It took a few tracks for me to start clicking with this album, so if you're a huge fan of Pinata and a little disappointed with my initial reactions, keep going. I start to get it 😊
this album was different from all other production from madlib, which is why he is one of the best ever he is so versatile. Also he is from my hometown so i love all his work !
also man i have A LOT of suggestions on music you should give a listen too that i think you and your audience would love and appreciate so ima leave them in the comments keep a eye out 👀 lol have a good one man!
This is One of The best Hip Hop Album of All Time , the first time that i listen to it it didn't click , 3 years after man jesus christ blow the fucking roof man this an outstanding Rap album my god, a fucking Blast
A good idea with one of your listens this week would be to just put the instrumentals on for a play through (they’re all on the deluxe version) just to get a feel for them/really appreciate their complexity
You're reaction to Scarface perfectly captures most people's first time listening to GIbbs. He has a style that seems so lowkey, yet the more you listen, the more you realize how menacing he is.
It indeed is only about his favorite chicken shop. But I think it's a perfect placement after high. I also feel like Harold's was something that kept Gangsta Gibbs stable through the tough times in Gary.
BJ the Chicago Kid is actually a feature on the track shame, he’s just mixed in so well and sounds so fitting that it sounds like a sample. Masterful production with his addition to the track
Made a remix to Shame with one of my beats and it was the easiest mix I ever had to do because the vocals were already cut and mixed so perfectly. Not gonna plug myself or the remix though, but just thought I'd say that. Madlib is a master at what he does.
Classic album! I compare Madvillainy and Pinata to a sitcom like Seinfeld, short stories of a characters life, not one particular storyline, each song being a "slice of life". Whether it's old school supervillains (Madvillainy) or gangster drug dealers from the 70s (Pinata), Madlib creates a perfect soundtrack for these misadventures
Don’t feel weird for finding it different. Freddie and Madlib as a combination were viewed as an unlikely pairing at the time of this release. Madlib was known more for his jazz sampling and Freddie was known for being a gangster rapper. It’s not what people expected.
I think the too meld together pretty well. I'm listening to it again, and I'm enjoying the opening tracks a lot more. When I put less focus on lyrics and more on overall sound, I get right into it 👍
I learned from an interview with Madlib years ago that he was originally drawn to work with Freddie Gibbs because his energy reminded him of Tupac's. Can't find it rn, but the more you hear Freddie the more you start to understand the comparison.
I think this is one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, so I'm glad you started enjoying it a lot more from around the halfway point onwards. You're very right about Freddie mostly using his vocals as a sort of tool to go along with the instrumentals rather than using them to really say something deep or meaningful. As you pointed out, there *are* moments of reflection throughout the album, such as when he talks about his family and the regrets he sometimes has living the way he does, but in terms of the album as a whole, there really isn't much of that and the songs are very self-contained. I feel like all of this is what makes it an excellent album to put on anytime to just sit back and relax to, which is something about it that I really like.
This is my favourite album! Im glad you liked it too. If really like Freddie, I would strongly recommend Alfredo and Bandana. Bandana is the second collab with Madlib. Overall really cool reaction. Keep it up!
It’s cool to see you come around on the album over the course of the video. I’ve been listening to rap/hip-hop for years and sometimes I still struggle to get into the vibe of a record if I approach it with certain preconceptions. There are definitely things being said in the lyrics on here, but what makes it so enjoyable to me is really just how it sounds. Freddie Gibbs’ voice is like a rack of ribs and madlib’s production is some sweet bbq sauce. He could be dropping poop bars every other track and I wouldn’t even mind bc it feels so good to just dig yourself into the beat and feel the music.
Your breakdown of capitalism in America after listening to Broken is what this album, and by extension gangsta rap as a genre is ALL about. The gun talk, the drug talk, the sex and drugs and the flexing is a facade, it is all to entertain you, to get the true meaning behind that type of music is to read between the lines. I love how you actually understood that during your first bloody listen that is amazing. Sometimes a gangsta rapper like Freddie will make a track more obvious like Broken, but by sacrificing that subtlety he usually adds layers and stories on top so it doesn't feel dumbed down. That's what he did with Broken, with the story about his father, and how they both were caught in this system, the father chose to not be a slave and work his ass off to just break even (since there's no progress there in your current "class") by selling drugs as a crooked cop, and the fact that the station of Gary was cooperating with him, putting the drugs that they got from catching drug dealers back on the street by selling them and inflating the prices, to control the market only solidifies the corruption of the said system. While the son, because of youthful pride, arrogance, ego and underneath it all, just insecurity and feeling treated like shit, chose the route of a drug dealer. The route of being your own boss, making your own money and making a lot of it. Of course, that lifestyle is also not without it's downsides, he lost friends, family members, he had to kill or be killed, become a cold hearted monster to survive the game. Just an excellent depiction of that whole situation and the desperation of it. Just to add to all of this: when Freddie was making this album, he was still heavily into the drug game, selling a ton since Jeezy fucked him over with the label bullshit, and Freddie couldnt earn for living off of music. He was lucky his best friend and manager could pull the strings to get to Madlib, and Madlib liked Freddie so that's how we got Pinata. This album is what made Freddie's transition into a full time rapper, because it earned him enough money to justify leaving the drug game behind. Now Freddie is a millionaire, was nominated for a grammy recently, and is living his best life!
Something I'm noticing while doing additional listens is how foreboding he seems to sound. He describes that street life in such a matter-of-fact way that it makes it all seem incredibly real (which it is). Guys like Tupac and Biggie told the stories well also, but with all the bravado and gusto on top of it, they feel more like a movie than reality. Freddie doesn't tell his story that way and yet he's dripping in that street life, and it comes as off someone who doesn't have to prove what he's saying because it's absolutely real. I honestly think he's the first guy to make me feel uncomfortable while telling his story, because there's no question in my mind that he's telling the truth. And that truth is pretty damned dark.
@@bobthepoppop Fully agreed. Freddies authenticity is very much felt in his music, and his charisma only helps that. His deep baritone voice, his as you said nonchalantness when talking about these things truly does make it sound like reality, and thats why to me while his lyrics are not as complex as say Kendrick or Jay Z, he still makes you think a lot. He can paint vivid pictures of that lifestyle with not a lot of fluff, and to me what he excels the most at is the balance of the hard gangsta shit, cold truth and the humane underneath it all. Other rappers that do this imo, right now, would be Benny The Butcher and Pusha T. Freddie Gibbs fucks heavily with both and they have done collabs. Benny The Butcher is the rapper that has the most infectious confidence on the mic, whenever I listen to his verse his delivery and voice makes him sound so fucking confident it is insane. Highly recommend him if you ever feel like getting into more of this street/gangsta rap stuff with amazing production. Tana Talk 3 is one of my favorite gangsta rap albums and all of the production is done by The Alchemist, one of the best hiphop producers of all time, from the same "school" of sampling as Madlib and Dilla, and Daringer whos also phenomenal. Cheers mate, amazing content and im so thabkful for the algorithm that pushed your videos on me, have so much to catch up on!
