This project came out of left field for me, which is mostly because I've never really been a follower of the MC, Freddie Gibbs. I am however, familiar with Madlib, the mastermind behind the production on this latest collaborative album, Pinata. And I have to say, both of these guys are putting forth some of their best work ever, especially Gibbs, who sounds hungry, and has plenty charisma, especially on the opener "Scarface".
In fact, I almost get a 2-pac vibe whenever Gibbs starts rapping. This comes from the fact that he sounds relaxed and confident in his ability to deliver bar after bar of hard-nosed hood life raps. However, if you put these rhymes over your run of the mill production, they wouldn't be nearly as potent; enter Madlib. He is, as he always manages to be, the center of attention on Pinata, with his penchant for beautiful soul samples and funk based boom-bap drum beats, Madlib is concentrating his finest attributes on this LP, and it leads to some of the finest beats I've heard in hip hop in a good long while.
To start, I'll go back to the opener (aside from the intro skit), "Scarface" which sounds like a 70s exploitation film with Gibbs riding the beat like a champ. While the following track "Deeper" sees Gibbs rapping about a girl who he seems to have feelings for getting knocked up by another guy, while Madlib incorporates a wonderfully soulful vocal sample. "High" is a more up-beat track, and features a pretty lively verse from Danny Brown, who hasn't rapped over beats like this in what seems like forever, and that's a shame.
What is truly amazing about Pinata is how it actually manages to be excellent from track one, to track seventeen. In fact, there isn't a single track on here that I don't enjoy listening to, even the interludes have great production and some funny moments to boot. The only slight complaint I have is that maybe Gibbs's rapping starts to wear thin towards the hour mark, but Madlib saves it with production that never ceases to be excellent through and through.
This album is stellar, and it may just be the best Rap album that 2014 has to offer. If that is the case, it will be a fine year indeed.
9.5/10
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