Kendrick Lamar returned to his burner Instagram account, @jojoruski, to shout out his Black Hippy partner Ab-Soul’s new album, Soul Burger. This took a lot of fans by surprise thanks to K.Dot’s not-so-active social media presence, and because of the conversation around his support of other artists. If you weren’t already aware, the whole Drake battle situation caused many to criticize how Kendrick seemingly doesn’t do much to promote the music and moves of his peers. There’s a whole debate around that which we don’t need to get into here, as you probably already know what’s up. Still, to make a long story short, it depends on how much stock you put into social media activity to begin with.
Nevertheless, Kendrick Lamar actually fought back against these narratives thanks to his shoutout of Doechii’s new album, Alligator Bites Never Heal. As such, this marks the second TDE-affiliated nod on his social media as of late, although that album appeared on his main page rather than his Finsta. That opened up a conversation as well, but its exhausting nature made both sides land on pretty much the same conclusion.
Kendrick Lamar Salutes Ab-Soul’s Soul Burger
Regardless of all that Kendrick Lamar discussion, you shouldn’t need him to tell you that you should listen to the new Ab-Soul album, Soul Burger. It’s a very solid and compelling effort from the veteran lyricist, pairing dizzying rhymes and melodic curiosities with stark, varied, and engaging production across various hip-hop styles. In fact, the aforementioned Doechii makes an appearance on the cut “I, Myself & Me,” which is a surefire highlight on the project. If you need a superstar to determine your listening habits, that’s on you. But if you want these artists to get the most attention they can, then it’s understandable to want more from the pgLang creative.
Of course, Kendrick Lamar barely has to do anything to get praise of his own. Two of his Drake diss tracks from this year, “Not Like Us” and the Future and Metro Boomin collab “Like That,” made for seven Grammy nominations for next year. But some folks hope the Compton legend would open his mouth more for his other colleagues, so this Ab-Soul shoutout is a welcome practice.
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case.
Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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