So excited! I love that I found your channel Bob! Freddie Gibbs is fantastic and his collaboration album with Curren$y and The Alchemist "Fetti" is absolutely amazing.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the more abstract underground scene: Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle (think you’d really enjoy), Billy Woods solo stuff, RAP Ferreira, and Quelle Chris. Know you have lots to go through but these would be neat to see eventually. Their writing is a little more dense and expressive which I know you would appreciate when analyzing
He absolutely has to do Haram by Armand Hammer, and BRASS by Moor Mother and billy woods. Also Shrines by Armand Hammer. Pink Siifu’s GUMBO’! album too and Moor Mother’s Black Encyclopedia. Slauson Malone’s A Quiet Farwell. Etc
Great reaction! I remember when this album dropped it was so refreshing in the larger scale of hip hop at the time. Just pure unfiltered rap over amazing madlib beats. Glad you enjoyed the earl feature I think doris by him would be an interesting reaction
One of my favourite albums of all time. It took me ages to finally let "Real" play in full. The first minute of the song always put me off, then one day I let it play and when the beat switch came in it immediately became my favourite track. I'm still only half way through the video so I don't know if you figure it out eventually, but the diss is about Jeezy who was featured on Kanye's "Amazing" from 808's and Heartbreaks. He's the guy with the gravelly voice.
I'm sure he'll love Earl for the sheer potential of analysis of his lyrics. I Don't Like Shit I Don't Go Outside is by far my favourite release of his (especially paired with the Solace EP)
This man is gonna love Danny Brown. Ab-Soul too especially Control System. Also the Domo translation had me in tears. Dude’s super underrated too. He came up with Odd Future, a hip hop collective that featured Tyler the Creator, Earl, Frank Ocean, among other super talented artists.
What you said about the album being a slow start was so true! I first listened to this album back in 2014 but brushed it off cause it wasn't really clicking with me. I only started relistening to the album after having my spotify on shuffle and it landing on Lakers. Then the album started to slowly become one of my favourites
Madlibs production in this album mirrors a 70s Blaxpoitation film which captures the essence of Gary, Indiana so well. The sampled skits and the musical samples in general wouldn’t work for most big city NYC or LA rap, or even any other Madlib project. But it’s perfect for Freddie Gibbs - the former robber and drug dealer from Scary Gary Indiana.
Loved your reaction, Bob! You hit the nail on the head with a lot of the observations you made, like the themes of family and the music industry. Piñata is a top 2 record for me. It was one of the first albums I listened to, in full, all the way through from beginning to end. Madlib kills it with the production on every single track- he hits you with the soul and keeps you there, and the blaxploitation snippets in between tracks on top of the beats create a distinct atmosphere. I understand what you mean with the slow start; the relatively simple intro and Scarface don't have a ton of depth. Scarface is one of my favorite tracks on the album- if you've never heard Gibbs before, he's going to tell you loud and clear what Piñata is about- cocaine, the life of crime, and coming to a realization about the situation many young black men from impoverished cities (such as Gary, Indiana) find themselves in. These tracks set the tone for the album perfectly- ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE. Deeper proves that Gibbs is able to compel the listener- that beat encapsulates the pain and confusion he feels about the situation with the girl he raps about, in my opinion. High and Harold's have some of my favorite beats on the entire record. High dives into those themes of family struggles, sex, and drug use, but cleverly disguises itself as a fun psych trip. I can't think of a better fit than Danny Brown, either. Harold's serves as a nostalgic, warm embrace of some of the positive sides of Freddie's situation in his younger years. Bomb has some of the best flows, and that sinister beat serves the song, just like you said. The rhyme schemes, wordplay, and pacing make the track always a captivating listen. Shitsville and Thuggin' come with killer beats, tight flows, and have an amazing energy that is unique to them across the entire album. Real and Uno switch it up. They're aggressive, targeted, and focused. On Real specifically, on top of the amazing beat switch I feel like you REALLY hear how pissed Freddie is on the whole matter. I agree with the feeling being beyond that of a diss track. It's something much heavier than that. Robes and Broken shift again, with more introspection and focus on the moral dilemmas Gibbs, Scarface, Domo, and Earl all face about various aspects of their lives and careers- drugs dealing and use, outside pressure, and the desire to satisfy oneself. On top of clever names, Lakers and Knicks bring more of that warm, nostalgic vibe. Like you said, Lakers makes you feel for a place you maybe hate or have never even been to, which is quite an accomplishment to me. Knicks hits you with an emotional, captivating loop, where Freddie does his thing and looks back on things he maybe did right, things he maybe did wrong, his accomplishments, his regrets. It makes the track very compelling to me. Shame has perhaps my favorite sample on the record, and BJ's chorus is just immaculate. Watts, being the only track without rapping, is going to stand out inherently, but Freddie keeping that voicemail on the record to humble himself and remember what he came from shows his human side, which makes for a more compelling record overall. The title track is one of the best posse tracks I have ever heard, plain and simple. Every feature as well as Gibbs himself plays their part perfectly, and like you said, hearing a bunch of emcees bring their own flavor to the same (amazing) beat is special. Long ass comment, I know, but I've been looking forward to this reaction and seeing your enjoyment made me want to gush about my love for the album. I'm glad you liked Danny Brown's feature specifically. Like other people have said, Atrocity Exhibition is an amazing album, so I would love to see what you think of it in the future. Same for Donuts, it's one of the best instrumental hip hop albums I've ever heard. Looking forward to your reactions in the future!!
One thing you also want to keep in mind is madlib made all the beats and gave them to Freddie, who had to craft his verses to fit onto them. The fact the album came out sounding as good as it does shows how much of a top tier MC Gibbs really is. Best album to come out in the last 10 years besides GKMC imo
Bob I noticed you switched to tidal for your reviews I also just switched to tidal and am wondering how you like it. I think the main benefits are paying artists more better sound quality and more songs. Glad you made the switch too!
I prefer Tidal since they pay the artists more. I also noticed that the app works better on my phone/car (my car screen stopped updating track info with Spotify). And I feel like Tidal does a slightly better job at recommending new music/suggestions for playlists
I FEEL like the bars might have flewn over ur head? Cuz lyrically this album is top notch. Just that “ leave they thoughts on my shoestring” bar was prolly the coldest shit ever said.
It did go over my head to some degree. I noticed today that Freddie has a somewhat monotone voice in his delivery, and that makes it seem like his verses are more simple than they actually are. Where Biggie and Tupac would have inflections to bring emphasis, Freddie is a little more flat (not bad, just an observation).
@@bobthepoppop funny you say that because ive heard in recent years that people have compared freddies low delivery to that of pac but i also agree with what your saying; i think he's like a balance between low and monotone and a slightly animated
it's funny you mentioned Michael Jackson because Freddie Gibbs has a hilarious animated video about when MJ visited Gary. The Jackson family is actually from Gary as well.
