Ab-Soul Announces Intelligent Movement Tour; Who Is He?

Ab-Soul is a rap veteran from Carson, Calif. who is signed to Los Angeles rap label, Top Dawg Entertainment. After he announced his new Intelligent Movement Tour, some may wonder who is Ab-Soul?

Ab-Soul announced on his Instagram on April 5,  that he will head out on his Intelligent Movement Tour, expected to start on June 2 in Toronto and end on June 30 in Boston. 

Five Things To Know About Ab-Soul

Who Is Ab-Soul?

Ab-Soul’s real name is Herbert Stevens IV. He was born in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 1987,  but was raised in the L.A. suburb of Carson, Ca. As a child, Ab-Soul was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which is a skin condition that causes skin blisters and light-sensitive eyes. 

Ab-Soul frequently wears sunglasses to cover his eyes due to his condition.

Ab-Soul Came Up In The Rap Game With Kendrick Lamar

Ab-Soul signed a recording contract with StreetBeat Entertainment in 2005. However,  in 2007, he signed to Los Angeles indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment, or TDE. 

Shortly after signing with TDE, he befriended labelmate and future rap superstar Kendrick Lamar. Ab-Soul and Lamar frequently work together on each other’s songs, including the 2010 song, “Turn Me Up.”  The rappers worked on the song before either released their debut album. 

Ab-Soul Is Apart Of  Black Hippy

In 2009, Ab-Soul formed the rap group Black Hippy. The group includes four L.A. rappers signed to TDE — Ab-Soul, Lamar, Jay Rock, and ScHoolboy Q. 

The group has no albums together, but frequently collaborates on each other’s solo projects. One song that Black Hippy all worked on was 2016’s “That Part” remix. Each rapper had a lengthy verse and the original song was on ScHoolboy Q’s 2016 album, Blank Face LP.

Ab-Soul Is A Modern Lyricist

Ab-Soul uses many metaphors and double entendres in his lyrics.  He uses different examples of wordplay when he raps on songs or when he is freestyling. 

“My wordplay is top-tier like my boss just cried.” Ab-Soul rapped over the instrumental of Tupac Shakur’s “Hit Em Up.”

In December 2022, one video of Ab-Soul freestyling was on the show,  L.A. Leakers. One line that Ab-Soul said in his freestyle  was 

Ab-Soul Took A Six-Year Hiatus From Making An Album To Focus On Mental Health 

Ab-Soul released his album Do What Thou Wilt on Dec.9, 2016, and didn’t drop another album until Dec.16, 2022, titled, Herbert. 

In an interview with radio personality Charlamagne Tha God in December 2022, Ab-Soul mentioned that he had a vape addiction and suicidal thoughts while under the influence of drugs.  One song from his latest album, Herbert, is titled “Do Better,” in which he raps about his mental health struggles. 

J. Cole And Smino Just Dropped  A Hot New Track. Wait…Who Is Smino?

Rap superstar J. Cole dropped the track “90 Proof” with rapper Smino in September 2022. SOHH highlighted who Smino was. Smino, whose real name is Christopher Smith, is a rapper from St. Louis, Mo. Smino is also in the rap group Zoink Gang with JID, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000.