Ab Soul has evolved into something of TDE's cult classic. Without the ubiquity of Kendrick Lamar or the larger-than-life personality of Q, Ab-Soul's clever lyricism, literary references, and murderous flow have earned him a loyal fanbase.
While the interview features a wide variety of interesting questions, the music is, and will always remain the most important. Solo speaks on the latest installment of his Longterm mixtape series, promising the third chapter will chronicle the story of the rich and famous. "When I feel like I can honestly tell the story of the rich and famous, that's when you'll get longterm 3," says Soul, before setting his sights on another sequel. "Control System's like Scarface. I'm scared to listen to that again...Personally, that was a cornerstone in my life, as you all may know...To go back would be kinda ill, but you know..."
Ab-Soul also talks about labelmate Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed Damn. "You gotta know me and Kendrick are like Ken and Ryu," says Soul, channeling his inner geek. "I'm Ken, I'm the prototype in a lotta ways. Kendrick Lamar is the good kid, he's the more introspective kid. With this album, he was trying to get back to k.dot...to sag his pants, to roll through the hood...This album, he kinda did it for us, for our generation."
He also shares his favorite Lupe Fiasco verse: "Mural." "The intro to Tetsuo & Youth. That record, "Mural...[makes awe-struck noises] I'm not even gonna start with this dude."
Watch the whole interview below:
