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This album was released on March 31st this year. I’ve become a pretty big fan of Freddie Gibbs since I started this website, so I’m really looking forward to this project. The first thing that stood out to me when I found out about this project is the fact that it’s not Bandana. I’m sure that project is still coming tho. For those of you who don’t know, Bandana is the sequel to Piñata. Yeah. That’s gonna be fuckin’ great. Anyway, the next thing I noticed was the fucking amazing cover art. Whoever designed that shit did an amazing job. The final thing I noticed was this project’s length. 8 songs. 31 minutes. This is an EP. I mean, everyone’s treating it like an album, but this is pretty much an EP. Maybe he put more effort into this project than he would normally put into an EP. I don’t know for sure tho. Whatever. I guess Earl’s last album was around the same length. It doesn’t really matter. At least I know this review won’t take long. Anyway, I’m expecting this shit to be fantastic. There’s not a lot of room for error, and Freddie Gibbs is one of the best rappers out right now. Every song is produced by Speakerbomb, except where noted.

Track 1: 20 Karat Jesus (Co-Prod. Blair Norf, ESVYBE & Pops)

Alright, here we go. It’s starting now. This beat is dope af. Freddie’s flow is really cool on this first verse. Oh by the way, I should probably mention that I haven’t heard any of the singles from this album. All of these songs are completely new to me. Shit. This is so fuckin’ hard. The first verse was dope. I’m not crazy about how he ended every line with the N word, but it’s not that big of a deal. I don’t know how I feel about this hook. It’s not that bad. I’m just not crazy about his melodic delivery. It sounds kinda bad… It doesn’t ruin the track tho. The second verse was dope af. God… This hook is actually pretty bad… I wish the verses were longer too… The third verse was nice. Oh FUCK. Okay… Wow. The way the beat just switched up was awesome. FUCK. This beat is fucking fantastic. This shit is gangsta as fuck. The final verse was great. I really fuckin’ enjoyed this song. Fuuck… Should I give it a 4 or a 5? It’s definitely not a perfect song. I feel like I should go a little harder on this project since it’s so short. I really loved the production, and Freddie did his thing too. This is a good song. I fuck with this. 4/5

Track 2: Alexys (Prod. Kaytranada & BADBADNOTGOOD)

Okay, those production credits are VERY intriguing. This should be good. It’s starting now. Yes. Yes. This beat is dope af. Freddie’s killin’ this first verse too. “I first taste cocaine in 10th grade / Homie at the table chopping Rick James / Sent the package off from Texas it’s been six days / Keep sweating like a pig until that bitch came.” Hmm… Something about his flow seems off on this song… I mean, it’s not the entire song. Just a few lines. It sounds like he’s having trouble because he’s putting too many syllables in each line. It sounds like he’s kinda slurring his words a little bit. Like, when he says “Get successful and watch how you immediately become their competition / Niggas worse than a side bitch; they can’t quite stay in a position.” It just sounds kinda awkward. It’s not bad enough to ruin the song tho. The hook is dope. The second verse was great. Fuck. Okay, I definitely enjoyed this track more than the previous one, but I still don’t know if I can give this a perfect rating. It didn’t blow me away. I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a really good song. I loved the production. I just… I don’t know. It’s not amazing to me in any way. It’s still really good tho. I fuck with this. 4/5

Track 3: Crushed Glass (Co-Prod. Teddy Walton & Aaron Bow)

Oh shit… OH FUCK. This beat is gorgeous. Gotdamn. Freddie’s ending every line with the N word again. His flow is really nice on this first verse. “With them extras out the pot, I gave myself a raise, nigga / Heaven sent I can’t remember the last time I prayed, nigga / So the Devil introduced me to cookin’ cocaine, nigga / On the blade, seven days, ain’t bathe or shave, nigga.” He mentioned the false rape accusations that he had to deal with last year. “I just beat a rape case, groupie bitch I never fucked / Trying to give me ten for some pussy that I never touched / At a certain level, system tried to test a nigga’s nuts / Nigga hired like eleven lawyers, had to level up.” This is really fuckin’ good. Who the fuck is this singing the hook? It’s good. He fuckin’ killed that second verse too. “I was sittin’ in a cell missin’ show dates / Commissary late, I’m postin’ pictures with the toothpaste / Barely eat the food, stress’ll make a nigga lose weight / Enter the mental of a nigga that wish he knew his fate / Shit these bitches do to try to get your cash / Erica visit, can’t wipe her tears from behind the glass.” This is definitely my favorite song on the project so far. I don’t have any problems with this one. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 4: Dear Maria (Co-Prod. Blair Norf)

