Except I can't imagine Schoolboy Q or Jay Rock killing a jazz track. I fuck with them don't get me wrong but I think an Ab Soul and Kendrick would do it justice
i understand that this was supposed to be like Soul's version of modern rap...but it sounded bad to me man lol. Plastic beats, boring rhymes. I was messing with Tree of Life until he did that "k-i-s-s-i-n-g" shit
After 3 listens I finally understood where Soul was coming from but he really did do this badly it kinda reminded me of Talib's Prisoner of Conscious where he tried to rap over "mainstream" production and failed a it kinda like this.
He said that cause you sit in a "tree" when you sing that song, and you don't really want to wife the girl, you just want to get up in they's panties. You know why? Cause... THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS THESE DAYS!
If you don't like the album I totally get it and I won't fight you over it. Like I said, it comes down to whether or not you like the individual songs on this project or not. I don't think this is an album that has a tightly woven concept that you have to follow through and through. I think its more of a theme of the album.
Soul impersonating rappers on These Days. Hunna stax- the epitome of rap musics content Dub sac- catchyness is more important than substance World Runners- rapped like lupe Nevermind that- making fun of gangsta rap like Rick Ross Twact- soulo impersonated Lil Wayne Just have fun- Drake, not migos, drake " no new niggas and business is business" Kendrick Lamar interlude- what rap could be. Then he began to make more creative music after that song. He's dressed as Jesus to signify that he sacrificed his album to save us from rap these days.
Basically. The meaning of this album is right on the surface. It's a timestamp of today's hip-hop from Soul's perspective. The people who liked and loved this album, the people like me, will look back on this album in their older years and feel nostalgic.
U hit the nail on the head, usually i agree with myke but some got bored and didnt bother to look deeper like u did, and u opened some eyes to what he was doing. Control System was better tho and i hated twact
I would LOVE to see DEHH review big battles too, because hearing you guys discuss the Daylyt-Ab battle was just as entertaining if not more entertaining than the album review. And it's fun to see what everyone's favorite lines were and it'd be awesome to see debates on who they think won. and a good start for that would be reviewing and discussing Total Slaughter!
Out of his first 3 albums before 'Control Systems' I feel like 'Longterm Mentality' may have received a positive review but that's it. The first two were ok and much like this one in which there were songs you liked and songs you didn't like. Ab's approach to music has always been the fact that he's just a 'regular' dude. This dude has a whole song dedicated to being dissed by chicks because he didn't have the finer things in life. It was something I could relate to as a listener and I appreciated that about Soul.
I agree I was majorly disappointed in these days, especially after stigmata dropped and was dope as hell. Tbh I haven't even got through the project once. I will definitely listen more tho.
Lama Tru, but the fact that I can't even get through it is kinda a testament to how much I don't like some of the tracks. I typically will sit through anything. But yeah I'm definitely gonna finish it, you're right. (plus I wanna hear that battle)
Think I finally cracked what soul was doing. He was doing a sell out album for mainstream while keeping positive messages - meaningful songs - mixed in like tree of life, sapiosexual etc so that people in mainstream would listen he kinda explains it in this quote "When you feed a sick dog, you have to mix the medicine in with the food that it likes already". It relates to the album artwork as well he's dressed as Jesus with the cross. Jesus Died (Bad thing - Soul doing a sell out album) so that man's sin would be rid off (mainstream will listen to positive messages) and also so he can get his big pay check, not like he's doing all this for everyone and not taking home any of the money he's made from this. Also just mocking modern day rappers to show how easy it is to make that style of hip-hop.
I was really disappointed at first because this wasn't Control System 2, but after sitting down and listening to the album for what it was, I grew to really enjoy it
People have to understand that most of the album was talking about what going on now. He reminds you of what type of music we listen to now but i cant wait for his next project
I wish there was a link to the time on every DEHH were Mike gives his opinions on the album , only one of these guys who REALLY knows hip-hop (and music in general)
If that's the case if he was poking fun he could have put a spin on it and make it super fresh over that typical production these days. Lupe has been doing that lately spitting fire over trap beats
You seen the vision Ab created. This album was a satire form of the music industry and also a follow up of his life at micro and macro at that point in time
Up jumps the boogie bit.. I boogie board on these instrumentals. Ride the wave like a lie detector..... But ab-soul album was dope tho. A couple tracks shouldn't have been on there but it was him givin his weight in on today music. Just tryin different styles.