Can't remember where i read it but Madlib served to showcase Freddie's ability on Piñata, whereas Bandana it was more of a 50/50 split between experimental madlib excellence & freddie's ability to bar out on challenging beats (something danny brown is also regarded for), so fingers crosses on the 3rd MadGibbs album Montana, we'll really see some truly crazy beats
ATROCITY EXHIBITION BY DANNY BROWN. trust me it’s one of the best albums i’ve ever heard and has some deeper meanings. one of the best albums of the 2010’s
Glad you enjoyed the production and some of the features--danny brown i would reccomend first out of that list. Atrocity Exhibition is a groundbreaking masterpiece I was blown away by the production and how he links it to the..theme of the album. +Bump for A.E.
Came here after your Madvillainy video, with a notion that you should listen more to what Madlib does - and hearing this video starts with good nod and a sentence "i like Madlib" make me happy and smile. Thank you.
Yes, REAL is a DEEP ass disstrack against Jeezy, him and Freddie Gibbs have a past to say the least. But yeah, you can say manifesto for this song specifically though, because Freddie....has never stopped talking shit about him, you even get a sly diss on Bandana if you can catch it where it is. I'm at your reaction to Real so far, glad you switched headspaces on how to listen to this album, all the compliments about the vocals being on par with the beat is 100% Freddie Gibbs versatility with his lyrics and bars.
Classic album I know every word to every song I’ve listened to this album so much. You can’t go wrong with Freddie Gibbs bro. He has so many great albums. This one, shadow of a doubt, bandanna,Alfredo, you only live twice, . Wonderful albums. He’s a great lyricist he can give you that grimy street , and also be very introspection at times. And Freddie is really bout that street life to. He’s actually a Vice Lord which is a street gang. And looking at how you view music shadow of a doubt or you only live twice you’ll enjoy those much more. More substance in the lyrics.
if you didn’t catch the “yellow tape and white sheets” line, the “yellow tape” refers to a crime scene at a murder, and if i’m not mistaken the “white sheets” refer to the white sheets that are a draped over a corpse at a funeral
I’m major rap fan who know is getting in all kinds of different music now and back in 2011 when I first heard the first song I knew it’s was going to be an amazing album!
You’re absolutely right about his use of his voice as instrument of sound. This is an album you put on in the car and just vibe all the way through. No need to look for a narrative that isn’t there, just enjoy the sound.
Danny and Freddie are my two favourite hip hop artists so I'm glad you seemed to like "high". Looking forward to your Danny reactions when you get around to it
That line on Piñata can be traced back to Jay-Z on the Blueprint (an album u should definitely do) “You not feelin me? Fine. It costs you nothin, pay me no mind”
Good afternoon bob! I highly recommend Mac Miller, he was on the track Piñata (imo its his best feature). Mac is one of the most versatile rappers of all time. He had great flows, great lyricism, amazing production (he even helped produce a lot of his projects) & vibes. Each of his projects besides BSP is really good to amazing, Mac does an amazing job of building an amazing atmosphere and theme for each of his albums and its always so well done.
Don't feel bad about not liking a specific album, artist, or sound! Even though it seems like you settled into it a little. Rap is as diverse a genre as anything else and has subgenres within. Everything isn't for everyone! My recommendation based upon what you've reviewed so far is check out Saba - Care for Me. Sonically and lyrically I think it's up your alley.
As A Die Hard Metalhead since birth, This album was definitely the one to suck me into the world of hip hop. Freddie Gibbs today is still a huge inspiration for me 🤘
I love this album and had this on repeat for a long time, they were was such an unlikely pair when they first debuted but they quickly became a fav to listen to, their follow up, "Bandana" is also of top quality, I hope you can get to that soon! I recommend you dive deeper in to Madlib's catalog, he has such a diverse range, from hip hop to soul and down to progressive rock/jazz fusion, he along with j dilla/Pete Rock/DJ Premiere are some of the greatest producers of hip hop (Kanye who?! ?😅 ). I throw in a vote for that J Dilla "Donuts" Reaction! I hope you can react to the follow up freddie gibbs album as well!
Man i listened to this album in 2014 and felt the same way listening to Robes for the first time. Earl is still that dude all these years later. Damn i wish i could hear this record again for the first time.
Hey Bob, love your content! You might want to give Standing on the Corner's Red Burns a listen. Really awesome piece of collage/abstract hip-hop that's got a bit of a cult following. Great LP. All the best mate.
one album i didn't see getting recommended enough is betteroffdead by flatbush zombies, it's not on streaming services so you'll have to listen to it on youtube but it's absolutely worth it, one of the members is meechy darko who had the second to last verse on pinata so if you liked it you will like that album too, they have really cartoony voices, like you said that biggie sometimes borders on being metal they do even more so 'cause of meechy's grimy voice and fuck everything attitude, there are also some great conscious tracks and lyrics laced with amazing flows as that's something you learned to appreciate now, hope you'll check them out
I think its likely the album will grow on you through the week! But its okay if not. And i enjoy him the same way of treating his voice more like an instrument serving the song. Hes a GREAT rapper, often considered one of the best of the last ten years and especially right now, i think he’s gotten even better. But he usually doesnt get too deep or say things too profound, just has a lot of skill at rapping. I love this album now, but it didnt hit me years ago. I got into him with his and Madlib’s followup collab album Bandana in 2019 which i loved. To me, Freddie Gibbs is a perfect workout artist, and hes great to throw on any time and as background music even though hes great for attentive listening too. Uno is my favorite track too because of that production, and also the track where BJ The Chicago Kid (you knew him from kush and corinthians) is singing and you thought its a sample and yeah he does sound like a sample. One of my favorite Freddie things is a video where hes freestyling while holding his daughter, and its a great freestyle. Bandana ive listened to a lot more since i was there when it came out, so thats my favorite but love this one too. Excited for the March reactions and hoping for Clipping, Weeknd, Wu Tang, Backxwash, Moor Mother, Armand Hammer, Injury Reserve, Little Simz etc reactions sometime fairly soon Hes always posting videos with his kids and he has a comedic online presence and theres currently an ongoing joke where any bald person is Freddie Gibbs, because i guess hes seen as the standard bald looking guy, idk Raekwon is a member of Wu Tang. Though the features wont give any idea at all of whats coming on 36 chambers, its nice that youre hearing so many first introductions of Wu Tang lately, with Raekwon and the member RZA both being featured on MBDTF that youre getting to soon, too. I have a lot of fun revisiting albums when youre about to react to them, and in this case, i never heard it in full until preparing for your reaction (like i said, ive loved their followup Bandana for years). Love it, like a lot of people do since it got a lot of acclaim. The first tracks were as great as all the rest to me, i think you just were thrown off or not in the mindstate. And i think both albums have great replay value
Also yes, Donuts is a musthear classic for anyone listening to hip hop, and music in general. It also came out just a couple days before he died (RIP) but i didnt realize it was that close until recently. And the track Real is aimed at Young Jeezy who you heard featured on Kanye’s Amazing
I rediscover this album the more i listen to It and the First times didn't hit as expected maybe because at that time my musical taste wasn't Wide as Is nowadays, sound Wise . The voice and the delivery of Freddie gibbs Is nearly unmatchable , close to Rakim or on the same level
Drug talk is complex, yet so simple. Goofy, yet serious at the same time. Maybe most of the lyrics went over your head. It’s elite hip hop nonetheless. I recommend listening to more of Freddie and Griselda and rappers of this nature.
