These Days, our reason for getting together today, is Ab Soul's third full-length release, and first for post good kid, m.A.A.d city TDE. After releasing his first two projects a little over a year apart from one another, These Days took its sweet time before officially being released in June of 2014. Not that Ab Soul was in favor of making his fans wait, he reportedly completed the album towards the beginning of the year. Understandably, his label held off on the release date with Oxymoron just around the corner. These Days would ultimately have to wait for fan protests and Ab Soul threatening to leak the project himself before Anthony Tiffith and fans agreed to a June 24th release date on Twitter.
These Days abandons many of the themes originally laid out by Longterm Mentality and Control System, as its hews closer to a sound that Herbert describes as "the vibe of music and life right now like the last couple of years." Although the budget has been bumped up a bit, affording out host the opportunity to work alongside the likes of Purity Ring and J. Cole, he sticks to his bread and butter, utilizing many of the same producers who have helped him through his career to this point. The guest stars, however, boast a bit more of ambition than before, as the likes of Rick Ross, Lupe Fiasco, and Mac Miller, who probably had a hand in the way the final product turned out, considering the entire recording process took place in his L.A. studio.
Despite TDE's batting average being sub-par this year, These Days is proof that they really have no concern over the situation. For a short-notice 90 minute digital-only album that contains nearly twice as many features than are actually listed, a song about fucking girls' minds, and a twenty minute rap battle at the end, selling 21,000 copies in the first week isn't too bad. Which is to say, TDE can do whatever the fuck they want and get away with it.
But let's see if all that carefree thinking results in an enjoyable listening experience.
1. God's Reign (Feat. SZA)
Ab Soul tries his best at breaking the trend of rap album intros usually sucking, and he only slightly succeeds. The song itself is alright, the beat is somewhat boring, and SZA's hook is forgettable, but our host's content feels appropriate. Honestly, I've always found Soul immensely overrated as a lyricist, and even though he has a few slip-ups here (that "Pluto on Pluto" line? Seriously?), him blaming God's reign on the struggles he's experienced since gaining fame is interesting, nonetheless. Not everything clicks, and I find it hard to imagine myself going back to this song, but I still found this to be a decent way to kick things off.
2. Tree of Life
This right here, this is the shit. Curtiss King provides Ab Soul with a beat that is as good as anything he's ever spit over, and the epic feeling translates to the Ab Soul that so many people claim to be one of the generations best lyricists. Every bar in his first verse is a double entendre in reference to trees, before laying down two more thought provoking verses (we're going to ignore the kissing line). The instrumental switches up to something much worse than what we previously had, but Herbert spits another verse, which adds up to four. I can't remember the last time I heard a four verse song in 2014, and the fact that they're all pretty good earns this song an automatic two thumbs up.
3. Hunnid Stax (Feat. ScHoolboy Q)
This song left me disappointed when it was first released as a single, but I was hoping he would pull a "Backseat Freestyle" and have this feel complete within context of the album. That just doesn't happen. Nothing entertaining to see here, which is cemented with Puffy's comments at the end of the song. ScHoolboy's contribution, like the entire record, is pointless. I immediately forgot about his existence on the song after his part ended, which is surprising for a rapper that usually carries so much personality. Also, remember that thing I said about this album having a shit load of unnamed guest appearances? Yeah, well, in addition to the previously mentioned Puff cameo, Mac Miller walked down to the studio to deliver one of the most painfully generic hooks I've heard in a while. Try again, guys.
4. Dub Sac
Dave Free's hazy, cloud beat (which isn't bad) anchors another Ab Soul solo song, which should allow him to flex his lyrical abilities, and although this marks the first song that doesn't hold a totally wack line, he doesn't say anything all that memorable. I guess that's some trade off he has going on. We'll look past a terrible line, and in return, we'll receive an impressive performance. Unfortunately, not even that happens on "Dub Sac." The song just kind of comes and goes without leaving much of an impression, which is devastating considering its almost six minutes long. There's another beat switch here, too, and I'm honestly somewhat impressed that it manages to be every bit as forgettable as the first half. I can't really call this terrible, because there's no stand out bad quality, but it's not like I'll ever willingly listen to this again.
