Herbert (album)

## **Singles from *Herbert***

1. "Hollandaise"
Released: April 22, 2022
2. "Moonshooter"
Released: September 16, 2022
3. "Do Better"
Released: October 21, 2022
4. "Gang'Nem"
Released: November 18, 2022

***Herbert*** is the fifth studio album by American rapper Ab-Soul. It was released on December 16, 2022 by Top Dawg Entertainment. Titled after the rapper's birth name, Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, the album marks his return to music after a six-year absence following *Do What Thou Wilt.* in December 2016. The cover artwork depicts a young Herbert, "representative of music's centrality in his life." It contains guest features from Lance Skiiiwalker, Joey Bada$$, Punch, Zacari, Fre$h, Jhené Aiko, Ambré, Russ, Big Sean, Alemeda, and Sir.

## Synopsis

In the six long years since Ab-Soul last released an album, he's been through a lot. He lost two of his best friends—rappers Mac Miller and Doeburger—and started to climb out of what he describes as a "rabbit hole" of misinformation and conspiracy theories that impacted his relationships with loved ones and critics alike. (This included things like seeing an image of Hitler in photos of the 9/11 attacks.) So this time around, the cerebral, heart-baring lyricist sheds the veneer of his rap moniker and exposes fans to his real name, Herbert. It makes for his most grounded record yet: His boastful rhymes teem with gratitude, his nostalgic verses produce sharply distinct memories, and voicemails from family members and loved ones hold the album together. He revisits his younger days of memorizing Kris Kross lyrics ("Hollandaise") and dealing with shady promoters during his journey to rap stardom ("Moonshooter"); taps into the street culture of his hometown of Carson, California ("Gang'nem"); and spits like his life is on the line on the DJ Premier-produced "Gotta Rap."

But the centrepieces of the album are "Do Better" and the title track, "Herbert." On the former, Soul grapples with depression and substance abuse while motivating himself to strive for his personal best. (The music video bravely recreates the conditions of his suicide attempt, while a separate lyrics video shows comments from fans sharing how the song impacted them.) "Herbert," meanwhile, details the relentless string of struggles that he's fought all his life: being diagnosed at 10 years old with the rare disease Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which impacts his skin and his vision; losing his father to gun violence and his former partner Alori Joh to suicide; and more.

But what's notably missing from *Herbert* is those conspiracy theories that electrified older albums like *Control System*; he'd rather mine his own life experiences for deeper meaning instead of digging through the annals of YouTube and message boards. "You can't fuck with Herbert. Ab-Soul can't even fuck with Herbert," one of his longtime friends, King Richard, says at the end of "No Report Card." The Black Lip Bastard has set high standards, but his homie may have a point.

## Background

> This is the first time I ever felt pressure about releasing a project. Like, it might be too long, I might have missed my window. I'm getting old. It's moving fast, there's so much new music every day. Will they still listen?
>
> Ab-Soul to *GQ*

Ab-Soul informed *Vulture* that he wanted to try and "restore the feeling of hip-hop in this climate," where he tried not to listen to any music in order to have no external influences and to be organic as much as possible. He worked on the record since 2016, and planned to drop it in 2020, though the pandemic happened. He admitted it was the first time he felt pressure due to timing and other music being released: "A lot of new artists coming out every day. It's just moving a lot faster. I got to a point, probably about the four- or five-year mark, where I'm like, 'Man, I hope they ain't forget about me.'"

In an interview with Charlamagne tha God, Ab revealed that he attempted suicide during the making of the LP. He said, "I recorded the majority of the album, pretty much finished the album, before I did what I did. How I'm choosing to take it is—and I'm not giving it credit—but it brought me down to a place where I needed to be as vulnerable as possible, and as soon as I said everything I needed to say, I jumped. I took a leap of faith, if you will." With his album *Do What Thou Wilt.*, he previously focused on algorithm, and "this time around [...] wanted it to feel good first." Once he created the track "Fallacy," he gained a sense of direction for *Herbert*.

On December 7, 2022, he unveiled the cover art and track list. In June 2023, he embarked on The Intelligent Movement Tour around the United States.