This is in my top 5 rap albums. The production is top tier and Gibbs delivers line after line. The part of the track list where it’s Thuggin, Real, Uno, Robes, Broken is where the album shines.
please listen to atrocity exhibition by danny brown, a beautiful album in the darkest way possible. Danny’s lyricism and the way he portrays addiction in beautifully strung flows is so intriguing to listen to. very much recommend!
I think this album and Freddie specifically as a rapper sort of derive from a sub-genre of rap that takes a few listens to fully become engulfed in. Im glad you really got into it later in the album. Freddie embodies the best of what a new age gangsta rapper has to offer! Im sure you could observe that his lyrics and content are extremely unapologetic, often funny, dark, brutally honest, nostalgic, and so much more all at once. While not particularly a storyteller through and through, one of his best qualities to me is his ability to paint entire picture in a few bars or less. Never trying to teach or lecture any real point, it generates this sense of rawness that really fills me with a level of heart that so many don't. Very much hints of Pusha T and 50 cent all the way back to mobb deep and biggie too. Im glad you came around a bit to it! this is probably my album of the previous decade so im biased but it is so fun seeing someone have a new experience wit it!!! (Broken is my favorite too btw)
So as I was watching I was writing notes and what I interpreted from the album and how it might help you. I’m wrote notes on almost every track so this might be the longest comment u ever had. (Sorry lmao) some of the notes could also just be seen more as an agreement 2 Deeper- Glad u picked up on the story! I love the story! The more u listen to more it’s kinda sad in a way with the beat and how Freddie constantly says how that cut him deep. Recommend the music video kinda make the story better, at least for me. Harolds- song paying homage to his favorite chicken spot growing up. Talks about how he would live this hard/G life but then go to this place and what it meant to him. That’s y the beat is pretty catchy/upbeat/happy but the chorus is almost dark in a way. Shitsville- the main message I get is not to judge people who live the hard life because if u grew up in the same area/ around that environment you would be doing the same. That’s y the beat almost feels anxious in a way cuz of what comes with that life but that feeling is always there and necessary. He also talks about systemic racism a bit like with the lines “white devil society”. Then towards the end(I think) he makes some disses, which what I get is just cuz u not a gangster doesn’t mean ur a bad person. Thuggin- will Freddie put a belt on when he’s 40 and totally change? (Just a stupid joke in reference to the line) but the song is about how u can move away from the streets but the streets can’t move away from you. Arizona line could also be about why r u so focused on rap music and these small acts of violence when theirs bigger problems and biggest systems to change. Also he uses the line living off borrowed time which could be a reference to madvillian cuz that’s the first line DOOM says in accordion. Real- track doesn’t really stick with me. But a lot of people who love this album love this track. If u want more context I was scrolling through the comments and one by morion tax explains it. Uno-track doesn’t have a lot to analyze but I love it! When I listen I imagine a very dynamic gun fight scene in a movie (maybe like matrix when the bullet is in slow mo) song makes u feel badass. One thing u could maybe analyze tho is that he calls out rappers that talk about this hard life but don’t actually live it. Freddie doesn’t care about rewards or critics he just cares about makin real good hip hop music. Robes- Song talks about their struggles, how we need struggle to shine, supporters r important and don’t care what others think. Also shown through the sample. U could take this in a sad way but I think that he was going for a happy way about this topic. Broken- Also my favorite track! I have ALOT to say. The main message I got from this song is that money is evil no matter how rich or poor u r. Talking about how living the gang life constantly is terrible, u might need it but it “breaks” you. Also talks about how working minimum wage at a shitty/minimum wage job is a terrible way to get by too. So you choose which one. In every verse theirs a lot to dig into. The line that stuck with me the most is Scarface’s- A million a day is for minimum wage work a ***** like a slave till they put him in his grave. Talking about how u can waist ur life on minimums wage doing a shit job living paycheck to paycheck until u die or how living off drug dealing u might end up dead or how even with a million dollars a day u you’ll still want more. Another line that stuck with me is Freddie’s line- “money rule the world but when u did that shits irrelevant” so in the end all these worries and corrupt living doesn’t really matter cuz money isn’t life. Lakers and knicks- just good chill vibe songs! Shame- another favorite track of mine! song about how u shouldn’t be shameful of meaningless sex for both him and the women.Also how he kinda uses it to cope cuz he had to many heart breaks and other problems. That’s also why he talks about doing drugs with these women as another way of coping. At face value u don’t get this and just see that he’s tryna be a pimp. Ultimately the song is about not feeling ashamed about ur coping mechanisms. Watts- I’m pretty sure (could be wrong) this is audio of his uncle who died from a crack OD I could be wrong tho. Kinda sad Piñata- didn’t really dive deep in the lyrics but it’s just fukin BARS!! for the rapper meechy darko his in a group called Flatbush zombies and I highly recommend the album betteroffdead. (It’s only on SoundCloud tho but it’s free) Flatbush zombies (FBZ) also kinda has some rock elements and aggression which u might like. Glad that u ended up liking this album towards the end! On my first 2or 3 listens I mainly listened to sound as a whole instead of analyzing so I get y it took u a while if I did what u did it probably would for me 2. If u want more Freddie Gibbs albums I recommend bandanna which is also with mad lib. Or the collab albums he did with another sample like producer, the alchemist. Thanks you so much! I love what ur doing with your channel and how ur bringing many music listeners together. Again sorry for this long ass essay. (My English teacher probably mad cuz I don’t do my work lol but I could write all this about my fav album instead of some book I don’t care about) again this is what I got from this album so it might not be completely correct. anyways have a great day for whenever u read this!
Took me years of flirting with this album for it to finally click. Always loved Madlib's production so I trusted that it would grow on me one day but it always just sounded like a blur. It finally clicked on a long Midwest drive and man am I glad it did. I'd say their next album together, Bandana, has more of an emotional and conceptual hook to it and Freddie does a little bit less of that constant badadadadada flow so I look forward to seeing your reaction on that!
Hey! Will you be doing any Earl Sweatshirt ? He was part of Frank and Tylers group Odd Future. He’s the closest thing to poetry in rap. Highly recommend starting with Solace, then doing Some Rap songs
It took a few tracks for me to start clicking with this album, so if you're a huge fan of Pinata and a little disappointed with my initial reactions, keep going. I start to get it 😊
this album was different from all other production from madlib, which is why he is one of the best ever he is so versatile. Also he is from my hometown so i love all his work !
also man i have A LOT of suggestions on music you should give a listen too that i think you and your audience would love and appreciate so ima leave them in the comments keep a eye out 👀 lol have a good one man!
Universal Basic Income funded by a Value Added Tax.