You guys have to keep in mind the concept of the album these days... it's somewhat a social commentary about music u know these days lol so even though I personally didn't like it as much as control system either I think one of the goals was to mock the modern industry a bit and I think based on that he did a pretty good job
Man I was waiting for Myke to talk about that battle! I'm just getting into Battle Rap and I'm liking how more industry dudes are coming back to battle these battle rappers. That Joe Budden vs. Hollow Da Don battle is gonna be CRAZY! I got Hollow because that's his lane, but it's just epic for the culture of battle rap.
Mike is always on point it was a boring album you can give the "he's using more mainstream beats and lyrics" excuse but the bottom line is that it wasn't that good. I still got hope for the next project
"Deception in the night's air" and "for your love, I cut my right ear"? These lines totally fit with the Jesus theme dude. I can agree with you the earlier lines though.
yeah he had a few nice lines but wasnt feelin his flow but... asaad: when my grandfather died i broke down and cried.. but still im more then a man, i am a god! smh
Maxwell Ington Bronson's verse had nothing to do with what the song was even about though. It was out of place and was just your typical Bronson verse.
Ab-soul did a nice job portraying how Hip Hop Pop is nowadays (hence the title of his album) I'm a big TDE fan , but what AB-Soul did was a risk to his sound and career. And he took a good risk. He portrayed it better than it couldve been because it worked , and for those of you who do not know, Ab-SOul meant this entirely. Ab Soul has a very intelligent mind (Ex Control System having the most witty and thought provoking songs) and would not stoop down in such a manor for pop appeal. He is not indulging this Hip Pop, he is justifying mocking it and how it portrays the low of the low of blowing money, lust , and low lacking in meaning lyrically. He also went as far as to dress up like Jesus to show how most want to be bigger and greater than human in on his album cover art. He said himself that he made the album based of the last 2 years of Hip Hop.
The third dude summed up my feeling exactly! And I'm the jerk who had been telling everyone within shouting distance that Abs album would be the best out of TDE...smh Thanks Ab!
I know this is a late comment but I just wanted to share this with you you guys. So as you guys may already know Ab had sad he was working on an album with JMSN a while ago. And in a recent interview I saw of him he said that he actually turned in TWO albums at the beginning of the year. This other album was called Unit 6. I had no idea that he actually had finished that project. I had thought it was scrapped. But there was 2 songs that came out from that album and one of them was called Nibiru. In the interview he goes on to say that that album didn't work out on the business end of things. So if you guys listen to his song Nibiru, that sounds like that dude Ab-Soul! It has more substance than this whole album with just that one song. And it's not like I want it be a Control System 2 or anything but that's that Ab- Soul that fans like me are used too. I'd like to hear what you guys think about that. This album is a cool chill album though.
I was following Ab-Soul's trajectory this year primarily through his guest verses on tracks, and I definitely saw him trying to broaden his mainstream appeal. His verse on "Came-Thru/Easily" by Chuck Inglish was not the most content filled song, but it definitely showcased his asshole side compared to the abstract. I feel his best verse this year was on Smoke DZA's track "Hearses", because it took his typically introspective and intelligent rhymes and made them more simplistic and appealing to the average commercial listener. I definitely had high hopes for this album, but I definitely feel it left me down, because at the end of the day, I feel he was trying to take the mainstream sounding Soulo he had been developing over his features this year, yet assembled an unsuccessful set of songs of him trying to be more commercial.
Not gonna lie I was looking for a CS 2, and when I first listened to the album I thought it was a CS "Songs that didn't make the cut" album. But after thinking about what he went through these past years, I let it slide. Still not nowhere near impressed, he can do 50x better and he knows it. Hope fame isn't getting to him, because so far this is the worst TDE album this year. (Rap wise.. SZA doesn't count) Cilvia Demo and Oxymoron took a huge dump on this.
TDE artists have a tendency of following up hard-hitting tracks with sobering ones. On Good Kid Maad City Kendrick Lamar follows up Swimming Pools with Sing about me I'm dying of thirst. Similarly on oxymoron Q follows up Studio with Prescription/Oxymoron. I'm not really a big fan of it but it's a thing with them.
