In case you people haven't noticed yet, the TDE takeover is real. The domination continues. There's just so much hype with every release. It started with Jay Rock and his 2011 debut, then Kendrick Lamar's damn near perfect debut album in 2012. This year already we've had releases from Schoolboy Q (Oxymoron), Isaiah Rashad (Cilvia Demo) and SZA ("Z"). Next up...Ab-Soul. After Kendrick, Ab-Soul was the second TDE/Black Hippy member I took quick notice to. His dope lyricism and intricate, mind-boggling word play was certainly something to marvel at. His 2012 sophomore album Control System was easily one of my top five albums of that year. It was deep, it was poetic, it was intelligent and filled with so much meaning. So you gotta wonder...how do you top that? Well the anticipation has ended. This is his third album These Days. Like I said, I wondered how on earth would he be able to even match what he did on Control System. So I kinda had up and down expectations for this. After listening I have to be honest. This may have been a slight let down for me. Now this doesn't mean that the album was bad. In fact it wasn't. But this was still a huge step back from his last album. While Soul still hits you with dope lyrics and concepts (somewhat) on here, I felt like there was a lot of reaching on this album. One thing about Ab-Soul as apposed to his TDE homies, he not really "mainstream friendly". What I mean is his rhyme style and his overall kind of music is something you don't hear on radio. So when I put this album on and I hear blatant reaches for commercial attempts, I get a little disappointed. He's just not that kind of rapper to me. On the flip side though, the album does have it's positive moments. Especially when it came to certain production. The album starts off with "God's Reign" and this was the Ab-Soul I wanted to hear throughout the entire album. Hitting you with that dark, thought provoking lyricism ("A.B. sees everything/every M you end up with is owed"). Keep reading it you'll get it. The beat gives this dark misty feel as does SZA's vocals. One of the biggest highlights of this album is a track that Ab-Soul is not even rapping on. "Kendrick Lamar's Interlude". Much like Soul did for Kendrick on Section.80, Kendrick drops a hot sixteen and he just goes off. I'd quote some stuff but then I'd be writing the entire interlude. I also loved the smooth jazz instrumental as well. Kendrick's loud and aggressive flow over this mellow beat seemed weird at first but it grew on me quick. The first single "Stigmata" is another favorite of mine. One big reason in particular is because of the hook. It comes straight from Nas's song "The Cross" from God's Son. You know the Nas fan in me enjoyed that. I'll give Soul a couple hundred cool points for that one. But seriously this was a dope song. Action Bronson's verse was dope as was Asaad's. Props to Rahki for that cool production too. While I'm on the topic of production, there were many tracks on here where the beat switched up and the song changed. It at first confuses when it comes to the order the songs are in. I don't want to say it was pointless doing this but none of the change ups really did much to enhance or better the track. If that's what he was going for. Moving on, "Tree Of Life" was one of my favorite beats on the album. I loved the throwback bass drop on it. He raps about weed, something he does a lot, referring to it as the 'tree of life' ("why you think money is green?/the color of vegetation the most important thing/trees..."). Cool song. "World Runners" was another song that may have been saved by production too. As well as a cool guest verse from Lupe Fiasco. Two of the songs towards the end in "Feelin' Us" and "Ride Slow" were likeable too. "Feelin' Us" sounds to me like him embracing the people (fans mostly) who show him love wherever he goes for his dope music. Jay Rock yet again comes through and kills another guest verse while RaVaughn blesses the track with some nice vocals. However, I had to take some of his cool points away for basically rapping Chief Keef's entire hook from "Love Sosa" towards the end. Not cool Soul. Not cool. Then "Ride Slow" is something smokers would probably enjoy more because of it's slow trippy sound, but it should be enjoyable to a lot of folks. Danny Brown's brought a lot of wild energy to the track with his verse while Mac Miller (under the name Delusional Thomas) gave it a more trippy feel than it had. Now...the things that disappointed me about this album. The track "Hunnid Stax" with Schoolboy Q had potential that just was not met to me. Schoolboy might as well have rapped this entire song because Ab-Soul was rapping damn near just like it so it was hard to tell who's who. I think I would probably like this more if it was Schoolboy Q featuring Ab-Soul instead of the other way around. Hell I feel like this song might have been an Oxymoron throw away that was given to Ab-Soul. The very next track "Dub Sac" had a very similar beat. The overall vibe of it sounded very A$AP Rocky like. Didn't like that. Here's where the reaching began. "Nevermind That" featured Rick Ross and had a trap inspired beat. The hook was a repetitive but catchy line which said nothing but "real nigga shit". A song like this, had it came from someone else, I would like it. But this is so not Ab-Soul. Then it gets worst with the track "Twact". This truly sounds like he was trying hard not only for a commercial sound but for a major club/party/twerk track. The beat is done by DNYC3 but it sounds like DJ Mustard's work (with the "ay! ay!" ad-lib and all). I mean the hook was so clubby and so not his style. The whole song actually sounds like something from YG's album. I would have rather heard it on that then this. Then the feature verse from Jinx or Short Dawg (I don't know who is who) was piss poor. This was definitely the worst song on the album. "Sapiosexual" I suppose is for the ladies where it sounds like to me he wants to make love to...her mind? At least that what he says on the hook. I don't know...sounds kinda bizarre to me. I also didn't like how Souls flow on this. It sounded too Danny Brown/Chance The Rapper-ish. I also would have liked to heard more of Jhene Aiko on this track besides her one worder in the hook. Despite it, I feel like this might grow on me down the road. Overall, while this was in no way a bad album, I'm being honest when I say this may have been the biggest disappointment of the year so far. I guess my expectations were too high for this. I give it a final grade of a B-. For TDE to continue to dominate, they all will need to achieve some kind of mainstream success. I know this. For someone like Ab-Soul, it's a little complicated due to his rhyme style and what he generally talks about. I guess sometimes things are like this expected. Rappers to step out of their element or their comfort zone sometimes to make a hit record when it may be necessary. Whether we see it as a reach or not. I guess...that's how it is these days. End.
Final Grade: B-
CREDITS
Executive Producer
Anthony Tiffith
Herbert Stevens
Lead Artist
Herbert Stevens
Production
Corrin Roddick
Dwan Howard
Dacoury Natche
David Friley
Donte Perkins
Gabriel Stevenson
Terrace Martin
Mark Spears
Jermaine Cole
Columbus Smith
Larry Fisherman
Collaboration
Solana Rowe
Jo-Vaughn Scott
Quincey Hanley
Wasalu Jaco
Nikki Jean
William Roberts
Bryan Sledge
Supreme Williams
Donte Blacksher
Kendrick Duckworth
Jhene Chilombo
Arian Asllani
Saayid Asaad
Johnny McKenzie
RaVaughn Brown
Daniel Sewell
Malcolm McCormick
Christian Berishaj
Label
Top Dawg Entertainment
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