This is One of The best Hip Hop Album of All Time , the first time that i listen to it it didn't click , 3 years after man jesus christ blow the fucking roof man this an outstanding Rap album my god, a fucking Blast
A good idea with one of your listens this week would be to just put the instrumentals on for a play through (they’re all on the deluxe version) just to get a feel for them/really appreciate their complexity
Fun Fact: I convinced my Principal to let us use Thuggin’ by Freddie Gibbs for our graduation song
W bro
That's Gangsta!!!
Man what. And I thought it was funny that we walked to that Wiz Khalifa fast and furious song
How
@@BigFishZo i rate the big fish theory pfp
You're reaction to Scarface perfectly captures most people's first time listening to GIbbs. He has a style that seems so lowkey, yet the more you listen, the more you realize how menacing he is.
I agree with this take. I'm realizing this with more listens.
Non the less one of the Greatest artists of our time annnnd Deeper is my ish ...uncle AL and Freddie
So true, Frank lucas is my favourite song by him for that exact reason.
Some people attack the beat others let the beat come to them, Freddie attacks the beat
I was cracking up at you dissecting Harold's... he's just talking about his favorite chicken spot! Just great beats and rhymes man
It's funny how my mind will sometimes grasp at straws in attempt to find a deeper meaning 😂
It indeed is only about his favorite chicken shop. But I think it's a perfect placement after high. I also feel like Harold's was something that kept Gangsta Gibbs stable through the tough times in Gary.
@@strwbrrycof yea because getting high and eating wings is the best thing to do ever
@@5679_ Agreed!
BJ the Chicago Kid is actually a feature on the track shame, he’s just mixed in so well and sounds so fitting that it sounds like a sample. Masterful production with his addition to the track
plus the nigga sings like an angel
Yea, first time I heard the track I thought BJ was a sample too… he just sounded that damn good lol
Made a remix to Shame with one of my beats and it was the easiest mix I ever had to do because the vocals were already cut and mixed so perfectly. Not gonna plug myself or the remix though, but just thought I'd say that. Madlib is a master at what he does.
Classic album! I compare Madvillainy and Pinata to a sitcom like Seinfeld, short stories of a characters life, not one particular storyline, each song being a "slice of life". Whether it's old school supervillains (Madvillainy) or gangster drug dealers from the 70s (Pinata), Madlib creates a perfect soundtrack for these misadventures
Perfect comment !
Damn Atrocity over XXX and Old? Cmon bro AE was mid comparatively
@@mumik1750 stop smokin crack
@@mumik1750 You the only person I've ever heard Old > Atrocity from. Atrocity is bros best album to most listeners.
@@sayid3987 Only cause I heard both records In high school. Didn't really vibe with AE
Don’t feel weird for finding it different. Freddie and Madlib as a combination were viewed as an unlikely pairing at the time of this release. Madlib was known more for his jazz sampling and Freddie was known for being a gangster rapper. It’s not what people expected.
imo this is one of the few albums to successfully blur the lines between an alternative hip hop record and gangsta rap sensibilities
I think the too meld together pretty well. I'm listening to it again, and I'm enjoying the opening tracks a lot more. When I put less focus on lyrics and more on overall sound, I get right into it 👍
@@bobthepoppop yep you got it 😂🤟✊💯
@@bobthepoppop peep their follow up album "Bandana" it's amazing but imo not as good as piñata
@@ugonwigwe5136 are you the same guy from earlier that listens to westside gunn??
I learned from an interview with Madlib years ago that he was originally drawn to work with Freddie Gibbs because his energy reminded him of Tupac's. Can't find it rn, but the more you hear Freddie the more you start to understand the comparison.
Those first tracks will definitely grow on you, scarface and deeper some of the hardest beats imo. Freddie really just knows how to ride a beat man
Love this album to death, it came out my sophomore year of high school. Just found your channel a couple weeks ago, keep up the good work!
1:09:54 - the chorus isn't sampled, but BJ did a great job to make it sound as if it is
first time i heard the album i thought it was a sample too 😭 cant blame him at all
@@ugonwigwe5136 same hahah
Wow what? I always thought it was a sample... Thanks man
I mean, the “here we are again” is sampled, it’s from the same song as the sample in the intro
@@rikmascle4940 that’s not what Bob was referring to though
I think this is one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, so I'm glad you started enjoying it a lot more from around the halfway point onwards. You're very right about Freddie mostly using his vocals as a sort of tool to go along with the instrumentals rather than using them to really say something deep or meaningful. As you pointed out, there *are* moments of reflection throughout the album, such as when he talks about his family and the regrets he sometimes has living the way he does, but in terms of the album as a whole, there really isn't much of that and the songs are very self-contained. I feel like all of this is what makes it an excellent album to put on anytime to just sit back and relax to, which is something about it that I really like.
Well said. I love Kdot as an example, but he rarely gets album spins from me. Pinata is on constant rotation
This is my favourite album! Im glad you liked it too. If really like Freddie, I would strongly recommend Alfredo and Bandana. Bandana is the second collab with Madlib. Overall really cool reaction. Keep it up!
Fetti > Alfredo
It’s cool to see you come around on the album over the course of the video. I’ve been listening to rap/hip-hop for years and sometimes I still struggle to get into the vibe of a record if I approach it with certain preconceptions. There are definitely things being said in the lyrics on here, but what makes it so enjoyable to me is really just how it sounds. Freddie Gibbs’ voice is like a rack of ribs and madlib’s production is some sweet bbq sauce. He could be dropping poop bars every other track and I wouldn’t even mind bc it feels so good to just dig yourself into the beat and feel the music.
Great analogy here
Your breakdown of capitalism in America after listening to Broken is what this album, and by extension gangsta rap as a genre is ALL about. The gun talk, the drug talk, the sex and drugs and the flexing is a facade, it is all to entertain you, to get the true meaning behind that type of music is to read between the lines. I love how you actually understood that during your first bloody listen that is amazing. Sometimes a gangsta rapper like Freddie will make a track more obvious like Broken, but by sacrificing that subtlety he usually adds layers and stories on top so it doesn't feel dumbed down. That's what he did with Broken, with the story about his father, and how they both were caught in this system, the father chose to not be a slave and work his ass off to just break even (since there's no progress there in your current "class") by selling drugs as a crooked cop, and the fact that the station of Gary was cooperating with him, putting the drugs that they got from catching drug dealers back on the street by selling them and inflating the prices, to control the market only solidifies the corruption of the said system. While the son, because of youthful pride, arrogance, ego and underneath it all, just insecurity and feeling treated like shit, chose the route of a drug dealer. The route of being your own boss, making your own money and making a lot of it. Of course, that lifestyle is also not without it's downsides, he lost friends, family members, he had to kill or be killed, become a cold hearted monster to survive the game. Just an excellent depiction of that whole situation and the desperation of it. Just to add to all of this: when Freddie was making this album, he was still heavily into the drug game, selling a ton since Jeezy fucked him over with the label bullshit, and Freddie couldnt earn for living off of music. He was lucky his best friend and manager could pull the strings to get to Madlib, and Madlib liked Freddie so that's how we got Pinata. This album is what made Freddie's transition into a full time rapper, because it earned him enough money to justify leaving the drug game behind. Now Freddie is a millionaire, was nominated for a grammy recently, and is living his best life!