“The concept is more than anything, I realize that people are reciting these words. When I go out to a show, they say the words with me. When I say these things, I am saying what I think of. The main theme of the album is ‘I’m more than a man / I done died and rose again / Left these holes in my hand / So you know who I am.’ If you say that with me, it’s like you said it, too. So you can too be that for a second. Dig what I’m saying? Take that with you. I know that when I say these things, you can actually be that for a second, or you can be me for a second, or say it back with me. Just keep that in mind.” -Ab Soul interview from HipHopDx.com www.hiphopdx.com/index/editorials/id.2447/title.6-things-we-learned-from-ab-soul-s-these-days-listening-session
Aye man... I like this video. I like this discussion. You guys know what your talkin bout. I have that same view from this album. Me & My wife listen to TDE, Partially because Im LA, and partially cause TDE is a fresh breath of air for hip-hop. But, my wife got the same feeling from this album. We love gkmc, we loved oxymoron, but this album is ok. And I love ab-souls music! That battle at the end had me upset at first, but then I just listened to it again, pretty dope!
I tried my best to like this album, but I really just didn't. A couple of tracks were decent, but all in all it seemed like a jumbled collection of songs. There's no songs on there that keep me coming back.
If you don't feel this album you obviously haven't listened to it enough or you're stuck on the disappointment of it not sounding like Control System. It is called These Days because it incorporates how music and everything else in his life is These Days... Ab said it himself. now light some herb, listen to it again and enjoy.
aww I thought you guys was going to like this one... After the 1st listen I wasn't "wowed" but something about it kept lingering so I kept going back, now I can't stop playing it. I can understand you guys saying it isn't cohesive, if you are talking about the subject matter...however the flow of this album is awesome...just a TDE fans' 2 cents :)
After a 2nd playthrough I think the album is absolutely great. While there was alot of commercial aspects to it. The songs that really mattered hit hard. God' Reign was dope and SZA was awesome. Tree of Life, Just have Fun with the these days interlude in between. And Feelin Us with Jay Rock. Holy shit that's my jam. The Danny Brown feature was dope. Kdots interlude. Honestly listen to it now in 2019 (almost there) and see how it connects to DWTW which is in my opinions soulos best work.
"Then add to that, that I smoke like the hippies did back in the 70's so many styles I write with a ghost, like I had assistance but this is just dope..dope" I loved that line from Ab-Soul because STYLES P had a song called "GOOD TIMES" and he said he smoke like the hippies did back in the 70's. Soul's verse says "so many styles(STYLES P) I write with a ghost(STYLES P nickname is the ghost) I wish the DEAD END HIPHOP GUYS noticed that line. SOULO is a lyricist!
Ab-Soul is likely to be one of those who could have but probably won't have a lasting career. I don't mean be a mainstream, widely popular rapper; I don't think his sound and style could fit that mold, which is by no means the ideal. He seemed to be defining himself - Control System was a powerful step in that direction - but this album is inconsistent and scattered. I wonder what the ultimate goal for him is as an artist: sell records, make classics, a mix of both?
I really like the ending of the video talking about the battle. I watch battle rap all the time. KOTD, URL. I think you guys should try to review some battles from time to time. or make like another segment where it's just battle reviews. I know you recently did the Hollow vs Budden batttle and TS recap. but as a fan of battle rap it would be super dope to hear your opinions on them. but ust a suggestion tho
I felt like it was him just trying his hand at a more commercial sound coming off of control system but still trying to keep his sound a little like lupe did with lasers
i like this album. i can't really point out exactly what i like about it but i did enjoy it. of course there's songs on there that i like more than others & a couple that i flat out don't like at all. but overall i liked it
the album is great to me, read between the lines. the message is really is bout life, life of words he put together makes its deep, deep to understand where hes at right now
soul had a great concept.. just executed very poorly. he recorded all these songs while going through his drug binge (per IG account).. soul still my dude and i still fux with Long Term(s) and Control System, but im not feeling These Days. *new video up
Ab Soul is a interesting rapper. He is amongst a few rappers I can listen to with no problems. This album is decent, it has varieties of sounds, beats and flows. My stand out Tracks were God Reigns, Trees Of Life, Dub Sac, World Runners, Stigmata, Feelin Us. What I like About Ab Soul is that he makes Projects that are weird and interesting. He has more than three songs I can really listen to in his project
If Ab Souls intention was to make an album depicting todays hip hop scene (hence the title these days) and you come to the conclusion after you listen to the album that you did not like it, what does that mean? Think about it each song i guess represented different aspects of today's hip hop and the songs you liked shows what you enjoy about hip hop "these days." The song that you rock with with amazing features show that there are artists out there who put out quality music. The songs that aren't your favorites are most likely mimicking the top 100 popular songs. What is he trying to say?
