Ab-Soul Has New Album Hyped By DJ Hed, Who Says It Has “Slaps”

Ab-Soul‘s next album may be coming sooner than we thought. In an interview with Elliott Wilson, DJ Hed mentioned that he heard a couple of tracks from Soulo’s latest offering, calling them “slaps.” Hed is close to the TDE camp and was one of the few sources of reliable information for Kendrick Lamar‘s side of the Drake battle, so him having heard new music from Ab-Soul is not surprising.

The Carson rapper released Herbert in 2022, six years removed from his last album, Do What Thou Wilt. Soulo has been very open about his mental health struggles. He revealed in an interview with Charlamagne Tha God that he attempted to end his own life earlier that year. Fortunately, he seems to be in a much better headspace now, thanks in part to the support of his peers and family.

Fans immediately found themselves drawn to Herbert for its lyricism and brutal honesty. Both are trademarks of Ab-Soul’s releases. And he did not disappoint. Head of TDE Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith first shared plans for a new Soulo release during a Twitter Q&A in March of last year. He also claimed that a deluxe edition of Herbert was on the way, which is now sitting alongside a deluxe version of SZA’s SOS as albums that TDE promised and have not yet delivered on. So far this year, the TDE crew have been more active with new music. ScHoolboy Q received the lauded Blue Lips, SiR released HEAVY, and Isaiah Rashad announced a new album for this year.

We last saw DJ Hed and Ab-Soul at Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out concert. Hed had a set early in the evening, before coming back out at the end of the show for the group photo that capped off Lamar’s performance. Soulo was on stage during Lamar’s set for a Black Hippy reunion alongside ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock. Black Hippy did not perform any of the songs they did together. However, Lamar flawlessly rapped the first verse of his Drake diss “6:16 In LA” with his hand on Soulo’s shoulder, a signficant moment for longtime TDE fans. We don’t know when Ab-Soul’s next album is due, but DJ Hed confirmed that he’s been working on it. That is exciting news for any hip-hop enthusiast.