''Herbert'' is the fifth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by American rapper
Ab-Soul. It was released on December 16, 2022, by
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). It features
guest appearance
The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting.
The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
s by
Ambré,
Alemeda,
Big Sean, Fre$h,
Jhené Aiko,
Joey Badass,
Lance Skiiiwalker,
Punch,
Russ,
SiR and
Zacari. It includes notable productions by
Boi-1da,
DJ Dahi,
DJ Premier,
Hit-Boy,
Jahaan Sweet,
James Blake and
Sounwave, among others. Titled after Ab-Soul's birth name, Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, the album marks his return to music after a six-year absence following ''
Do What Thou Wilt.'' in December 2016.
Background and release
On April 22, 2022, Ab-Soul released "Hollandaise", the lead single from his then-upcoming yet-to-be-titled album.
On September 16, 2022, he released the second single from the album titled "Moonshooter", which he co-wrote with his TDE label-mate
Zacari. With the future release of the album, the song would eventually include a feature by fellow American rapper
Joey Badass.
On October 21, 2022, he released the album's third single, "Do Better", which features a guest appearance by Zacari. A
black-and-white music video directed by Omar Jones was released for the single the same day.
On November 18, 2022, he announced via
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that his next album ''Herbert'' would be released on December 16, 2022. He also released the fourth single "Gang'Nem", which features Fresh, a frequent collaborator of Ab-Soul.
On December 7, 2022, he officially unveiled the cover art and the tracklist for the album.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a co-producer.
* signifies an assistant producer.
Personnel
Musicians
*
Ab-Soul – vocals
*
Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith – background vocals (track 1)
* Helen Anderson – background vocals (1)
* Richard Gray – background vocals (2)
*
Umi – background vocals (2, 17)
* Maurice David – background vocals (3)
*
Ambré – background vocals (5, 10)
*
Rich the Kid – background vocals (5)
*
Schoolboy Q
Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. He began recording in 2007, and released his first two mixtapes, ''ScHoolboy Turned Hustla'' (2008) and '' ...
– background vocals (5)
* Henry Was – bass (6)
*
Amaire Johnson – strings (7)
* David Young – trumpet (7)
* Gionardo Burg – background vocals (8)
* Markeith Nelson – background vocals (8)
*
Russ – background vocals (9, 16)
* Danielle Rich – background vocals (10)
*
Jay Rock – background vocals (11)
* Armani – background vocals (13)
* Noleac Yashin – background vocals (13, 15)
* Jasmine "Sistar Outspoken" Pitcher – background vocals (14)
*
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
– background vocals (14)
* Yaris Sanchez – background vocals (14)
* Kailey Galvin – background vocals (15)
* Kiera Gavin – background vocals (15)
* Jordan Brooks – bass (16)
* Phillip Whack – trumpet (16)
*
Zacari – background vocals (17)
Technical
* Nicolas De Porcel –
mastering
* Andrew Boyd –
mixing, engineering
* Rory Behr – mixing, engineering
* James Hunt – mixing (3, 4, 7, 14, 15)
* Sedrick Moore II – engineering (1, 9, 11, 13)
* Bert Gervis – engineering (4, 7)
* Hari Bhatt – engineering (6)
* Keaton Smith – engineering (10, 11)
* Milan Beker – engineering (12)
* Tom Kahre – engineering (12)
* Arnulfo Reyes III – engineering (13)
* King of Chill – engineering (18)
* Parks & Nef – engineering (18)
*
Sir Darryl Farris – engineering (16)
* Demitrius Lewis II – mastering assistance
* Ashod Oshagan – additional engineering (3)
* Devin Ragsdale – engineering assistance (8)
References
{{Ab-Soul
2022 albums
Ab-Soul albums
Top Dawg Entertainment albums
Albums produced by Sounwave
Albums produced by Tae Beast
Albums produced by DJ Premier
Albums produced by Hit-Boy
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by James Blake (musician)
Albums produced by DJ Dahi