Something I'm noticing while doing additional listens is how foreboding he seems to sound. He describes that street life in such a matter-of-fact way that it makes it all seem incredibly real (which it is). Guys like Tupac and Biggie told the stories well also, but with all the bravado and gusto on top of it, they feel more like a movie than reality. Freddie doesn't tell his story that way and yet he's dripping in that street life, and it comes as off someone who doesn't have to prove what he's saying because it's absolutely real. I honestly think he's the first guy to make me feel uncomfortable while telling his story, because there's no question in my mind that he's telling the truth. And that truth is pretty damned dark.
@@bobthepoppop Fully agreed. Freddies authenticity is very much felt in his music, and his charisma only helps that. His deep baritone voice, his as you said nonchalantness when talking about these things truly does make it sound like reality, and thats why to me while his lyrics are not as complex as say Kendrick or Jay Z, he still makes you think a lot. He can paint vivid pictures of that lifestyle with not a lot of fluff, and to me what he excels the most at is the balance of the hard gangsta shit, cold truth and the humane underneath it all.
Other rappers that do this imo, right now, would be Benny The Butcher and Pusha T. Freddie Gibbs fucks heavily with both and they have done collabs. Benny The Butcher is the rapper that has the most infectious confidence on the mic, whenever I listen to his verse his delivery and voice makes him sound so fucking confident it is insane. Highly recommend him if you ever feel like getting into more of this street/gangsta rap stuff with amazing production. Tana Talk 3 is one of my favorite gangsta rap albums and all of the production is done by The Alchemist, one of the best hiphop producers of all time, from the same "school" of sampling as Madlib and Dilla, and Daringer whos also phenomenal. Cheers mate, amazing content and im so thabkful for the algorithm that pushed your videos on me, have so much to catch up on!
Top ten hip hop album in my opinion, glad you're reacting. Are you planning on doing Aquemini by Outkast any time soon?
Aquemini is a classic!
@pitko where u placing The Gat
Really late but he said he was gonna do southerplayalistic first so he's most likely will do aquemini eventually
Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition is a trip of an album. Feel like you might enjoy that one
The bass on shitsville gets me every time
That shit moves me so fucking hard
Great album! Hyped for your reaction🔥
So excited! I love that I found your channel Bob! Freddie Gibbs is fantastic and his collaboration album with Curren$y and The Alchemist "Fetti" is absolutely amazing.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the more abstract underground scene: Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle (think you’d really enjoy), Billy Woods solo stuff, RAP Ferreira, and Quelle Chris.
Know you have lots to go through but these would be neat to see eventually. Their writing is a little more dense and expressive which I know you would appreciate when analyzing
He absolutely has to do Haram by Armand Hammer, and BRASS by Moor Mother and billy woods. Also Shrines by Armand Hammer.
Pink Siifu’s GUMBO’! album too and Moor Mother’s Black Encyclopedia. Slauson Malone’s A Quiet Farwell. Etc
Woods would blow him away
I think maybe some rap songs or history will absolve me would be great to introduce him to this underground scene
YES! Haram by Armand hammer or Hiding Places by billy woods would be a perfect introduction into abstract hip hop.
Boldy James and Sterling Toles too.
Some Run The Jewels or some Aseop Rock.
Great reaction! I remember when this album dropped it was so refreshing in the larger scale of hip hop at the time. Just pure unfiltered rap over amazing madlib beats. Glad you enjoyed the earl feature I think doris by him would be an interesting reaction
One of my favourite albums of all time. It took me ages to finally let "Real" play in full. The first minute of the song always put me off, then one day I let it play and when the beat switch came in it immediately became my favourite track. I'm still only half way through the video so I don't know if you figure it out eventually, but the diss is about Jeezy who was featured on Kanye's "Amazing" from 808's and Heartbreaks. He's the guy with the gravelly voice.
Earl Sweatshirt is a great artist as well. His albums Some Rap Songs and Doris are some of my favorite all time.
His lines are hard to parse through which makes listening to him even better imo
I'm sure he'll love Earl for the sheer potential of analysis of his lyrics. I Don't Like Shit I Don't Go Outside is by far my favourite release of his (especially paired with the Solace EP)
some rap songs is a generational hip hop album. my third favorite album ever
Earl is not too far off... gonna start with Doris most likely
@@bobthepoppop Yessir! I'm excited
This man is gonna love Danny Brown. Ab-Soul too especially Control System.
Also the Domo translation had me in tears. Dude’s super underrated too. He came up with Odd Future, a hip hop collective that featured Tyler the Creator, Earl, Frank Ocean, among other super talented artists.
XXX is a must 🤣
Casey Veggies too
Other than Tyler those others can't compare
@@realdeal8303you're on crack my friend
What you said about the album being a slow start was so true! I first listened to this album back in 2014 but brushed it off cause it wasn't really clicking with me. I only started relistening to the album after having my spotify on shuffle and it landing on Lakers. Then the album started to slowly become one of my favourites
Madlib has the greatest discography in Hip Hop. Shades of Blue is amazing
FLYGOOOOD
Madlibs production in this album mirrors a 70s Blaxpoitation film which captures the essence of Gary, Indiana so well. The sampled skits and the musical samples in general wouldn’t work for most big city NYC or LA rap, or even any other Madlib project. But it’s perfect for Freddie Gibbs - the former robber and drug dealer from Scary Gary Indiana.
I actually went to the same high school with Domo genesis!!!!! He was part of Odd Future!
this album has some of my favorite beats ever. there all so good
Great seeing the variation of rap albums you’re reacting too
Loved your reaction, Bob! You hit the nail on the head with a lot of the observations you made, like the themes of family and the music industry.
Piñata is a top 2 record for me. It was one of the first albums I listened to, in full, all the way through from beginning to end. Madlib kills it with the production on every single track- he hits you with the soul and keeps you there, and the blaxploitation snippets in between tracks on top of the beats create a distinct atmosphere.
I understand what you mean with the slow start; the relatively simple intro and Scarface don't have a ton of depth. Scarface is one of my favorite tracks on the album- if you've never heard Gibbs before, he's going to tell you loud and clear what Piñata is about- cocaine, the life of crime, and coming to a realization about the situation many young black men from impoverished cities (such as Gary, Indiana) find themselves in. These tracks set the tone for the album perfectly- ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE.
Deeper proves that Gibbs is able to compel the listener- that beat encapsulates the pain and confusion he feels about the situation with the girl he raps about, in my opinion.
High and Harold's have some of my favorite beats on the entire record. High dives into those themes of family struggles, sex, and drug use, but cleverly disguises itself as a fun psych trip. I can't think of a better fit than Danny Brown, either. Harold's serves as a nostalgic, warm embrace of some of the positive sides of Freddie's situation in his younger years.
Bomb has some of the best flows, and that sinister beat serves the song, just like you said. The rhyme schemes, wordplay, and pacing make the track always a captivating listen.
Shitsville and Thuggin' come with killer beats, tight flows, and have an amazing energy that is unique to them across the entire album.
