In 2012 with the release of Domo Genesis and the Alchemist's No Idols tape, the rap world was robbed of a potentially head-turning collabo: the knotty Earl Sweatshirt and rapid-fire Gangsta Gibbs. Both appeared on the well-received album, but the divide between the tracks they're on may as well have been a chasm.
The soulful "Robes" from Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's Piñata acts as a corrective. While Domo Genesis lazily sliding across a hazy beat has become commonplace, it's still disarming to hear O.F. partner Earl Sweatshirt take to it. Even with two phenomenal LPs under his belt, Sweatshirt (to his benefit) has no clearly defined aesthetic. So any new sound is revelatory for the listener and another challenge for Earl to attack and conquer. "I ball because I don't know how to cope with s***," he confesses over muffled horns and blunted drums. Earl's dense lines are as much an attempt to put up walls, as they are a mission to flat-out rap. Gibbs meanwhile is all business. Instead of kicking back and soaking up the track's sunny rays, he's continuing to "make foreign bread" and staying motivated. "I always got a job" he blurts during his dizzying verse. Everyone here is a professional; they're just in different fields.
Gary, Indiana's Freddie Gibbs is
a lyrical flamethrower, burning down every track he alights upon with his dexterous
double/triple-time flow. Occasionally he slows into a staccato rat-tat-tat that
still manages to slay. On tracks like the excellent Madlib-collabo "Harold's"
he can be incredibly slippery, though he's often at his very best when he's not
sprinting out ahead of you but dancing around you. There's nothing wrong with
notching a first-round knockout, it's just that sometimes a well-fought 10
round slugfest is more satisfying. Producer Young Chop best known for the Spartan beats he produces
for Chief Keef similarly loves to go straight for the jugular. Why spend
worrying about subtlety or nuance when you can coast by on pure brute force? As
much as I love Chop's production on "I Don't Like", the slithering
"Love Sosa" is far more interesting. The track booms and bangs for
sure, but it never feels like it’s going to explode. It hulks, without flying
into a fit of rage.
On the one-off collabo
"Deuces" the only punches Gibbs and Chop are pulling are jabs rather
than full-body shots. "Deuces" imagines a gothic squared circle where
twinkling chimes and a tidal synthesizer act as the entry music and thudding
bass knocks signal round 1. Gibbs opts for a half-sung hook where he's
barely above a whisper, which somehow manages to sound more menacing thanks to
the spinal-tingling refrain of "I shot that b**** to deuces". When
the verses roll around, Gibbs is tiptoeing with a squad of killers ready to
ride or die. Before you know it, they've crept into your house and Young Chop's
hollow gong strikes seal your fate. It's the quiet ones you always have to
worry about.
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's
collaborative album Piñata is
out February 4 through Madlib's Madlib
Invazion label.
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib serving up a dish called "Harold's" named for a Chicago fried chicken chain is a near perfect recipe. Like a plate piled high with fried chicken the Gary, Indiana rapper's flow is greasy, near to the point of escaping grasp. His staccato rat-a-tat flow punctures any target in its way and continues on through scenes of "weed crumbs on my plush seats" and donning ski-masks to avoid identification. For his part, Cali's mad experimenter Madlib crafts an airtight synth/clap track crispier than a French fry. When Gibbs lobs shots at haters, the booming bass makes the insults that much saltier. Early on in his second verse, Gibbs namechecks KFC and it's an illustrative reference. Gibbs has never been a Fortune 500 entity in the rap game, he's the guy with the mom and pop corner store scraping by. What he and Madlib cook up here is far more nourishing than factory-line fried chicken.
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib's Deeper EP drops tomorrow and their long-awaited Piñata is slated for a 2/4/2014 release through Madlib Invazion.