5. World Runners (Feat. Lupe Fiasco & Nikki Jean)
Ehh, its enjoyable. I was initially disappointed with this single, mostly because of Lupe's sub-par (for the general population I guess, I've never been all that impressed with Lupe) contribution, but after hearing it on the radio several times, its grown on me. Tae Beast's instrumental isn't the heaviest, but it moves things along at a slow pace, allowing Ab Soul to calm the hell down and deliver one of the better verses on the album thus far. Herbert is the type of rapper whose boasts and punchlines are good enough to get him by, but when he really fucking tries, he automatically grabs your attention, and although the sung part of the hook sounds a bit awkward, this still ends up working out.
6. Nevermind That (Feat. Rick Ross)
With the assistance of Rick Ross, Ab Soul tries to prove his uniqueness as a solo artist and what separates him from the rest of Top Dawg. All this is done over a fairly obnoxious trap beat with an out of place guitar loop constantly being nailed into your ears. Its alright.
7. Twact (Feat. Jinx & Short Dawg)
Oh my fuck, this was terrible. Since Ab Soul was trying to make this album a time capsule of current hip hop, he obviously needed to incorporate the West Coast Bay Area sound. That makes sense, DJ Mustard is all but running the radio right now, but the problem is, this is not DJ Mustard. Its a DNYC3 instrumental that doesn't make the slightest attempt at hiding the fact that its completely ripping off another mans style. He doesn't do the sound justice either, it feels like a mediocre attempt at doing what's popular. Ultimately, my question is this: why the fuck couldn't Ab Soul get the real thing? He obviously has the backing to acquire a DJ Mustard beat. Oh, and as you probably could have already guessed, I wasn't impressed by our host's rapping, and the other two guests are down right pathetic.
8. Just Have Fun
I don't know if my writing has conveyed it, but I've gotten the feeling that Ab Soul tried to pack his album with nothing but catchy bangers, which is a horrible way of going about things, regardless of whatever underlining concept there is, but this one works. As far as I'm concerned, this is the first time on the album that he makes a genuinely catchy song, so congratulations. But then the beat stops and we meet a man named Jimmy who introduces himself as "the white Ab Soul" before admitting that he's an alcoholic. And then we get an entirely different song that's really fucking good. I find it hilarious that Ab Soul states, "I swear to God, this the only time I use this flow", before delving into the vintage Migos flow that nearly every current rapper has fallen victim to. But Ab Soul makes it sounds fantastic, especially over the unorthodox instrumental that sounds perfectly in place. The hook and guitar driven sound nicely complement the themes of turning to drugs and alcohol when times get hard. The only thing I'm left wondering is why in the hell these two songs are connected. I mean, I get how the two themes run together, but its aggravating that I have to sit through two and a half minutes of music (which is still pretty good) before getting to what is one of the better songs on the entire album. Ab Soul, for future reference, don't do this type of this again.
9. Kendrick Lamar's Interlude (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Since Ab Soul got an entire song on Section 80, its only fair that Kendrick Lamar gets an interlude (in contrast to most hip hop "interludes", this is five minutes long) right in the middle of the album. The thing is, Ab Soul's outro is much more impressive than Kendrick's verse here. As far as I can tell, the beginning of his verse is word-for-word lifted from his GQ freestyle from earlier this year. I don't care how much energy you bring, when you're a rapper with as many high expectations as Kendrick, you're not allowed to do this type of this. He then goes on to talk about laxatives and literal shit in a very explicit manner. He gets things going in the right direction, but for the first time in years, he yells that he's running the game, and I just don't believe him. Its depressing, really, but after that mess, Ab Soul delivers some spoken word shit talking. Both rappers are out-shined by the fucking saxophone solo, which adds the finishing touches on what was already a great instrumental. Honestly, this wasn't nearly as bad as the first half of my paragraph made it sound, but I was still left wanting something more.
