Control System is the second studio album by Ab-Soul, released on May 11, 2012, by Top Dawg Entertainment. It was created in the aftermath of the death of his long-term girlfriend, Alori Joh. In 2017 he stated to HipHopDX, when asked about revisiting the LP, "Control System is like Scarface. I'm scared to listen to that... That was a cornerstone in my life as you all may know. A lot happened with me in my personal life when that dropped. And to go back there would be kind of ill, but I'll never say never."[1]
Synopsis[]
Take a cue from biting tracks like "Pineal Gland" and "SOPA"—rapper Ab-Soul is as clever as he is crass, as sharp as he is straight-forward. Indeed, Control System is the high-concept dramedy to the unflinching drama of fellow Black Hippy member Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city. (The refrain from "Mixed Emotions," for example, is "Who got a Sprite?") Ab's rhymes can be unapologetically out-there at times, such as when he's rapping about Sumerians or nodding to Seinfeld on "Nothing's Something," a song about, well, nothing. But a heart beats resoundingly at the center of Control System. You hear it most affectingly on "The Book of Soul," on which Ab mourns the suicide of ex-girlfriend Alori Joh; she guests on multiple tracks here.
Critical reception[]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| DJBooth | |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 |
| HipHopDX |  |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A− |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 |
| Spin | 8/10 |
| XXL | 4/5 |
Upon its release, Control System received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns an average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 83, based on 10 reviews.
DJBooth wrote, "Where Ab-Soul truly stands out is his ability to relax and simply have a good time."[2] Pitchfork described it as "booms with self-possession and confidence," while Earmilk complimented Ab's "dynamic" artistry and ability to be cohesive.[3][4] RapReviews.com praised, "[he] is definitely the most unique emcee out of the Californian quartet, as his style is very lyrical and introspective."[5] A user from Sputnik was less impressed, writing in their review, "weakest of these Black Hippy releases was (unquestionably) Ab-Soul's Longterm Mentality, a poorly produced, meandering affair that just barely separated itself from the chaff purely through its vocal merits." They continued, with his sophomore record, that production was still weak and "similar examples are sparse throughout and cannot shake a prevailing dated vibe."[6] HipHopDX noted the lyrical work and it being "well balanced," "It's a project you want to (and need to) listen to over and over again, until all the lyrics and the complexity of the beats actually sink in. [...] Ab-Soul has some of the sickest lyrics and rhyme schemes I've heard in awhile. He's also all about those monosyllabic verses. He lures you into his music with imaginative and contemplative thoughts."[7] AllHipHop complimented, "His attention to detail is stellar, intricately building his rhymes with clever wordplay, popping syllables off each other like a well tuned jazz drummer."[8] XXL similarly applauded the dense lyrics and appropriate choices in features and production, summarizing, "Soul craftily proves that he is indeed a potent weapon on a team full of heavy artillery."[9]
Rankings[]
| Publication | List | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Complex | 50 Best Albums of 2012 | 20 |
| Earmilk | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 21 |
| HipHopDX | Top 25 Albums of 2012 | Placed |
| NPR Music | 50 Favorite Albums of 2012 | Placed |
| The Needle Drop | Top 50 Albums of 2012 | 10 |
Track listing[]
| Control System track listing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Soulo Ho3" (featuring Jhené Aiko) |
|
| 3:57 |
| 2. | "Track Two" |
| Tae Beast (of Digi+Phonics) | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Bohemian Grove" |
|
| 4:23 |
| 4. | "Terrorist Threats" (featuring Jhené Aiko and Danny Brown) |
| Dave Free (of Digi+Phonics) | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Pineal Gland" |
| Tae Beast (of Digi+Phonics) | 3:52 |
| 6. | "Double Standards" (featuring Anna Wise) |
| Sounwave (of Digi+Phonics) | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Mixed Emotions" | Stevens IV | King Blue (of Sore Losers) | 4:08 |
| 8. | "SOPA" (featuring ScHoolboy Q) |
| Nez & Rio | 4:09 |
| 9. | "Lust Demons" (featuring Jay Rock and BJ the Chicago Kid) |
| Tae Beast (of Digi+Phonics) | 3:41 |
| 10. | "ILLuminate" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) |
| Skhye Hutch | 5:07 |
| 11. | "A Rebellion" (featuring Alori Joh) |
| Curtiss King | 3:48 |
| 12. | "Showin' Love" |
| Willie B. (of Digi+Phonics) | 4:57 |
| 13. | "Empathy" (featuring Alori Joh and JaVonté) |
| Skhye Hutch | 3:01 |
| 14. | "Nothing's Something" |
| AAhyasis | 2:30 |
| 15. | "Beautiful Death" (featuring Punch and Ashtrobot) |
| Skhye Hutch | 4:30 |
| 16. | "The Book of Soul" |
| Tommy Black | 5:11 |
| 17. | "Black Lip Bastard (Remix)" (performed by Black Hippy) (bonus track) |
| Willie B. (of Digi+Phonics) | 5:49 |
| Total length: | 71:44 | |||
- Sample credits
- "Track Two" contains a sample of "Tightrope", as performed by Electric Light Orchestra.
- "Bohemian Grove" contains a sample of "Day Dreaming" by Aretha Franklin and "Elegant People" by Weather Report.
- "Terrorist Threats" contains a sample of "The Bottom Feeders" as composed by Darren Korb (from the Bastion soundtrack) and interpolates "N***a What, N***a Who (Originator 99)", written by Shawn Carter, Jonathan Burks and Timothy Mosley.
- "Pineal Gland" contains a sample of "Attic Thoughts", as performed by Bo Hansson.
- "Double Standards" contains material sampled from "Islands", as performed by King Crimson.
- "Lust Demons" contains a sample of "Aruba", as performed by Isaac Hayes.
- "Illuminate" contains a sample from "Live to Tell" by Madonna, and an interpolation of "A.D.H.D.", written by Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Mark Spears.
- "A Rebellion" contains a sample of "Follow the Path", as performed by Midnight Star, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" as performed by Paul Simon, and contains an interpolation of "Joints & Jam", written by Black Eyed Peas featuring Kim Hill & Ingrid Dupree.
- "Showin' Love" contains a sample of "Swahililand", as performed by Ahmad Jamal.
- "Nothing's Something" contains an interpolation of "Addiction", written by Kanye West, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
- "Beautiful Death" contains a sample of "You May Die (Intro)", as performed by OutKast.
- "The Book of Soul" contains a sample of "Swahililand", as performed by Ahmad Jamal and "Moondance", as performed by Bobby McFerrin.
- "Black Lip Bastard (Remix)" contains a sample of "A Song for You", as performed by Donny Hathaway.
References[]
- ↑ Harling, Danielle (June 7, 2017). "Ab-Soul Hesitant to Revisit "Control System"". HipHopDX.
- ↑ Slavik, Nathan (May 16, 2012). "Album Review: Ab-Soul 'Control System'". DJBooth.
- ↑ Greene, Jayson (June 5, 2012). "Ab-Soul: Controll System Album Review". Pitchfork.
- ↑ Marrack, Peter (May 24, 2012). "Ab-Soul - Control System". Earmilk.
- ↑ Gase, Zach (July 31, 2012). "Ab-Soul :: Control System". RapReviews.com.
- ↑ "Ab-Soul Control System". Sputnik.
- ↑ Lilah, Rose (May 18, 2012). "Review: Ab-Soul's "Control System"". HipHopDX".
- ↑ "Album Review: Ab-Soul's "Control System"". AllHipHop. May 17, 2012.
- ↑ Mord, Christian (May 17, 2012). "Ab-Soul, Control System. XXL.
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