im sorty like feefo i listened to control system many times and i just thought it was boring and with these days i listened to about three tracks got to the forth about half way through i thought to myself im not doing this again nd turnt that shit off
I think this is the album that Illuminate was on and I like that track not because it's on GTA 5 but all around it is a great track and is one of my favs to listen to
Asaad is from Philly has had ties with kanye and pusha t. Check out Mixtapes Trop Ep , #White , DirtyMiddleClass. Its good to see him gaining more and more attention
what did y'all think of delusional Thomas' verse? kinda disappointed you never reviewed that mixtape. I know you guys aren't mac fans but I thought he really delivered on that verse with the theme of the song.
The problem I find with this album is that Ab Soul specifically isn't signed to Interscope in order to have better control over his music meaning he isn't going for mainstream appeal. Which makes this album a bit of a contradiction given the overall sound of it
Would love to see an EP with TDE rappers rhyming over Terrace Martin jazz type instrumentation. Would be truly amazing.
Except I can't imagine Schoolboy Q or Jay Rock killing a jazz track. I fuck with them don't get me wrong but I think an Ab Soul and Kendrick would do it justice
blogfirstlast I could see Jay Rock excelling well on a jazz instrumental.
I agree. Kendrick Interlude best track IMO
They are too big for that underground stuff. They are competing Drake and the like
+Bro Brah damn good prediction man!
Typical format for DEHH reviews:
10% feefo
15% beezy
25% kinge
50% myke
5% the camera man laughing his ass off
i understand that this was supposed to be like Soul's version of modern rap...but it sounded bad to me man lol. Plastic beats, boring rhymes. I was messing with Tree of Life until he did that "k-i-s-s-i-n-g" shit
After 3 listens I finally understood where Soul was coming from but he really did do this badly it kinda reminded me of Talib's Prisoner of Conscious where he tried to rap over "mainstream" production and failed a it kinda like this.
I thought that line was hilarious "fuck that im just tryna get up in ya panties"
wish i did too man, but i was like "wut"
He said that cause you sit in a "tree" when you sing that song, and you don't really want to wife the girl, you just want to get up in they's panties. You know why? Cause... THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS THESE DAYS!
Harnoor Singh check out my brand new mixtape on my pg titled Dark City on my pg! Support real Hiphop !
Within the first minute Feefo says sum SmartDumb shit "I dont know if I dislike it or if I love it, but i definately like it" LOL NIGGA WHAT?!?
If you don't like the album I totally get it and I won't fight you over it. Like I said, it comes down to whether or not you like the individual songs on this project or not. I don't think this is an album that has a tightly woven concept that you have to follow through and through. I think its more of a theme of the album.
Soul impersonating rappers on These Days.
Hunna stax- the epitome of rap musics content
Dub sac- catchyness is more important than substance
World Runners- rapped like lupe
Nevermind that- making fun of gangsta rap like Rick Ross
Twact- soulo impersonated Lil Wayne
Just have fun- Drake, not migos, drake " no new niggas and business is business"
Kendrick Lamar interlude- what rap could be. Then he began to make more creative music after that song.
He's dressed as Jesus to signify that he sacrificed his album to save us from rap these days.
I legitimately have no idea why you mentioned drake
joel alicea listen to versace by drake
That last part trip me out
That makes a lot of sense. I'm going to give this a listen.
i'm going with this
The background vocals of "Hunnid Stax" & The first verse of "Nevermind That" explain the album of These Days...
Simply put: Don't look to deep into this album.
But people are trying to find a deeper meaning to justify this album's shortcomings.
Basically. The meaning of this album is right on the surface. It's a timestamp of today's hip-hop from Soul's perspective. The people who liked and loved this album, the people like me, will look back on this album in their older years and feel nostalgic.
U hit the nail on the head, usually i agree with myke but some got bored and didnt bother to look deeper like u did, and u opened some eyes to what he was doing. Control System was better tho and i hated twact
Agreed.
Cilvia Demo >>>>>>>>>> Oxymoron & These Days...
20:17 - just to dig deeper, Ab-Soul says, "i'm against the LAW to run into, because in LA i'm W (Double You - LA - W [He spells out LAW again]).