10. Closure
Ab Soul sort of sings for the entire song, as he details his relationships with his deceased girlfriend and a girl that apparently helped him out with the situation. In theory, this change of pace makes total sense after nine songs of mostly straight rapping. I feel like a complete asshole for saying this, but "Closure" just isn't a very good song. Although the beat is hauntingly dark, Ab Soul still doesn't have the ability to make an entire song out of his singing. I seriously admire what he was going for here, but unfortunately, its a misfire.
11. Sapiosexual
In contrast to the previous track, I really have no idea what in the fuck Ab Soul was going for on "Sapiosexual." Aside from J. Cole's somewhat interesting instrumental, I really can't seem to give much of a shit about this song. Herbert sounds utterly ridiculous as he continuously yells "let me fuck your mind!" I can't imagine any normal girls really enjoying this, and I damn sure can't see Soul's core fan base messing with this, so I'm at a loss. Fuck this song. It knows what it did.
12. Stigmata (Feat. Action Bronson & Asaad)
I wish it would have ran a bit longer, but "Stigmata", the previously-released Rahki production, knocks. I'm probably one of the only bloggers on the planet that isn't head over heels in love with Action Bronson (I'll be honest, some of it has to do with how much he still sounds like Ghostface), but when he's on, he's fucking on, and his verse here damn near tops Ab Soul's, who obviously sounds great as well. Actually, all three of them (I don't know who the hell Asaad is, but he fits in nicely) kill their performances and do their best to make sure the fantastic instrumental doesn't go to waste. Oh, the hook is probably the best one of the entire album, so it has that going for it too. Now, we just need a full Black Hippy remix and everything will be right in the world.
13. Feelin' Us (Feat. Jay Rock & Ravaughn)
Have I ever told you all about how Jay Rock is my second favorite member of TDE? I'm sure I have, but that's because he jumps on tracks and just fucking murders everyone else. Here? Well, it's no "Money Trees" or "I Just Wanna Party", but he absolutely out-shines the other performers. Which isn't saying much, though, as Ab Soul doesn't bring much to the table, although I found it amusing that he just up and broke into his own rendition of "Love Sosa". The beat is boring, though, so the song as a whole sucks.
14. Ride Slow (Feat. Danny Brown & Delusional Thomas)
This is more like it. One of the truly unique songs on the album, the whole thing feels like you're moving in slow motion, with Ab Soul and especially Danny Brown dropping standout verses and Earl Sweatshirt providing a fitting hook. But then everything basically stops as we hear about someone putting our host onto lean, which explains a lot about why the song sounds the way it does. The whole track feels like its seven minutes long simply because it can be, which is another example of TDE just doing whatever they want, but this time, it works out.
15. W.R.O.H. (Feat. JMSN)
I didn't know what in the hell to make out of this shit being 23 minutes long, but the last thing I was expecting was a rap battle, and to Ab Soul's credit, that's exactly what happens. But first there's a song. The hook is stupid, but I like it, though the rest of the song was fairly forgettable. The battle, though, is an impressive showcase of Ab Soul's lyrical ability, and really shows how well he can spit when he really puts his mind to it. As for the winner, I have to give it to Daylyt (who apparently is going to join Slaughterhouse, according to one of his recent interviews), but this was impressive, nonetheless. I'll never listen to this again, though.
Rating: 2.5/5
These Days is such a mixed bag. I'd recommend that you check it out based on "Tree of Life" and "Stigmata" alone, but there are some truly awful songs on here. Ab Soul's lyrical assault is usually impressive, and even though he abandons many of the conspiracy theory raps that gained him exposure in the first place, he is just compelling as his Top Dawg peers. In addition, there's a few really damn good beats. The problem is, aside from the second song, most of the first half of the album is filled with attempts at creating radio friendly bangers, and since our host is a rapper known for his lyrical dexterity and odd quirks, I'm sure you can guess that it doesn't work out too well. That, plus even more filler on the second half, not-well-thought-out guests verses, and "Twact", a song I truly can't stand, derails These Days. It won't be devastating towards Ab Soul's career, because he's certainly trying to be creative, and that will work out sooner or later, but this is simply a bump in the road. There's great songs to be found, but that's just it, songs. It's far from being a consistent journey. Maybe next time, Herbert.