## Singles

"Hollandaise"
April 22, 2022"Moonshooter"
September 16, 2022"Do Better"
October 21, 2022"Gang'Nem"
November 18, 2022
## Critical reception

Dylan Green of *Pitchfork* wrote a generally positive review, acknowledging how personal the album was, though found "his worst tendencies as a rapper consistently hold him back. [...] Soul's penchant for forced wordplay and over-commitment to Real Hip-Hop spoils the mood." *Rolling Stone* praised, "is Soul's best album by a chasmic margin, both more urgent and mature than everything that precedes it" and concluded, "It externalizes Soul's insecurities but does not wallow—it mines his past for vivid detail without growing sentimental." *Associated Press* described it as his "most beautifully vulnerable set yet," while *Shifter* applauded its introspection and exploration of "all facets of his identity." *Uproxx* commented upon the "earthbound subjects," which includes "addiction, depression, [and] losing his father."

*Under the Radar*'s Chris Thiessen critiqued, "He references conversations with Jay-Z and interpolates Grandmaster Flash, Nas, and Kendrick Lamar. He's studied each of them closely, and though he's about 15 years into his career, it still feels like Ab-Soul is chasing them, hoping that the flattery of imitation will gain him favor with hip-hop heads and classic MCs. [...] the album's greatest flaws are the ones where Soul seems to lose a piece of himself by playing for laughs or streams or old school clout." *The Needle Drop* assessed, "An improvement over the previous two, but Soulo is almost certainly capable of more consistent full-lengths." *Sputnik Music* expressed in favor, "The record as a whole feels much more lived-in and energetic; there's an urgency to the emcee's anecdotes and reflections, all of which are propelled by varied inflections and a tangible grit to match the lyrical content." *RapReviews.com* said it "comes off as sincere, purposeful and uncovered."

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thompson, Paul (December 12, 2022). "Ab-Soul Is Finally Ready to Share His Truth". *Rolling Stone*.
2. ↑ Ahmed, Insanul (December 19, 2022). "Ab-Soul Hit His Lowest Point. Then He Made the Most Liberating Music of His Career". *GQ*.
3. ↑ William Ketchum III (December 12, 2022). "That Was Ab-Soul, This Is Herbert to Make His First Album in Six Years, the Rapper Had to Get Back in Touch with Reality.". *Vulture*.
4. ↑ Pryor, Lex (December 20, 2022). "Ab-Soul Didn't Find His Path—He Let His Path Find Him". *The Ringer*.
5. ↑ "Ab-Soul with Charlamagne tha God: New Album "Herbert", Vape Addiction, Suicidal Thoughts + More". *YouTube*. December 15, 2022.
6. ↑ Méndez, Chris (December 16, 2022). "Ab-Soul Shows the Person Behind the Music with 'Herbert' Album". *Forbes*.
7. ↑ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (December 21, 2022). "Ab-Soul Is Trying to Live in the Present, with a Little Help from His Friends". *Billboard*.
8. ↑ Helfand, Raphael (December 7, 2022). "Ab-Soul Unveils *Herbert* Cover Art and Tracklist". *The Fader*.
9. ↑ Armstrong, Megan (April 5, 2023). "Ab-Soul's Return Will Continue with 'The Intelligent Movement Tour' This Summer". *Uproxx*.
10. ↑ Green, Dylan (December 16, 2022). "*Herbert* by Ab-Soul". *Pitchfork*.
11. ↑ Sims, Melanie (December 19, 2022). "Music Review: Ab-Soul Finds Purpose After Pain on 'Herbert'". *AP*.
12. ↑ "Album Review - Ab-Soul Embraces All Facets of His Identity on *Herbert*". *Shifter*. December 16, 2022.
13. ↑ Williams, Aaron (December 20, 2022). "Ab-Soul's 'Herbert' Is a Worthwhile Cap to TDE's Outstanding 2022". *Uproxx*.
14. ↑ Thiessen, Chris (December 21, 2022). "Ab-Soul *Herbert*". *Under the Radar*.
15. ↑ "Ab-Soul - Herbert ALBUM REVIEW". *The Needle Drop*. January 18, 2023.
16. ↑ "Ab-Soul Herbert". *Sputnik Music*. December 26, 2022.
17. ↑ Barilleaux, Michael (May 2, 2023). "Ab-Soul :: Hebert". *RapReviews.com*.

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