I love the latter, with a classic Premo beat and Soul firing off some of the best wordplay and confidence in his catalogue.New Beginnings is the debut studio album by American rapper Reason. Hearing Herb go from the self-destructive “Downward Spiral,” where Soul captures the feeling of an emotional spiral, to the uplifting “Positive Vibes Only” and “Gotta Rap” is genuinely incredible and inspirational. The more introspective tracks combined with the hard-hitting voice memos and interesting transitions make the album more and more rewarding on relistens. “Fallacy” feels like Soul is taking all of the negativity in his environment and vowing to succeed, while the following “Herbert” is a song that details the struggles Ab-Soul faces in his own personal life. The album flows like a series of therapy sessions, each designed to open up a chakra or aspect of self that Soul tries to uncover. “Bucket” is a nasty jazz rap track, full of witty lines and biographical tales, but the small conversation at the end makes it that much more human. Skits, voicemails and conversations echo throughout tracks, all discussing ideas that reflect Soul’s journey towards happiness. I’m glad Soul saw fit to throw in tracks like these on the record, as they make it flow more seamlessly as a whole and give additional vibes that add layers to the core story Soul is telling. He even takes a few risks sonically here, like “Wild Side” with Jhene Aiko. Soul trades verses with some great features on this project to mix it up too him and Punch deliver confident verses over the fat beat on “Goodman” while he and Fre$h take a deep dive into their pasts on “Gang’nem.” Lyricism here is top notch as usual, but more so than ever, Soul’s writing and chemistry with guests is great. The second half is an incredible jazz flip, with Soul dropping one of his most passionate and inspiring verses yet. The first section of it is a synthetic grind-anthem, with buzzing bass and hi-hats that Soul soars over. “Hollandaise” is an early track that I think is one of the best songs of the year. It’s actually the opposite: Soul has a lot of variety here that still contributes to his concept of self-discovery. This is not to say, however, that Herbert is a depressing or one-note record. “Moonshooter” is an excellent collaboration between Ab-Soul and Joey Badass, but the message behind each respective lyricists’ bars weighs just as heavy as their similes and internal rhymes. Many tracks on Herbert are some of Ab’s most personal, and I think what helps them most is bluntness: some of the songs he makes are extremely detailed, to the point where his excellent rapping is almost masked by the pain in his lyrics. “Do Better” was a haunting single for the record, a driving reflection on how Ab’s survivor’s guilt has impacted his mental health. “No Report Card” tackles allegations towards his music not “going hard” with a tactful display of his charisma and wordplay. It’s easily one of the best tracks Soul has penned, and many tracks that follow these themes of mortality and self-reflection follow suit. Right from the gate, Soul makes the listener recognize Herbert’s meditative nature with the incredible “Message In a Bottle.” Soul lays his heart out on this track, an atmospheric rap odyssey where Soul communicates his relationship with hip-hop, the trauma that friends’ passings has had on his psyche, and much more.
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