Ab-Soul Uses Alori Joh’s Death to Spread Positivity [OPINION]

Although hip-hop artists are often critiqued as misogynistic and shallow, when rappers fall in love, they fall hard. In the unfortunate event of a lover passing, rappers grieve just like non-celebrities do. The difference, though, is that the public is able to see how a celebrity copes with death.

Just five months ago, Diddy’s ex-lover Kim Porter passed away. While it visibly took a toll on him, he recently discussed in an interview how her death and dying last words helped him become a better father. This interview gives us the opportunity to discuss another emcee who turned his lover’s death into something positive – the tragic story of Ab-Soul and Alori Joh.

On Feb. 7, 2012, soul singer and Top Dawg Entertainment affiliate Alori Joh took her own life. Not only were Alori Joh and west coast rapper Ab-Soul label mates who collaborated frequently, they were also high school sweethearts that stayed together up until her death.

Although his 2012 album ‘Control System’ was already finished by the time she passed, he quickly added the track “Book of Soul” before dropping the project. Some of the lyrics to the song, entirely about Joh’s untimely demise, read:

“I did some things, you did some things, always came back together

We knew the only way to make it work was to work together

Seven whole years, seven whole years, it was supposed to be grandkids…

Why Lori? Why’d you have to take her from me?

I guess he needed your angel face for all of heaven to see

Your picture’s still on my mirror, and it’s so scary

I swear, I still ain’t looked at your obituary”

Ab-Soul has mentioned her in every project and interview since then. This time, however, he uses Joh as a muse to spread positive messages to his listeners. In his interview with Montreality, he looks directly at the camera and gives a message to anyone who is considering suicide, begging them to reconsider. “When it feels like hell, that means Heaven is around the corner.”

Furthermore, Joh’s death inspired his latest album ‘Do as Thou Wilt,’ a project entirely about feminism. In his interview with Home Grown Radio, he says he found a whole new respect for women after accepting that Joh is never coming back. “When she passed, it really hit me like – the strongest person in my life is gone. Hip-hop has a history of strong women, but we keep pushing that under the rug,” he says. “We respect our mothers, mother nature, our sisters, all dat, but yet women at large ain’t shit? It’s time for the conversation to be had.”

He reiterates this idea in a video on Galore TV, where he sits down upcoming femcee Princess Nokia to discuss feminism and the changes that need to be made in the hip-hop community.

‘Do as Thou Wilt’ still expresses a lot of pain regarding Alori Joh’s death. But Ab-Soul is taking that pain and making something beautiful out of it.