Real and Uno switch it up. They're aggressive, targeted, and focused. On Real specifically, on top of the amazing beat switch I feel like you REALLY hear how pissed Freddie is on the whole matter. I agree with the feeling being beyond that of a diss track. It's something much heavier than that.
Robes and Broken shift again, with more introspection and focus on the moral dilemmas Gibbs, Scarface, Domo, and Earl all face about various aspects of their lives and careers- drugs dealing and use, outside pressure, and the desire to satisfy oneself.
On top of clever names, Lakers and Knicks bring more of that warm, nostalgic vibe. Like you said, Lakers makes you feel for a place you maybe hate or have never even been to, which is quite an accomplishment to me. Knicks hits you with an emotional, captivating loop, where Freddie does his thing and looks back on things he maybe did right, things he maybe did wrong, his accomplishments, his regrets. It makes the track very compelling to me.
Shame has perhaps my favorite sample on the record, and BJ's chorus is just immaculate. Watts, being the only track without rapping, is going to stand out inherently, but Freddie keeping that voicemail on the record to humble himself and remember what he came from shows his human side, which makes for a more compelling record overall.
The title track is one of the best posse tracks I have ever heard, plain and simple. Every feature as well as Gibbs himself plays their part perfectly, and like you said, hearing a bunch of emcees bring their own flavor to the same (amazing) beat is special.
Long ass comment, I know, but I've been looking forward to this reaction and seeing your enjoyment made me want to gush about my love for the album. I'm glad you liked Danny Brown's feature specifically. Like other people have said, Atrocity Exhibition is an amazing album, so I would love to see what you think of it in the future. Same for Donuts, it's one of the best instrumental hip hop albums I've ever heard. Looking forward to your reactions in the future!!
I love reading long comments like these :)
People gushing over their favorite albums is what makes this experience so great 🤘
Thanks gor doing this, Gibbs is so underrated. Been listening to him since 09.
YESSSS. Absolutely my favorite album ever made. I've listened to the album all the way thru more times than any one song ever.
I don’t know if you caught it but Real (35:55) is an acronym, Remember Everybody Aint Loyal = R.E.A.L.
I spammed this recommendation for so long to him, Im so happy he actually listened to it.
That Lenny White sample on « Robes ».
Everybody need to listen to his album « Big City ».
I didn’t love the sound at first but it’s really something you gotta get. When you do it genuinely sounds amazing
Freddie Gibbs did an outstanding job at keeping up the level with these mind blowing beats, just a combination that will never be paired again I think
One thing you also want to keep in mind is madlib made all the beats and gave them to Freddie, who had to craft his verses to fit onto them. The fact the album came out sounding as good as it does shows how much of a top tier MC Gibbs really is. Best album to come out in the last 10 years besides GKMC imo
Freddie did a great job layering onto of what Madlib did
Jesus im excited for this. Got a feeling Poppop is gonna have a lot of respect for the beats here.
Bob I noticed you switched to tidal for your reviews I also just switched to tidal and am wondering how you like it. I think the main benefits are paying artists more better sound quality and more songs. Glad you made the switch too!
I prefer Tidal since they pay the artists more. I also noticed that the app works better on my phone/car (my car screen stopped updating track info with Spotify). And I feel like Tidal does a slightly better job at recommending new music/suggestions for playlists
I FEEL like the bars might have flewn over ur head? Cuz lyrically this album is top notch. Just that “ leave they thoughts on my shoestring” bar was prolly the coldest shit ever said.
It did go over my head to some degree. I noticed today that Freddie has a somewhat monotone voice in his delivery, and that makes it seem like his verses are more simple than they actually are. Where Biggie and Tupac would have inflections to bring emphasis, Freddie is a little more flat (not bad, just an observation).
@@bobthepoppop funny you say that because ive heard in recent years that people have compared freddies low delivery to that of pac but i also agree with what your saying; i think he's like a balance between low and monotone and a slightly animated
@@bobthepoppop Freddie has been expressive than ever I feel like
High, Shame, and the title track are my favorites from this album. The album is amazing overall, but these I feel like I enjoyed the most
it's funny you mentioned Michael Jackson because Freddie Gibbs has a hilarious animated video about when MJ visited Gary. The Jackson family is actually from Gary as well.
Mike ain’t dead
Can't remember where i read it but Madlib served to showcase Freddie's ability on Piñata, whereas Bandana it was more of a 50/50 split between experimental madlib excellence & freddie's ability to bar out on challenging beats (something danny brown is also regarded for), so fingers crosses on the 3rd MadGibbs album Montana, we'll really see some truly crazy beats
Harold’s is one of my favorite songs ever, from the beat, to the hook. Just a great song.
props for analyzing and pondering the lyrics - literally no one does that 🫡
appreciate the vid my guy 🙏🏿
ATROCITY EXHIBITION BY DANNY BROWN. trust me it’s one of the best albums i’ve ever heard and has some deeper meanings. one of the best albums of the 2010’s
YESSS
Glad you enjoyed the production and some of the features--danny brown i would reccomend first out of that list. Atrocity Exhibition is a groundbreaking masterpiece I was blown away by the production and how he links it to the..theme of the album. +Bump for A.E.
The second verse of Uno has been stuck in my head for years.
Came here after your Madvillainy video, with a notion that you should listen more to what Madlib does - and hearing this video starts with good nod and a sentence "i like Madlib" make me happy and smile. Thank you.
Yes, REAL is a DEEP ass disstrack against Jeezy, him and Freddie Gibbs have a past to say the least. But yeah, you can say manifesto for this song specifically though, because Freddie....has never stopped talking shit about him, you even get a sly diss on Bandana if you can catch it where it is. I'm at your reaction to Real so far, glad you switched headspaces on how to listen to this album, all the compliments about the vocals being on par with the beat is 100% Freddie Gibbs versatility with his lyrics and bars.
Classic album I know every word to every song I’ve listened to this album so much. You can’t go wrong with Freddie Gibbs bro. He has so many great albums. This one, shadow of a doubt, bandanna,Alfredo, you only live twice, . Wonderful albums. He’s a great lyricist he can give you that grimy street , and also be very introspection at times. And Freddie is really bout that street life to. He’s actually a Vice Lord which is a street gang. And looking at how you view music shadow of a doubt or you only live twice you’ll enjoy those much more. More substance in the lyrics.
if you didn’t catch the “yellow tape and white sheets” line, the “yellow tape” refers to a crime scene at a murder, and if i’m not mistaken the “white sheets” refer to the white sheets that are a draped over a corpse at a funeral
Aquemini - Outkast album from 1996 that still sounds new it's really creative and meaningful music you would like it
I’m major rap fan who know is getting in all kinds of different music now and back in 2011 when I first heard the first song I knew it’s was going to be an amazing album!
You’re absolutely right about his use of his voice as instrument of sound. This is an album you put on in the car and just vibe all the way through. No need to look for a narrative that isn’t there, just enjoy the sound.
