Control System
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 11, 2012
RecordedTDE Recording Studio: House of Pain
(Carson, California)
Genre
Length71:44
LabelTop Dawg Entertainment
Producer
Ab-Soul chronology
Longterm Mentality
(2011)
Control System
(2012)
These Days…
(2014)

Control System is the second studio album by American rapper Ab-Soul. It was released on May 11, 2012, by Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Jhené Aiko, Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, BJ the Chicago Kid, Kendrick Lamar, JaVonte, Punch, Ashtrobot and vocals from the late Alori Joh. The album's production was handled by Digi+Phonics, King Blue, Nez & Rio, Skhye Hutch, Curtiss King, Aahyasis, and Tommy Black.[1]

Background

The album is Ab-Soul's fourth full-length project, which was preceded by numerous promotional singles, the first being "Black Lip Bastard" on January 17, 2012. The song was produced by Willie B.[2] On February 28, 2012, Ab-Soul, along with Schoolboy Q, appeared on Sway Calloway's #SwayInTheMorning radio show, where Ab-Soul called "Black Lip Bastard": "pretty much one of the title tracks",[3] the song, however, failed to make the album's final track listing. The first song that appears on the album, to be released was "Showin' Love", also produced by Willie B.[4] On April 6, 2012, Ab-Soul released the track, titled "Terrorist Threats". The song features frequent collaborator Jhené Aiko and Danny Brown, who proclaimed on Twitter that "Black Hippy the new Beatles and I'm Harry Nilsson".[5]

On April 17, 2012, Ab-Soul revealed the album's title to be Control System and unveiled the release date to be May 11, 2012. That same day he also released a music video for "Pineal Gland".[6][7] On April 24, 2012, another single, by the title of "SOPA" was released. The song, produced by Nez & Rio, references Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a United States bill introduced by US Representative Lamar S. Smith, that would've allowed the US government controversial control over the internet.[8]

On May 1, 2012, Ab-Soul released another music video for a song titled "Empathy"; the song features vocals from JaVonte and his late friend and girlfriend Alori Joh, who committed suicide in February 2012.[9] On May 4, 2012, it was revealed "Black Lip Bastard" was remixed and will feature his Black Hippy cohorts, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q.[10] On May 8, 2012, his collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, titled "Illuminate" was released. The music video would be released on January 15, 2013.[11] The day before the album's release Ab-Soul revealed the track listing and released snippets from the album. The album, as written on the back cover, is "Dedicated to the beautiful soul of Loriana Angel Johnson aka Alori Joh"[12]

Recording and production

Throughout 2011 and 2012, Ab-Soul was working on his second album. He had recorded the songs "Empathy" and "A Rebellion" with Alori Joh. On February 7, 2012, it was reported a young woman committed suicide by leaping from a radio tower; the woman was later identified as Loriana Johnson, also known as Alori Joh. In a June 2012 interview with HipHopDX, Ab-Soul publicly spoke on Joh's death and how it impacted him and the album: "I was actually pretty much done with the project before that happened. Luckily for me and all of us cause I definitely don't think I would have been able to put it out in the time that I did. It was difficult. It's still very difficult. She helps me out with all of my projects. It's a very difficult thing to get over but at the same time this is what we've been – we, me and her, were working on for the majority of the time I've known her. She was one of my biggest supporters so I feel like I owe her and I owe everybody else that's taken a liking to what we're doing." "The Book of Soul" was of the last tracks that he recorded on the project, he touches on a couple topics throughout his life, with Alori Joh being the main subject over a jazzy instrumental produced by Tommy Black.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [15]
DJBooth.net[16]
Exclaim!8/10[17]
HipHopDX[18]
MSN Music (Expert Witness)A−[19]
Pitchfork8.1/10[20]
Spin8/10[21]
XXL4/5[22]

Upon its release, Control System received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 10 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[14] The album was named the 20th best of 2012 by Complex Magazine.[23] Spin Magazine named the album the twelfth best hip hop album of 2012.[24] Robert Christgau ranked the album 46th on his 2012 "Dean's List".[25]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Soulo Ho3" (featuring Jhené Aiko)3:57
2."Track Two"TaeBeast4:03
3."Bohemian Grove"
  • TaeBeast
  • Dave Free
4:23
4."Terrorist Threats" (featuring Jhené Aiko and Danny Brown)Dave Free4:24
5."Pineal Gland"
TaeBeast3:52
6."Double Standards" (featuring Anna Wise)Sounwave4:21
7."Mixed Emotions"StevensKing Blue4:08
8."SOPA" (featuring ScHoolboy Q)Nez & Rio4:09
9."Lust Demons" (featuring Jay Rock and BJ the Chicago Kid)TaeBeast3:41
10."ILLuminate" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)Skhye Hutch5:07
11."A Rebellion" (featuring Alori Joh)
Curtiss King3:48
12."Showin' Love"Willie B4:57
13."Empathy" (featuring Alori Joh and JaVonté)
  • Stevens
  • Johnson
  • Hutchins
Skhye Hutch3:01
14."Nothing's Something"AAhyasis2:30
15."Beautiful Death" (featuring Punch and Ashtrobot)Skhye Hutch4:30
16."The Book of Soul"Tommy Black5:11
17."Black Lip Bastard (Remix)" (performed by Black Hippy) (Bonus track)
Willie B5:49
Total length:71:44
Sample credits

