In case you didn't know, you don't have to be a woman to be considered a feminist. Just ask Ab-Soul. The Black Lip Pastor believes in advocating for the social, economic, legal and political rights for women to be equal to those of men.

"I am a feminist," the 29-year-old MC tells XXL. "I'm all for women's rights and the equality of the sexes."

For Soul, who dropped his fourth studio album, Do What Thou Wilt., in December, it's a must to keep the conversation going when it comes to equality of the sexes.

"It's very important for us to speak on equality of the sexes because we all have mothers, we all have little sisters," he affirms. "Speaking for men, we're gonna be the father of daughters and the cycle continues. And we need to make sure that just as we're as sensitive about these women in our lives, we need to be sensitive about all of them. I think we need to keep all of the women into consideration. Think in terms of you have a mother, you have a sister, you have an auntie, and you want them to be treated... we're very sensitive in how these women are treated. We need to extend that relationship outside of the immediate family to the whole world, to mankind."

Women are a main focal point on Do What Thou Wilt. The TDE signee has three songs dedicated to the Eves of the world: "Wifey Vs. WiFi / / / "P.M.S.," "God's a Girl?" and "Womanogamy." On the latter Mike Will Made It and DJ FU-produced track, Soul opens up about his lesbian friends Jade and Lonnie, who want him to help them conceive a child. "God's a Girl?" finds him questioning the gender of the higher power above while Soulo details relationship drama in the internet age on "Wifey Vs. WiFi" ("Got some niggas in the pen that really gotta face time/She just bitching ‘cause I missed her FaceTime").

As a student of both religion and theology, Ab-Soul poses a deep question on "God's a Girl?," which he created to encourage dialogue on the preconceived notions of the sexes when it comes to faith.

"The chicken came before the egg is my hypothesis for this album," Soul says. "That's the thesis that I'm trying to prove. Chicken being the female, egg being given by the female. Just getting to the root of things, you know what I'm saying. I'm heavy into history and theology, as you all know, religion and and all that. But God's a girl, question mark. Is this possible? Is this something that you can fathom? Is this blasphemous? Let's talk about it, you know what I'm saying. That's the concept. I know that's gonna be, for many, it's gonna be difficult to swallow, it might be a difficult pill to swallow but it's something I'd like us to all take into consideration."

As for whether or not Ab-Soul himself believes God's a girl, he has some strong convictions. "I'm leaning towards that but you know I'm a realist," the Black Hippy member admits. "I don't have anything written in stone. I'm leaning toward God being a girl."

The relationship he has with his own mother has shaped his thoughts on the subject. According to Soul, failing to disappoint mom is comparable to how a person serves God. "In the simplest way I can put it, it's the feeling that you have about your mother," he reveals. "It's kinda like intangible. It's a feeling that is unmatched. It's like the umbilical cord is still there in a way. When you do wrong, sometimes you think about what your mom would say, you know what I mean, these type of things. And that type of conscious is similar to that of a higher power."

Aside from Do What Thou Wilt. exploring God's gender, the overarching theme is love. According to Soul, the album is a love story.

"First of all, it's a love story," the Los Angeles native declares. "Many variations of love. How love can be expressed. Love is synonymous with the war as well. This album is also the silver lining. Every dark cloud has its silver lining. Also, I really, this time around, I really want the women to listen. I really want the women to know that there are men having these type of conversations. If you guys haven't had these conversations yet maybe I can introduce you to a few new ideas as well."

While Ab-Soul asserts that he's a feminist, getting caught up in labels has never been his thing. First and foremost, he's a rapper and DWTW is proof of not only his lyrical skill but his ability to deliver provocative subject matter that resonates. "I'm a rapper's rapper and I wanted to talk to the women in a way that I would talk to my homies normally without serenading so much," Soul states. "Like I just wanted to kick it to you how I would kick it to one of my homies. That's where equality comes into play. We gotta hold it the same way. I'm just trying to get people to use both sides of their brain. The male and the female side, the left and the right."

That's a longterm mentality everyone should consider.

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