All we talk about is loss. Dot was in battle talking about his losses. Speaking of its flaws. I thought it was beautiful. Especially I, myself as an artist, put it on the table. I share my testimony. I share my shortcomings. If Drake is an MC, then stand up and rap. Let's keep it hip hop, keep it on wax, keep it clean. I come from that. I used to fight in the street. I fought Daylyt on my album. This is what we do. At the end of the day, I want to be clear, you know who the gang is.
There is no shade on the internet. People take things out of context and run with things. I'm like, “Man, he's making a good point here. I wish he could explain that and keep doing it.” It's a good conversation.
If you're a real MC, like I feel he wants to be, step up. Sometimes you mess with the housemates and they put you in your pockets and you get up and fight again. I don't know this man. God bless him. He'll be fine, he's a superstar. But the host did the legs, I'm not sorry.
How did you connect with Jhené Aiko? love this passage she had said, “If I was just a rapper, I'd be Ab-Soul.”
This is really my sister from behind. He was with us in the trenches. He was actually going to headquarters that day. We have a lot of music together. She would share her records with me and let me control her stream. He can also rap. He is a lyricist. It's beautiful to watch her rise. He did a lot of work. I like to see it. Well deserved. This is my Pisces sister.
Living with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, what has been the hardest part of navigating it as an artist? Have you had other artists look up to you or look to you as an inspiration?
I haven't met any other artists, personally, who have it. I have seen an artist who had it. I believe she was a female artist who has survived Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. When I got it, it was pretty new, so I'm sure they've got a better handle on it now. It's just a blessing that I'm still able and I don't let it get me down. I am blessed to have strong family and friends. People who love me and encourage me to keep going.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/ab-soul-soul-burger-album-drake-kendrick-lamar-1235821938/
