Ab-Soul's profile has been consistently rising. While the Compton rapper has gained quite a following with his own releases, it doesn't hurt that he runs with the most hyped emcee of last year. Ab will headline the Paid Dues festival with Kendrick as well as the Black Hippy crew this March. He sat down with Hot 97 to talk about coming up with Lamar, as well as the projects he currently has in the works.
On how much Kendrick's success has affected him, Ab was very aware of the boost his TDE counterpart has given him. "Yeah it's like crazy." he said, citing that most Kendrick fans are pretty aware of him now. “I've been right there” he said.
"When i first heard K-Dot, i thought he could potentially be one of the best ever", the rapper said of first hearing Kendrick when he was a teenager. Ab revealed that the experience gave him some perspective on his own abilities, saying "listening to him for the first time humbled me." He admitted that Lamar continues to bear a strong influence on his music. "I'm still heavily inspired by him"
Ab talked a bit about his joint album with JMSN, which we heard the first single from recently. "I'm working on a project. I had a project in the cut- a collaboration album with JMSN. We're still trying to work it out on the management side of things." he said.
The Compton rapper also revealed that he has another solo project in the works. "I'm working on a solo album as well."
On top of all, that Ab said he'll just be "running around the country taking little spot dates."
Ab-Soul and Black Hippy will headline the Paid Dues festival March 30th.
Watch the full interview below.