Oh snap. This beat is REALLY fuckin’ hard. The hook’s alright. It has a VERY slight melody, and Freddie’s kinda slurring his words again. It sounds like he’s rapping directly to one of his old girlfriends or something. It sounds like he really liked her. Maybe she died or something. Oh. Never mind. He was fuckin’ her sister. Damn. The song just ended. It was pretty good. Again, I wasn’t crazy about the way his words were kinda slurring, but it was still an entertaining track. There’s an uncredited artist on the outro singing with autotune. It sounds kinda bad. It’s fine tho. I fuck with this track. It’s dope. 4/5

Track 5: Amnesia (Co-Prod. Dupri, Jay Nari & DNYC3)

OH FUCK??? LMAO. YOOOO. THIS BEAT IS SO FUCKIN’ HARD. Lmao. Jesus. When that beat dropped I laughed so hard. This shit is STUPID. But in a good way. “I just fucked four bitches at Four Seasons / Money made me forget I got amnesia.” This is hilarious. This beat is amazing, and Freddie’s killin’ this first verse too. I love the hook. I need a remix. I need a remix with fuckin’ uuuuuuuhhh… I don’t know. I was gonna say Jeezy at first, but that’s obviously not gonna happen lol. I don’t think Takeoff would get on this track just by himself. If the Migos hopped on this shit I wouldn’t want Quavo. He wouldn’t sound right on this beat. Hmm… Okay, this is a really random idea, but remember Pill? The guy who used to be signed to MMG? What the fuck ever happened to him? That dude was nice… He would sound good on this shit. Anyway, I’m getting off topic. Wait a minute, G Herbo would sound tight on this too. Or Lil Bibby. Lil Bibby actually has a really similar voice to Freddie Gibbs. Anyway, I REALLY enjoyed this song. I love the energetic production, and Freddie sounded great on it. This is dope af to me. 5/5

Track 6: Andrea (Co-Prod. Pops, SLWJMZ & Crooklin)

Ooooh… This beat is NICE. This is really chill. This is probably the only beat on this whole project that I can say is laid back and smooth so far. Oh shit. The song just ended. Huh. Well, it was dope while it lasted. His delivery was kinda annoying at some parts for me, but I enjoyed the verse. The outro where he was singing actually sounded a lot better than I would’ve predicted. This song probably could’ve used a second verse, but I still really enjoyed it. Well, there kinda was a second verse right at the end. It was pitch shifted tho… I don’t like pitch shifted vocals… It transitions into the next song really nicely tho. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track 7: Phone Lit (Co-Prod. Superville & Lambo)

This beat is dope af. This might actually be my favorite beat on the whole album so far. It’s just really fuckin’ nice. The hook isn’t bad. What the fuck? Why the hell are his words so slurred on this first verse? It’s really hard to understand what he’s saying… I’m not really crazy about his melodic delivery either… Honestly… This is borderline mumble rap for me. I’m still enjoying it… I just wish his words were more coherent. The second verse is much better tho. I fuck with this song. Obviously the slurring of the words was a major gripe for me, but it didn’t completely ruin the song. This is still dope to me. 4/5

Track 8: Homesick (Co-Prod. Pops & SLWJMZ)

This beat is really dope. The first verse was nice. This is definitely the most introspective track on the album. Huh… You know, I just listened to the entire song, and I really don’t have anything interesting to say. I enjoyed it. The beat’s nice, and Freddie did his thing. Nothing really stands out tho. Nothing pushes this track to the next level. This is probably one of my least favorite tracks on the album, but it’s still really fuckin’ good. This is dope to me. 4/5

Final Thoughts:

This album is great. There’s not a single wack song on this album. It definitely feels more like an EP than a full album. I guess that’s to be expected from a project with only 8 tracks tho. The production is really fuckin’ good. It’s not nearly as dark and atmospheric as Freddie’s previous album, but to me it still sounds heavier than the average Hip Hop project. I know this is really fucked up, but if I’m being completely honest… Uh… Honestly, I’m just waiting for Bandana. Freddie Gibbs just sounds a lot better over that old school style of production to me. I also don’t remember him slurring his words as much on Piñata, and I know for damn sure that he didn’t try to sing as much either. It’s not like Freddie sounds terrible when he tries to sing. I just don’t like that melodic sound from him. This is still a really great project tho. It’s only 8 tracks. There’s nothing wack on here. It’s definitely worth checking out. It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Crushed Glass

Least Favorite Song: Homesick

Verdict:

85%

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