Don’t Get Me Wrong: Review of Herbert
 Herbert: This will be an honest opinion of the new album by Ab-Soul.Â
 Herbert was very difficult to get through on the first listen. I will not sugar coat anything at all. It was not what I expected. To be honest, I did not know what to expect. Trying to go into an album without expectations is hard especially as someone like myself who roots for those in this arena. Having been gone for well over 5 years, the ideas stampeding through my mind were all over the place.Â
 As in any profession, time off is needed to let the creative juices flow. It can be a good resolution or a situation that just adds more pressure. On my first listen, I was probably like most people. Unsure of how I wanted to hear the beats coming through my headphones. So like with every album that I delve into, I make sure the room is dimly lit, all electronics are off, and I set the mood with the album playing.Â
 Message In a Bottle and No Report Card definitely set the tone for the rest of the album, yet I had my suspicions. I heard glimpses of real rap on the tracks, the delivery was point and the idea of crushing every beat seemed intact. I came in with full judgement just off the fact Hollandaise was included. So again on this first listen, I was judging before listening. You see, knowing that this song was released as a single awhile back tends to throw my mind off. I try my best to not listen to anything before an album drops unless it is a specific mixtape or it is a single that will not be included. I don’t want to be blinded by the idea of what this single sounds like in contrast to what the whole other album sounds like. Does it really flow with the rest of the album, is it cohesive, is it disjointed, does it fit the picture or narrative that is important or even prevalent at the moment? I don’t have the answers to theses questions! (I had to Justin Hunte, TCM) To say the least, the first listen through was completely biased. So I had to run it back, a few times to be honest. It was not until my mind was completely clear that I was able to feel the depth of his words, feel the gravity in which he spoke. Or realize how beautiful Fallacy was after the fourth listen. Yes, Four listens, I am ashamed of myself.Â
 I found myself upset at the beat selection and the idea that the album was full of punchlines. Don’t get me wrong, as a Social Worker I try to be reflective and understanding, as a Hip Hop Enthusiast and Bronx Native, I want to cut ass on the best of them and the most opportune time to do that is with a witty punchline. You either take a headshot or cut them down at the knees. Ab-Soul has a propensity for punchlines. Yet I was very sure that the album had too many of them and not too many well crafted songs. The beats just seemed to not match his tone my first run through. He seemed to be a science professor with a blackboard just filled with chalk that did not make sense to anyone else but himself. I was conflicted with what I wanted and what I needed. Then again after the second run through I could feel the tone and therapeutic nature permeate through the tracklist. This album was actually what I needed from Ab-Soul.Â
 Once I noticed this observation, I had a few real standouts: Moonshooter, It Be Like That, Go Off, Goodman and Gotta Rap. I don’t what it is but something about a DJ Premier beat just gets my soul (no pun intended) every time. As I was getting my fill on the second through fourth listens, there was pain in his lyrics. Something that could resonate with his audience. It seemed almost therapeutic. Soul seemed to be finding his footing. Something that he had lost during the last 6 years. We mention that artist may fall off or that athletes lose a step. Well, Ab-Soul did not. It was hidden underneath pain and anguish.Â
 Due to the trauma in which he faced, the death of Mac Miller and his own suicide attempt, Ab-Soul seems to be finally making music for himself and no one else. Soul isolated himself from the sounds and music around him in order to craft this album and it shows. Not trying to preach to others about conspiracy theories or teach about how the government is out to get everyone. No, this Soul is reflecting on the time away from the microphone. He is coming to grips with his losses. He is understanding his place as a person, first and foremost. The seminal outcast, he has found his place in Hip Hop.Â
 Herbert really gives its listeners a glimpse into the artist. Not just his interest and hobbies but the proverbial glimpse through his lens (again, no pun intended). What you probably would have liked more was if he was a bit more descriptive and vulnerable because he does touch on the suicide attempt but it seems fleeting. He does mention the loss of loved ones but almost in a moment and you will miss it kind of fashion. In his track Do Better, Soul laments “I gotta do better, I gotta pick up the pieces and master the puzzle upon us.” Such a heavy burden placed on the shoulders of the self proclaimed God of Rap. Yet here is proving he’s got to rap. The necessity to get thoughts out in order to not be consumed by the despair that has brought his world to a halt. Weaving lyrics in order to piece together an interconnected web of thoughts. Soul shows his worth on this album.Â
 Factions of industry heads and casual fans tend to stay on the fence every year critiquing this idea that the year before was a better year than the last. I am not immune from having these debates, especially with friends. It keeps people on their toes, to see if they actually heard something new and refreshing. Soul gives his listeners the chance to let their frustrations out as well. Fomf is the perfect anthem in a post pandemic world. Ab-Soul does not need your approval, this is a lyrical exercise for the many demons he is facing. Hip Hop has given him the space to rap his ass off and he shows time and time again that is what he is gonna do.Â
 This album, Herbert, is a masterclass in homophones, which just so happens to be Ab-Soul’s specialty. He dabbles in and out of similes like a waiter dabbles in and out of a conversation. Just short enough to take the order and long enough to receive the check. Here, Ab-Soul receives the Mic Check.  7.8/10
