Ab-Soul Calls DJ Premier Collab A "Dream Come True"

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2015 BET Experience - Ice Cube, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 27: Hip-hop artist Ab-Soul performs onstage during the Ice Cube, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock concert at Staples Center on June 27, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson/BET/Getty Images for BET)
Ab-Soul detailed working with DJ Premier ahead of the release of his new album, "Herbert."

Ab-Soul says that his Herbert collaboration with DJ Premier, “Gotta Rap," is a “dream come true.” The TDE rapper detailed working with the legendary producer during a new sit-down with Vulture.

“I knew I needed him this time around. He definitely put me to work. I had to do it about five or six times until he found the right frequency,” Ab-Soul revealed.

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 06: (L-R) Elliott Wilson and Ab-Soul attend backstage at Irving Plaza on October 6, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

As for why it took so many takes, Ab-Soul says it was difficult to match the "frequency" exactly.

“No, not rewriting," he explained. "He liked the verse, but I had to match the frequency of the record, because I guess that was one of his favorite beats. So he wanted to make sure I came correct. That was the first time anybody ever made me re-record. So that was humbling. But it’s Preemo.”

From there, he added: “Before I even had my official stage name, when I was just Snap G, I knew I always wanted a Preemo beat. Preemo keeps his ear to the streets. I can honestly say I do get the respect of being the last of the lyricists, that cloth. I’ve met him in passing before, but we connected when he did PRhyme."

Ab-Soul also recalled a time he interacted with Premier while working on a song at Mac Miller's house with Royce Da 5’9.

The interview with Vulture comes ahead of the release of Ab-Soul's next album, Herbert. In addition to working with Premier, he also connected with Sounwave, James Blake, Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, and DJ Dahi for the project. Ab-Soul says the album will be releasing on Friday, December 16th. It will be his first album in six years.

[Via]

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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