Music is a big part of a lot of peoples’ lives, providing a soundtrack along each step of their journey. For some though, music means even more, a personal tool to not only express their own talents, but to share it with others.

That rings true for Carson, California emcee Ab-Soul – born Herbert Anthony Stevens IV in 1987 – whose life has been intertwined with music since he took his first breaths. Born into a family that owned and operated a record store since before his birth, Ab-Soul was literally in the store since his earliest years. “I had a cradle in the shop,” Soul said. “We just closed the store last year in April, so my entire life.”

The store – Magic Disc Music – was a big part of his childhood, as well as the West Coast music scene. His grandfather was responsible for the world famous VIP Records chain in the Los Angeles area that was a launching pad for the careers of stars like Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg. To him though, it was just his family’s business and a way to learn the music game firsthand.

The store helped influence some of the very qualities he now speaks into microphones. He’s helped breathe fresh air onto a bland scene that sorely lacked it, rapping about topics that range from the human brain to drugs and society.

“I’m just trying to open the door for a wider range of concepts in popular music,” Soul said. “I think the subject matter in mainstream music right now is real monotone.” So far his strategy has worked, with both fans and the business side. He caught the ears of rising Los Angeles company Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) – home to Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock – years ago and rounded out the talented crew.
“I think everybody is taking it well, how we intended,” he said. “It’s a lot of people that feel there’s been a void that needs to be filled for a while.”

His recent accolades didn’t come without struggle though. Anthony suffered from Stevens-Johnson syndrome as a child, a virus that causes internal and external fevers. “My eyes were swollen shut for a few months, I lost my lip skin and it grew back dark,” Soul said, providing another glimpse at his musical influences. It left him with sensitivity to light that marks his signature look; an ever-present pair of dark sunglasses and a clue
to the birth of his famous “black lip bastard” chant. “I’m fine now of course,” Soul said of battling the virus. “But that was definitely a struggle getting over for a few years. More than anything it’s given me an individual
look,” he said among laughter, before noting it did teach him things. “Nothing can really stop you. You just have to roll with the punches; I was able to learn that early.”

He’s well on his way. His latest project “Control System” was recently released to a large group of eager fans. It follows his critically-acclaimed pair of “Long Term Mentality” projects and has sparked passionate conversations among the genre over potential messages laced into the music, just as Soul planned.

“I think people are taking it exactly how I intended. It’s no set concepts, no set message, it’s not like a big punchline to get,” Soul explained. “It’s just really making a connection between all different things that wouldn’t seem like they would connect, just connecting us all as people. That’s definitely what I set out to do, just to get people thinking.” His sincerity is evident in his music and thought process.
“I want to continue to document this long term legacy that I have going, just continue to grow as a person,” Soul says. “Just really want to continue to put out music that can help people feel good and bring good positive energy.”