Dope
I would LOVE to see DEHH review big battles too, because hearing you guys discuss the Daylyt-Ab battle was just as entertaining if not more entertaining than the album review. And it's fun to see what everyone's favorite lines were and it'd be awesome to see debates on who they think won.
and a good start for that would be reviewing and discussing Total Slaughter!
Out of his first 3 albums before 'Control Systems' I feel like 'Longterm Mentality' may have received a positive review but that's it. The first two were ok and much like this one in which there were songs you liked and songs you didn't like. Ab's approach to music has always been the fact that he's just a 'regular' dude. This dude has a whole song dedicated to being dissed by chicks because he didn't have the finer things in life. It was something I could relate to as a listener and I appreciated that about Soul.
He's actually made some of the best, most sincere "love songs" i've heard from rappers.
I agree I was majorly disappointed in these days, especially after stigmata dropped and was dope as hell. Tbh I haven't even got through the project once. I will definitely listen more tho.
Then you can't really state an opinion if u haven't even finished the album.
Lama Tru, but the fact that I can't even get through it is kinda a testament to how much I don't like some of the tracks. I typically will sit through anything. But yeah I'm definitely gonna finish it, you're right. (plus I wanna hear that battle)
Think I finally cracked what soul was doing. He was doing a sell out album for mainstream while keeping positive messages - meaningful songs - mixed in like tree of life, sapiosexual etc so that people in mainstream would listen he kinda explains it in this quote "When you feed a sick dog, you have to mix the medicine in with the food that it likes already". It relates to the album artwork as well he's dressed as Jesus with the cross. Jesus Died (Bad thing - Soul doing a sell out album) so that man's sin would be rid off (mainstream will listen to positive messages) and also so he can get his big pay check, not like he's doing all this for everyone and not taking home any of the money he's made from this. Also just mocking modern day rappers to show how easy it is to make that style of hip-hop.
yep you got it right he'll deffo bring you that heartfull strong music on his next album.
I was really disappointed at first because this wasn't Control System 2, but after sitting down and listening to the album for what it was, I grew to really enjoy it
Jay Rock better come with some heat.
People have to understand that most of the album was talking about what going on now. He reminds you of what type of music we listen to now but i cant wait for his next project
Happy to see you talk battle rap, hope you review Total Slaughterhouse
I wish there was a link to the time on every DEHH were Mike gives his opinions on the album , only one of these guys who REALLY knows hip-hop (and music in general)
Ab-Soul made this album to show what hip-hop has gone too. Making fun of the mainstream music "these days".
He still could've executed it better I mean I know more than half the crap they throw at us is horrible but come on soul could've done a better job
That's not an excuse to drop a trash album.
If that's the case if he was poking fun he could have put a spin on it and make it super fresh over that typical production these days. Lupe has been doing that lately spitting fire over trap beats
You seen the vision Ab created. This album was a satire form of the music industry and also a follow up of his life at micro and macro at that point in time
It's called These days because it a mimic of today's music. In a satirical way.
Babiii Jeffery Thuugie Sr. That was my initial thought when I heard it
YAY THEY'RE BACK OUTSIDE!
I fucks with feefo, but how does he understand Because the Internet on first listen, but doesn't get These Days...
My favorite track for some reason is "Just Have Fun", second half of the song is aight...
I love that Ab-Soul vs. Daylyt battle man.. Daylyt is a genius, and Soul came wit them Day & light flips! Crazy battle
Up jumps the boogie bit..
I boogie board on these instrumentals.
Ride the wave like a lie detector.....
But ab-soul album was dope tho. A couple tracks shouldn't have been on there but it was him givin his weight in on today music. Just tryin different styles.
If you think about the cover, It´s like he knows he taking a sacrifice to make these type a songs just to make a point......
Don't you think that's an excuse to use mainstream shit?
Maxwell Ington Why would he need an "excuse"?
what is more powerfull......sayin in your rhymes that other rappers or not deep or making a whole album like them?!?.............
Cilvia Demo shits on These Days and Oxymoron.
Just when I was about to let these Z's troop, my boys drop this review. GREATNESS
You guys have to keep in mind the concept of the album these days... it's somewhat a social commentary about music u know these days lol so even though I personally didn't like it as much as control system either I think one of the goals was to mock the modern industry a bit and I think based on that he did a pretty good job
Man I was waiting for Myke to talk about that battle! I'm just getting into Battle Rap and I'm liking how more industry dudes are coming back to battle these battle rappers. That Joe Budden vs. Hollow Da Don battle is gonna be CRAZY! I got Hollow because that's his lane, but it's just epic for the culture of battle rap.
