Dedicated to the beautiful soul of Loriana Angel Johnson aka Alori Joh ‘We love you!!!’ – TDE Dubbed as the “missing piece” of the TDE puzzle by Kendrick Lamar, Control System is Ab-Soul’s arguably finest offering to the world thus far. To quote him: Everything that is mandatory in this country is a control system. A lot of the economy, society – it’s all controlled. Politics. It’s a big production, if you will. I just think I’m one of the people that’s kind of aware of that. You’re probably wondering about the cover, right? It depicts the Tree of Life and its The Ten Sephirot as viewed in the Kabblahistic vein of thinking. In the simplest of terms you can think of a Sephirah as an attribute of God. Ab-Soul’s name takes the place of Da'at, which symbolizes a perfect combination of all the Sephirot, or part of a link to higher knowledge. From the great Wikipedia: The Da'at is associated in the soul with the powers of memory and concentration, powers which rely upon one’s recognition of and sensitivity to the potential meaningfulness of those ideas generated in consciousness through the powers of wisdom and understanding. That fits in with Soul’s Einstein status and sounds like part of what a real thinker should do. Ab’s name is also in a fish. In an interview with The Well Versed he stated: The Well Versed: Before we start, I’ve gotta ask about the tattoo (Fish with “Ab-Soul’ written on the inside), can you explain the significance? Ab-Soul: This is a Pisces sign. I’m a Pisces, I know you’ve also seen the Jesus sign. I’m a big fan of the Jesus story. TWV: What about the story appeals to you? AS: It’s just a dope story, he was a very courageous figure. In summation, Control System is food for thought as much as it’s a search for answers. Wielding knowledge, delivery and Jesus' alleged hair, he’s sharing his opinions, views, experiences, stories and observations about life’s various control systems in the hope that you’ll benefit. From society’s double standards, the body’s secrets, and “Bohemian Grove” to questioning the identity of the real terrorists like Lupe, encouraging rebellion against oppression and much, much more. There’s plenty of fun in the mix of the philosophy as well, with the relentless Black Hippy remix of “Black Lip Bastard”, some empathy and twice the daily recommended allowance of dopeness in “Track Two.” Most of all, it should open people’s eyes to the many control systems that exist today and encourage them to free themselves from them.