At times profound and others, utterly confusing, the 16-track opus gets denser with every listen. All the while, Soulo becomes more lyrically proficient than he’s ever been on top of some of the darkest production in 2016 raposphere.
What makes this album so great is also what makes it short of perfect. Ab-Soul’s songwriting is thought-provoking and woke but the album doesn’t have that one track to take him straight to the radio, which can only work to his benefit to appeal to the masses.
The brainpower behind Soul's lyrics can also be his downfall, though. Becoming wrapped up in his own musings on life, the universe and everything all at once can at times lead to some truly baffling bars.
What results is like hearing a stoner acquaintance ramble on about absolutely nothing while a decent beat plays on the radio — the sort of acquaintance who self-identifies as the nonsense-neologism sapiosexual on his Tinder profile.
One of these days I'm going to relisten and give a proper review to this album because I firmly believe it is one of the most criminally misunderstood and disrespected albums of the last 10 years. For anybody seeing this, hold me to it please.
Technically an Ab-Soul album. Some good songs here and there, but it's pretty painfully redundant with Control System already in the books.
After a slightly disappointing album in 2014 with These Days…, TDE's Ab-Soul came back strong in 2016 with this sprawling project. At over 75 minutes of playing time with some serious subject matter - from feminism to religion to drugs to modern societal woes - reflecting Ad-Soul's deep and conflicted thoughts and feelings, this is not a breezy listen. Do What Thou Wilt was met with mixed acclaim upon its release, but is just about as good as Control System (2012), Ab-Soul's best and ... read more
One of these days I'm going to relisten and give a proper review to this album because I firmly believe it is one of the most criminally misunderstood and disrespected albums of the last 10 years. For anybody seeing this, hold me to it please.
Technically an Ab-Soul album. Some good songs here and there, but it's pretty painfully redundant with Control System already in the books.