Ab-Soul is soulful. Soulo, who calls himself Soul Brother #2 recently broke down to Bootleg Kev why he’s got Pete Rock (Soul Brother #1) on his arm. In an age where rappers are big on tattooing deceased influences on their bodies, it’s incredibly cool that Ab honors the living.

Last year, Pete, Camp Lo, and Ab-Soul got down together on 80 Blocks From Tiffany’s Part II. Hopefully, more is to come.

While we’ve heard about Kendrick Lamar’s family ties to Chicago, his Black Hippy cohort is big on Windy City Hip-Hop. As Soulo lists his most influential albums, he begins with Twista’s third LP, Adrenaline Rush. Back in the Big Beat/Atlantic days, Twista released his 1997 joint that would be loved by many. If that’s not enough, Ab followed it up with a ’96 LP by another Chi-Town act, Crucial Conflict. Their studio debut The Final Tic included hit “Hay,” and was backed by Universal Records (and on The Source Hip-Hop Hits Vol. 1, Heads may recall).

Is Chicago Rap of the ’90s the next wave that the new class taps into? You can kinda hear these influences in some of Ab’s music.

Related: Pete Rock & Camp Lo – 80 Blocks from Tiffany’s, Pt. II (Mixtape)