Biography
Ab-Soul draws praise for balancing weighty themes against raw irreverence while connecting broad audiences with underground circles, thanks to his intricate rhyme patterns and introspective content. Part of the Black Hippy crew, the rapper first gained traction alone through the ambitious Control System in 2012, then secured two further Top Ten placements on Billboard’s rap chart later in the decade with These Days... and Do What Thou Wilt. After several quiet years he resurfaced in 2022 on Top Dawg Entertainment with Herbert, his fifth full-length, before delivering Soul Burger in 2024.
Born Herbert Stevens IV in Los Angeles, Ab-Soul developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome as a child, a condition that caused light sensitivity and led him to wear sunglasses almost constantly. He rapped in high school yet treated the craft casually until graduation, when he formed Area 51 with Snake Hollywood and signed to Street Beat Entertainment in 2005. The two-year contract lapsed without notable results, so Ab-Soul moved to Top Dawg in 2007 and issued the Longterm mixtape the next year. In 2009 he helped launch the Black Hippy collective alongside fellow Top Dawg artists ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Rock.
Longterm Mentality marked his solo debut in 2011. Control System arrived the following year and featured the full Black Hippy roster plus Jhené Aiko and Danny Brown; it reached number 83 on the Billboard 200. These Days... followed in 2014 with appearances from Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross, debuting at number 11. Do What Thou Wilt. surfaced in 2016 and landed inside the Billboard 200’s Top 40. Outside an occasional verse such as “Bloody Waters” with Anderson .Paak and James Blake on the 2018 Black Panther soundtrack, Ab-Soul stayed largely out of sight until 2020, when he dropped “Dangerookipawaa Freestyle” and joined albums by Jhené Aiko and REASON. He grew more visible in 2022, releasing tracks that paired him with Kal Banx, DJ Dahi, and Sounwave before issuing Herbert at year’s end. After 2023 work with Ray Vaughn and Zacari, Ab-Soul released his sixth album, Soul Burger, in 2024.
Born Herbert Stevens IV in Los Angeles, Ab-Soul developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome as a child, a condition that caused light sensitivity and led him to wear sunglasses almost constantly. He rapped in high school yet treated the craft casually until graduation, when he formed Area 51 with Snake Hollywood and signed to Street Beat Entertainment in 2005. The two-year contract lapsed without notable results, so Ab-Soul moved to Top Dawg in 2007 and issued the Longterm mixtape the next year. In 2009 he helped launch the Black Hippy collective alongside fellow Top Dawg artists ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Rock.
Longterm Mentality marked his solo debut in 2011. Control System arrived the following year and featured the full Black Hippy roster plus Jhené Aiko and Danny Brown; it reached number 83 on the Billboard 200. These Days... followed in 2014 with appearances from Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross, debuting at number 11. Do What Thou Wilt. surfaced in 2016 and landed inside the Billboard 200’s Top 40. Outside an occasional verse such as “Bloody Waters” with Anderson .Paak and James Blake on the 2018 Black Panther soundtrack, Ab-Soul stayed largely out of sight until 2020, when he dropped “Dangerookipawaa Freestyle” and joined albums by Jhené Aiko and REASON. He grew more visible in 2022, releasing tracks that paired him with Kal Banx, DJ Dahi, and Sounwave before issuing Herbert at year’s end. After 2023 work with Ray Vaughn and Zacari, Ab-Soul released his sixth album, Soul Burger, in 2024.
Albums
Singles