Charts

Chart (2012)[38] Peak
position
US Billboard 200 91
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 12
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) 9
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard) 13

References

  1. "Ab-Soul "Control System" Tracklist | Get the Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHop DX". Archived from the original on 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  2. "Ab-Soul – Black Lip Bastard (prod. Willie B of Digi+Phonics)". 2DopeBoyz. 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  3. "ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul – 5 Fingers Of Death Freestyle (Video)". 2DopeBoyz. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  4. "Ab-Soul – Showin' Love (prod. Willie B of Digi+Phonics)". 2DopeBoyz. 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  5. Fitzmaurice, Larry (April 9, 2012). "Ab-Soul: "Terrorist Threats" [ft. Danny Brown and Jhene Aiko]". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  6. "Ab-Soul - Pineal Gland Music Video". DJBooth.net. 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  7. "Ab-Soul – Pineal Gland [video]". Scoremore. 2012-04-19. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  8. "Ab-Soul – SOPA f. ScHoolboy Q (prod. Nez & Rio)". 2DopeBoyz. 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  9. "New Video: Ab-Soul - "Empathy" (Featuring Alori Joh and jaVonté)". beatsandrants.com. 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  10. "Ab-Soul – Black Lip Bastard (Black Hippy Remix) (Preview)". 2DopeBoyz. 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  11. "VIDEO: Ab-Soul feat. Kendrick Lamar – ILLuminate | TDEnation". tdenation.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  12. "Ab-Soul – Control System (Tracklist x Snippets)". 2DopeBoyz. 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  13. "Ab-Soul Credits His Extensive Vocabulary to His Mom, Speaks on Alori Joh". 14 June 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Metacritic: Control System". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  15. Jeffries, David (May 11, 2012). "Ab-Soul - Control System Album Review, Songs & More". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  16. S., Nathan (May 16, 2012). "Ab-Soul - Control System - Hip Hop Album Review". Album Review. DJBooth.net. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  17. Marrack, Peter (May 23, 2012). "Ab-Soul - Control System Hip Hop Reviews". Album Review. Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  18. Fairfax, Jesse (May 15, 2012). "Ab-Soul - #controlsystem - Hip Hop Album Review". Album Review. HipHopDX.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  19. Christgau, Robert (August 28, 2012). "Ab-Soul/Kendrick Lamar". MSN Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  20. "Ab-Soul: Control System". Pitchfork.
  21. "Ab-Soul, 'Control System' (Self-released)". Spin.com. 16 May 2012.
  22. Mordi, Christian (May 17, 2012). "Ab-Soul, Control System". Album Review. XXL. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  23. "The 50 Best Albums of 2012". Complex Networks.
  24. https://www.spin.com/2012/12/spin-40-best-hip-hop-albums-of-2012/121204-39-icp/9
  25. "Robert Christgau: 2012: Dean's List". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  26. "Ab-Soul's Track Two sample of Electric Light Orchestra's Tightrope". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  27. "Ab-Soul's Terrorist Threats sample of Darren Korb's The Bottom Feeders". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  28. "Ab-Soul's Terrorist Threats sample of Jay-Z's Nigga What, Nigga Who". WhoSampled. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  29. "Ab-Soul's Pineal Gland sample of Bo Hansson's Attic Thoughts". WhoSampled. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  30. "Ab-Soul's Lust Demons sample of Isaac Hayes' Aruba". WhoSampled. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  31. "Ab-Soul's ILLuminate sample of Kendrick Lamar's A.D.H.D." WhoSampled. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  32. "Ab-Soul's A Rebellion sample of Midnight Star's Follow the Path". WhoSampled. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  33. "Ab-Soul's Showin' Love sample of Ahmad Jamal's Swahililand". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  34. "Ab-Soul's Beautiful Death sample of OutKast's You May Die (Intro)". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  35. "Ab-Soul's The Book of Soul sample of Ahmad Jamal's Swahililand". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  36. "Ab-Soul's The Book of Soul sample of Bobby McFerrin's Moondance". WhoSampled. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  37. "Ab-Soul's Black Lip Bastard (Remix) sample of Donny Hathaway's A Song for You". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  38. "Ab-Soul : Chart History : Billboard 200". Billboard.com.
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