Mike is always on point it was a boring album you can give the "he's using more mainstream beats and lyrics" excuse but the bottom line is that it wasn't that good. I still got hope for the next project
Isn't he dropping another album this year?
I thought action Bronson and Assad ruined stigmata.. That should of been just soul
This.
I loved Bronson's verse on that track, but agree with you on Assad.
"Deception in the night's air" and "for your love, I cut my right ear"? These lines totally fit with the Jesus theme dude. I can agree with you the earlier lines though.
yeah he had a few nice lines but wasnt feelin his flow but...
asaad: when my grandfather died i broke down and cried.. but still im more then a man, i am a god!
smh
Maxwell Ington Bronson's verse had nothing to do with what the song was even about though. It was out of place and was just your typical Bronson verse.
Yeaahh!!!! My GUY Lupe getting some love!!!! He never stopped spitting but it's all good lolol
Ab-soul did a nice job portraying how Hip Hop Pop is nowadays (hence the title of his album) I'm a big TDE fan , but what AB-Soul did was a risk to his sound and career. And he took a good risk. He portrayed it better than it couldve been because it worked , and for those of you who do not know, Ab-SOul meant this entirely. Ab Soul has a very intelligent mind (Ex Control System having the most witty and thought provoking songs) and would not stoop down in such a manor for pop appeal. He is not indulging this Hip Pop, he is justifying mocking it and how it portrays the low of the low of blowing money, lust , and low lacking in meaning lyrically. He also went as far as to dress up like Jesus to show how most want to be bigger and greater than human in on his album cover art. He said himself that he made the album based of the last 2 years of Hip Hop.
This was basically how i felt about the album. still love long term series most
asaad is pretty dope yall should listen to flowers II
Cool. Thanks for the recommendation! This is pretty fresh!
Myke C-Town He's from Philly.
I swear i want to know the crew's opinion on MMLP or Madvillainy
The third dude summed up my feeling exactly! And I'm the jerk who had been telling everyone within shouting distance that Abs album would be the best out of TDE...smh Thanks Ab!
I know this is a late comment but I just wanted to share this with you you guys. So as you guys may already know Ab had sad he was working on an album with JMSN a while ago. And in a recent interview I saw of him he said that he actually turned in TWO albums at the beginning of the year. This other album was called Unit 6. I had no idea that he actually had finished that project. I had thought it was scrapped. But there was 2 songs that came out from that album and one of them was called Nibiru. In the interview he goes on to say that that album didn't work out on the business end of things. So if you guys listen to his song Nibiru, that sounds like that dude Ab-Soul! It has more substance than this whole album with just that one song. And it's not like I want it be a Control System 2 or anything but that's that Ab- Soul that fans like me are used too. I'd like to hear what you guys think about that. This album is a cool chill album though.
I was following Ab-Soul's trajectory this year primarily through his guest verses on tracks, and I definitely saw him trying to broaden his mainstream appeal. His verse on "Came-Thru/Easily" by Chuck Inglish was not the most content filled song, but it definitely showcased his asshole side compared to the abstract. I feel his best verse this year was on Smoke DZA's track "Hearses", because it took his typically introspective and intelligent rhymes and made them more simplistic and appealing to the average commercial listener. I definitely had high hopes for this album, but I definitely feel it left me down, because at the end of the day, I feel he was trying to take the mainstream sounding Soulo he had been developing over his features this year, yet assembled an unsuccessful set of songs of him trying to be more commercial.
Not gonna lie I was looking for a CS 2, and when I first listened to the album I thought it was a CS "Songs that didn't make the cut" album. But after thinking about what he went through these past years, I let it slide. Still not nowhere near impressed, he can do 50x better and he knows it. Hope fame isn't getting to him, because so far this is the worst TDE album this year. (Rap wise.. SZA doesn't count) Cilvia Demo and Oxymoron took a huge dump on this.
I like how y'all threw in that segment at the end. Great review, really thoughtful.
TDE artists have a tendency of following up hard-hitting tracks with sobering ones. On Good Kid Maad City Kendrick Lamar follows up Swimming Pools with Sing about me I'm dying of thirst. Similarly on oxymoron Q follows up Studio with Prescription/Oxymoron. I'm not really a big fan of it but it's a thing with them.
