In a year as dense in musical releases as 2016 has been, it can be easy to unintentionally overlook smaller albums. That could be the case for many listeners with Ab-Soul’s latest studio album “Do What Thou Wilt,” which released quietly in the shadow of J. Cole’s immensely anticipated “4 Your Eyez Only.” Nevertheless, “Do What Thou Wilt” should not be ignored as it presents some of the best work in Ab-Soul’s entire discography.
“Do What Thou Wilt” is filled to the brim with meaty trap beats featuring heavy basslines, harsh energetic hi-hats and pulsing synths. These trap instrumentals serve as the basis for some incredible experimentation with a darker sound than that of Ab-Soul’s past work. Many tracks masterfully employ distortion on backing vocals and vocal samples in the tracks’ instrumentals.
On “Threatening Nature,” a repeating sample of a woman chanting is reversed and run through a shadowy echo filter to lurk behind Ab-Soul’s rapping. The unwavering whispers pair perfectly with the aggressive thumping drum kit and distorted church bells to create an incredibly unsettling yet captivating sound. This bone-chilling tune complements Ab-Soul’s aggressive delivery of his verses, creating a brilliant combination of empowered rhymes and shadowy instrumentals.
Though “Do What Thou Wilt” does an incredible job of creating a alluring sound through its production, Ab-Soul mainly appeals to his fanbase through his lyricism. Thankfully, nothing has changed on his latest album, as Ab-Soul comes through with some of the best bars he has ever written. A testament to his versatility as a songwriter, Ab-Soul comes through with lyrical subject matter ranging everywhere from discussing modern feminism to pondering how people adhere to religion. Ab-Soul employs a poetic style of speech on softer tracks like “The Law” where he remarks, “I am convinced, God coming she just taking her time,” to empower the women the song speaks about by defining his guiding life figure as a woman.
Whereas on darker tracks like the addiction anthem “D.R.U.G.S.,” Ab-Soul hides his true feelings behind metaphors and double meanings. At the end of his bender, he remarks in prayer, “All my brethren, I pray for your mercy / And that you alleviate my pain.” This common prayer can be interpreted as Ab-Soul not speaking religiously but pleading with his drug vice to have mercy on him and take away the pain he feels without narcotics.
“Do What Thou Wilt” is chock full of incredible moments, both in the form of mesmerizingly dark instrumentals and thought-provoking lyrical statements. Across its hour and 17 minute run time, there is scarcely a dull moment — an impressive feat for a project this long. In the sea of 2016 music releases, “Do What Thou Wilt” stands prominently above the crowd and is an essential listen before the year’s end.
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