Ab-Soul is labelmates with fellow Southern California rappers Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock, but he says his influences are rappers from other parts of the country. “Twista, Canibus, Eminem, Nas, Lupe Fiasco and, most importantly, Jay-Z,” the Top Dawg Entertainment rapper says in an interview with ThePoetryQuestion.com. “There are many others, but those are the ones that come to mind at this time. Those artists are basically the template to my format as an MC. They all capture me with their music, whether it be the vibe, delivery, cadence, story, or just the lyrics in general.”
A member XXL’s 2013’s Freshman Class, Ab-Soul also picked Jay-Z when asked which rapper he’d want to have a drink with, even though he took arguably took a shot at Jigga on “ILLuminate.” “Jay-Z, without a reasonable doubt, and I’m assuming he’d enjoy some Ace Of Spades champagne,” Ab-Soul says in the interview. “Of course I have millions of questions, but I really just wanna tell him how much of an inspiration he has been to me musically and as a young Black man in America.”
Ab-Soul also discusses how he got his start as a rapper as a keystyler, someone who freestyle battles over the Internet via chat, forums or message boards. He says the experience had a profound impact on his development as a writer and as a rapper. “Keystylin’ is where I learned just how effective similes, metaphors, word-play, entendres, et cetera are to this craft,” Ab-Soul says. “The basics of lyricism or poetry in general. Therefore I was already a decent writer by the time I actually recorded in a booth.”
Ab-Soul has said that he recorded his first song in 2002. After releasing mixtapes several years later, Ab-Soul released his Longterm Mentality album in 2011 and his #controlsystem LP last year. He has also collaborated with and toured extensively with his TDE labelmates, known collectively as Black Hippy.
As for the emergence of rap crews, including TDE, Ab-Soul says he understands why such organizations are successful. “Two heads will always be better than one,” he says. “From chemical bonds to families to tribes to governments to corporations to gangs to rap groups. Simple math.”
RELATED: Ab-Soul Explains Firing Competitive Shots At The Throne, Meaning Of “Control System”
Why do you guys insist on calling it #controlsystem?
And wasn’t this news back when illimunate came out?
I hear the Jay and Em in his rhymes, I don’t know about the Twista and Cannibus influences though.
check out the song he did with twista, you’ll hear it…
Jay-Z is his favorite rapper and biggest influence? No wonder he sucks.
lol your stupid as shit,thats like saying because you dont personally like Kobe bryant that you cant see his talent lol your ONE OF THOSE smh
I smell a hater.
Jay Z sucks. No wonder why Ab Soul also sucks. The Black Hippy crew had an orgy and I ran the fuck out. YMCMB is the best crew in the world.
If you wanna come off as a real MC you shouldn’t list fake rappers as your idols such as Eminem or Lupe Fiasco. Eminem is a woman abusing drug addict who beats his daughter and lupe fiasco is a pussy who cried about chief keef threatening him, and Jay-Z is a fake drug who lied about his life. If he didn’t have money than blue ivy name would be red f. carter (wayne’s daughter)
Kill yourself for the bullshit lies you speak.
Smart fella, how can Hov not be your favorite rapper. Checkout thegrandreport, they got some good hip hop news on there too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI-KjVLS6Uk
lol keystyler?
uhuhhuh
Love to hear MCs reference Canibus. If you’re a spitter you can’t but be impressed by Canibus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SSy-T7ZCQs