Lupe? lol Lupe had the line of the album "Can't spell blood, without blue" WTF
inb4 it had some super mind blowing meaning that im sure i'll be told of in this comments section
AFunkyDiabetic blue sounds like bloo
i know...makes it dumber tbh
reference blood and crip and deaths? idk
Peter Chen see, i COULD buy that...but im pretty sure Lupe was just going with the "herp derp blue sounds like bloo" thing
“The concept is more than anything, I realize that people are reciting these words. When I go out to a show, they say the words with me. When I say these things, I am saying what I think of. The main theme of the album is ‘I’m more than a man / I done died and rose again / Left these holes in my hand / So you know who I am.’ If you say that with me, it’s like you said it, too. So you can too be that for a second. Dig what I’m saying? Take that with you. I know that when I say these things, you can actually be that for a second, or you can be me for a second, or say it back with me. Just keep that in mind.” -Ab Soul interview from HipHopDx.com
www.hiphopdx.com/index/editorials/id.2447/title.6-things-we-learned-from-ab-soul-s-these-days-listening-session
Aye man... I like this video. I like this discussion. You guys know what your talkin bout. I have that same view from this album.
Me & My wife listen to TDE, Partially because Im LA, and partially cause TDE is a fresh breath of air for hip-hop. But, my wife got the same feeling from this album. We love gkmc, we loved oxymoron, but this album is ok. And I love ab-souls music!
That battle at the end had me upset at first, but then I just listened to it again, pretty dope!
by the way , in most of the interviews absouls been on he's clearly said THESE DAYS IS A TIME CAPSULE OF TODAY, so ken was completely right.
About dang time, thank y'all for doing this. I'm commenting before I've watched.... hoping it was appreciated on your end.
wish there was video footage of that battle..dope review as usual and for me the album wasnt a control system but it bumps still
You all need to do a review on the first mmlp
I tried my best to like this album, but I really just didn't. A couple of tracks were decent, but all in all it seemed like a jumbled collection of songs. There's no songs on there that keep me coming back.
If you don't feel this album you obviously haven't listened to it enough or you're stuck on the disappointment of it not sounding like Control System. It is called These Days because it incorporates how music and everything else in his life is These Days... Ab said it himself. now light some herb, listen to it again and enjoy.
aww I thought you guys was going to like this one... After the 1st listen I wasn't "wowed" but something about it kept lingering so I kept going back, now I can't stop playing it. I can understand you guys saying it isn't cohesive, if you are talking about the subject matter...however the flow of this album is awesome...just a TDE fans' 2 cents :)
After a 2nd playthrough I think the album is absolutely great. While there was alot of commercial aspects to it. The songs that really mattered hit hard. God' Reign was dope and SZA was awesome. Tree of Life, Just have Fun with the these days interlude in between. And Feelin Us with Jay Rock. Holy shit that's my jam. The Danny Brown feature was dope. Kdots interlude. Honestly listen to it now in 2019 (almost there) and see how it connects to DWTW which is in my opinions soulos best work.
I feel like dehh has a new vibe! I love it guys.
This is your best production quality yet
Yee been waiting for this review!!
"Then add to that, that I smoke like the hippies did back in the 70's so many styles I write with a ghost, like I had assistance but this is just dope..dope" I loved that line from Ab-Soul because STYLES P had a song called "GOOD TIMES" and he said he smoke like the hippies did back in the 70's. Soul's verse says "so many styles(STYLES P) I write with a ghost(STYLES P nickname is the ghost) I wish the DEAD END HIPHOP GUYS noticed that line. SOULO is a lyricist!
Ab-Soul is likely to be one of those who could have but probably won't have a lasting career. I don't mean be a mainstream, widely popular rapper; I don't think his sound and style could fit that mold, which is by no means the ideal. He seemed to be defining himself - Control System was a powerful step in that direction - but this album is inconsistent and scattered. I wonder what the ultimate goal for him is as an artist: sell records, make classics, a mix of both?
I really like the ending of the video talking about the battle. I watch battle rap all the time. KOTD, URL. I think you guys should try to review some battles from time to time. or make like another segment where it's just battle reviews. I know you recently did the Hollow vs Budden batttle and TS recap. but as a fan of battle rap it would be super dope to hear your opinions on them. but ust a suggestion tho
I felt like it was him just trying his hand at a more commercial sound coming off of control system but still trying to keep his sound a little like lupe did with lasers
People sleep on this classic album soo much!
