We always like to know what some of our favorite artists carry in their purses (and man-purses)—the essential items that they need for touring or subway rides, the Grammys or any other thing that they might be doing these days, which is why we've made it a regular column on the site.
Ab-Soul, the suburban-born, self-proclaimed underdog of Los Angeles' Black Hippy collective, tops his long mop of curls with a hat most days and his eyes with big, sun-blocking glasses every day, since a childhood bout with Steven-Johnson syndrome made them sensitive to light. He's in New York for a visit this week, and emptied out his pockets to show us his everyman essentials: hair tie, travel moisturizer, two $5 bills and three lighters. Soul's ambitious, intimate new album, Control System, is out now.