Piñata
At first glance, the pairing of producer Madlib and rapper Freddie Gibbs seems unlikely. The former is the ultimate crate-digger, known as much for his reclusive tendencies as his endless collection of obscure soul, jazz, rock, and other musical ephemera; the latter is a street-hardened former dealer who rhymes about the perils of the dope game. But they say opposites attract, and in this case their two aesthetics complement one another. Gibbs is a nimble, gifted rapper, his syllables quick-stepping around Madlib\'s many twists and turns, from the grainy \'70s soul-funk of \"Scarface\" to the half-time disco of \"Harold\'s\" to the hazy West Coast G-funk of \"Thuggin.\" The duo\'s credentials are strong enough to pull some of hip-hop\'s finest into their orbit: oddball Danny Brown contributes a verse to the squirming \"High,\" while the crews from The Wu-Tang Clan, Top Dog Entertainment, and Odd Future are all represented (via cameos from Raekwon, Ab Soul, and Earl Sweatshirt, respectively). As a final shot of gravitas, Scarface drops a verse on \"Broken.\" It\'s a deserved blessing from one of hip-hop\'s finest MCs to one of its most unlikely but successful pairings.
The appreciation of Madlib and Freddie Gibbs' new collaboration Piñata depends on the range of your hip-hop tastes and your familiarity with both artists' deep cuts. Funk-fusion and soul jazz breaks bubble and blister in the heat and Gibbs states the facts as he sees them.
As one of hip-hop’s most talented but mercurial producers, Madlib has always eschewed high-profile, fame-solidifying associations in favor of affiliations with hand-selected, lesser-known MCs, uncovering some welcome surprises (MF Doom on Madvillainy, Guilty Simpson on O.J. Simpson) and some unredeemable duds (J Dilla…
With a delivery that sounds like 2Pac pitched down a notch, and a technical, streetwise proficiency that's Scarface-styled and just as solid, Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs is a rare find, but his odd come-up is arguably even more interesting.
Piata is the culmination of a slowly building collaborative process rapper Freddie Gibbs and genial producer Madlib.
Album review: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Piñata. Great chemistry between the Indiana MC and LA producer leads to results on this fine collaboration...
With 'Piñata,' Freddie Gibbs and Madlib employ the vintage sounds of the 1970s and storytelling beats of Blaxploitation movies.
In an interview with Radio. com, Freddie Gibbs was asked about his jab at Young Jeezy on the Piñata cut “Real”
Gibbs' grizzled street style works well with Madlib's penchant for loops with quirks, if it feels a little low-key at times, finds <strong>Paul MacInnes</strong>