You guys are the best. I'll definitely stay subscribed to you guys as long as I live :D
Just the fact that you are discussing the album in depth has shown that ab-soul made you think without making a control system album
Soul has confirmed in a couple interviews that he's going for the time capsule thing
Damn y'all put this out at one in the mornin son
I wasn't ready for it
The guy who asked the question was an upcoming rapper Schama Noel the guy can spit. Listen to his Gods Playlist mixtape
Great Album the more you listen to it ... The more you like it ...
i like this album. i can't really point out exactly what i like about it but i did enjoy it. of course there's songs on there that i like more than others & a couple that i flat out don't like at all. but overall i liked it
If 'Control System' is your first exposure to Ab-Soul then you will be disappointed with this album.
the album is great to me, read between the lines. the message is really is bout life, life of words he put together makes its deep, deep to understand where hes at right now
Wow. Really good review!! Glad you waited now and didnt rush it
soul had a great concept.. just executed very poorly. he recorded all these songs while going through his drug binge (per IG account).. soul still my dude and i still fux with Long Term(s) and Control System, but im not feeling These Days.
*new video up
Such a great review... you guys are very sensible. Earned a subscriber.
Ab Soul is a interesting rapper. He is amongst a few rappers I can listen to with no problems. This album is decent, it has varieties of sounds, beats and flows. My stand out Tracks were God Reigns, Trees Of Life, Dub Sac, World Runners, Stigmata, Feelin Us. What I like About Ab Soul is that he makes Projects that are weird and interesting. He has more than three songs I can really listen to in his project
If Ab Souls intention was to make an album depicting todays hip hop scene (hence the title these days) and you come to the conclusion after you listen to the album that you did not like it, what does that mean? Think about it each song i guess represented different aspects of today's hip hop and the songs you liked shows what you enjoy about hip hop "these days." The song that you rock with with amazing features show that there are artists out there who put out quality music. The songs that aren't your favorites are most likely mimicking the top 100 popular songs. What is he trying to say?
Also I did find Hunnid Stax to be a pretty good track
@11:13 -_- literally the first few words...he said "lu" and besides, lupe's voice is easily recognizable tho lol
im sorty like feefo i listened to control system many times and i just thought it was boring and with these days i listened to about three tracks got to the forth about half way through i thought to myself im not doing this again nd turnt that shit off
Ras kass rapped: on song come widdit `and even when I maggots I'm a still be fly that line was done in 1995
"when feeding a sick dog, you have to mix the medicine in with food it already likes"
I think this is the album that Illuminate was on and I like that track not because it's on GTA 5 but all around it is a great track and is one of my favs to listen to
Iggy Badass illuminate was on control system not this one
I NEED TO HEAR MORE OF YALL THOUGHTS ON THE BATTLE
Y'all going to love LT4 coming out later this year
Asaad is from Philly has had ties with kanye and pusha t. Check out Mixtapes Trop Ep , #White , DirtyMiddleClass. Its good to see him gaining more and more attention
He ain't talking about Alori on Closure.
"When Lori left you was right there"
Please do an album review of one of Professor Elemental's albums. He's a steampunk/chap hop rapper.
Earl sweatshirts new album gone be coming out
Don't forget Mellowhype's new DOPE mixtape- insa ( I need some answers )
The end of just have fun with that migos flow was the best part on the album... Beat was crazy good
what did y'all think of delusional Thomas' verse? kinda disappointed you never reviewed that mixtape. I know you guys aren't mac fans but I thought he really delivered on that verse with the theme of the song.
First time I've seen Feefo not fuck with an album
Daylyt is a fucking entity. When he loses a battle, he still wins.
I'm going to have to agree with The Needle Drop, I thought this thing was pretty lackluster.
You guys didn't hear "apex" Ab soul did with Indie Artist nitty Scott mc?
You get what you get. Soul gave you what the album title implied, these days. An within it, is where he's been artistically.
The problem I find with this album is that Ab Soul specifically isn't signed to Interscope in order to have better control over his music meaning he isn't going for mainstream appeal. Which makes this album a bit of a contradiction given the overall sound of it
the new ".. but yeah um" is Myke starting by saying he didn't know what to expect from the album.
Any chance of a !Mayday! x Murs - Mursday review?