Herbert Anthony Stevens IV (born February 23, 1987),[1] better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American hip hop recording artist from Carson, California. In 2007, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), where he eventually formed West Coast hip hop group Black Hippy, alongside his label-mates and fellow California-based rappers Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. He is perhaps best known for his introspective lyrics and his three independent albums under TDE, Longterm Mentality, Control System and These Days..., which were all released to generally positive reviews and moderate success.