He'll enjoy Yeat if he takes that approach
One of the best albums of the last 10 years in the hip hop scene… Freddie is one of the few keepin hip hop alive for us from the 90s
One of the best hiphop albums of all time. Easily.
Amazing album you will love it more after you listen to it more and more and more and more
mannnnnnnnn I'm already excited for u to react to the NEXT Freddie Gibbs/Madlib album (Bandana)
Danny and Freddie are my two favourite hip hop artists so I'm glad you seemed to like "high". Looking forward to your Danny reactions when you get around to it
Brought me back in with this one bob. Pinata is great. Diving in
That line on Piñata can be traced back to Jay-Z on the Blueprint (an album u should definitely do) “You not feelin me? Fine. It costs you nothin, pay me no mind”
Piñata is the duo doing their thing over each other’s forte. Bandana is them locked in and employing a LOT of synergy
One way to really appreciate Freddie's lyrics is to just appreciate the world play. And he has great mic presence and voice.
Skinny Suge and Homesick are also some serious personal songs from Gibbs that I think you’ll definitely like
Good afternoon bob! I highly recommend Mac Miller, he was on the track Piñata (imo its his best feature). Mac is one of the most versatile rappers of all time. He had great flows, great lyricism, amazing production (he even helped produce a lot of his projects) & vibes. Each of his projects besides BSP is really good to amazing, Mac does an amazing job of building an amazing atmosphere and theme for each of his albums and its always so well done.
Don't feel bad about not liking a specific album, artist, or sound! Even though it seems like you settled into it a little. Rap is as diverse a genre as anything else and has subgenres within. Everything isn't for everyone! My recommendation based upon what you've reviewed so far is check out Saba - Care for Me. Sonically and lyrically I think it's up your alley.
This has to be one of my favorite albums that grew on me
As A Die Hard Metalhead since birth, This album was definitely the one to suck me into the world of hip hop. Freddie Gibbs today is still a huge inspiration for me 🤘
I love this album and had this on repeat for a long time, they were was such an unlikely pair when they first debuted but they quickly became a fav to listen to, their follow up, "Bandana" is also of top quality, I hope you can get to that soon! I recommend you dive deeper in to Madlib's catalog, he has such a diverse range, from hip hop to soul and down to progressive rock/jazz fusion, he along with j dilla/Pete Rock/DJ Premiere are some of the greatest producers of hip hop (Kanye who?! ?😅 ).
I throw in a vote for that J Dilla "Donuts" Reaction! I hope you can react to the follow up freddie gibbs album as well!
Man i listened to this album in 2014 and felt the same way listening to Robes for the first time. Earl is still that dude all these years later.
Damn i wish i could hear this record again for the first time.
You absolutely need to listen to Freddie’s tiny desk performance 🙌🏾 it’s one of my favorites of all time 🔥
Will do!
1:05:27 This is my favorite beat on the album. Geekin over the chopped sample.
Yeah, great beat
Hey Bob, love your content! You might want to give Standing on the Corner's Red Burns a listen. Really awesome piece of collage/abstract hip-hop that's got a bit of a cult following. Great LP. All the best mate.
An album that gets better with each listen, also an album where my favorite songs change
I completely forgot about this album, glad you’re reacting to it
HI BOB, LOVE YOU! 🤝
one album i didn't see getting recommended enough is betteroffdead by flatbush zombies, it's not on streaming services so you'll have to listen to it on youtube but it's absolutely worth it, one of the members is meechy darko who had the second to last verse on pinata so if you liked it you will like that album too, they have really cartoony voices, like you said that biggie sometimes borders on being metal they do even more so 'cause of meechy's grimy voice and fuck everything attitude, there are also some great conscious tracks and lyrics laced with amazing flows as that's something you learned to appreciate now, hope you'll check them out
I think its likely the album will grow on you through the week! But its okay if not. And i enjoy him the same way of treating his voice more like an instrument serving the song. Hes a GREAT rapper, often considered one of the best of the last ten years and especially right now, i think he’s gotten even better. But he usually doesnt get too deep or say things too profound, just has a lot of skill at rapping.
I love this album now, but it didnt hit me years ago. I got into him with his and Madlib’s followup collab album Bandana in 2019 which i loved. To me, Freddie Gibbs is a perfect workout artist, and hes great to throw on any time and as background music even though hes great for attentive listening too.
Uno is my favorite track too because of that production, and also the track where BJ The Chicago Kid (you knew him from kush and corinthians) is singing and you thought its a sample and yeah he does sound like a sample.
One of my favorite Freddie things is a video where hes freestyling while holding his daughter, and its a great freestyle.
Bandana ive listened to a lot more since i was there when it came out, so thats my favorite but love this one too.
Excited for the March reactions and hoping for Clipping, Weeknd, Wu Tang, Backxwash, Moor Mother, Armand Hammer, Injury Reserve, Little Simz etc reactions sometime fairly soon
Hes always posting videos with his kids and he has a comedic online presence and theres currently an ongoing joke where any bald person is Freddie Gibbs, because i guess hes seen as the standard bald looking guy, idk
Raekwon is a member of Wu Tang. Though the features wont give any idea at all of whats coming on 36 chambers, its nice that youre hearing so many first introductions of Wu Tang lately, with Raekwon and the member RZA both being featured on MBDTF that youre getting to soon, too.
I have a lot of fun revisiting albums when youre about to react to them, and in this case, i never heard it in full until preparing for your reaction (like i said, ive loved their followup Bandana for years). Love it, like a lot of people do since it got a lot of acclaim. The first tracks were as great as all the rest to me, i think you just were thrown off or not in the mindstate. And i think both albums have great replay value
Also yes, Donuts is a musthear classic for anyone listening to hip hop, and music in general. It also came out just a couple days before he died (RIP) but i didnt realize it was that close until recently.
And the track Real is aimed at Young Jeezy who you heard featured on Kanye’s Amazing
How u gon call his son, his daughter😂😂😂. If ur talm bout the la leakers freestyle, then the baby hes holding is his son.
@@josechamu240 my bad, i didnt remember which it was 😂😂 its been a while
I rediscover this album the more i listen to It and the First times didn't hit as expected maybe because at that time my musical taste wasn't Wide as Is nowadays, sound Wise . The voice and the delivery of Freddie gibbs Is nearly unmatchable , close to Rakim or on the same level
Can't go wrong with this album, always slaps
Drug talk is complex, yet so simple. Goofy, yet serious at the same time. Maybe most of the lyrics went over your head. It’s elite hip hop nonetheless. I recommend listening to more of Freddie and Griselda and rappers of this nature.
Alfredo was grammy nominated, check it out
Love the reaction. PLEASE react to Bandana I think it’s Freddie’s best album and my absolute favorite of any genre from the last decade.
I was waiting for this, i Hope you enjoy it
I’m so happy you did thisssss
This is in my top 5 rap albums. The production is top tier and Gibbs delivers line after line. The part of the track list where it’s Thuggin, Real, Uno, Robes, Broken is where the album shines.
please listen to atrocity exhibition by danny brown, a beautiful album in the darkest way possible. Danny’s lyricism and the way he portrays addiction in beautifully strung flows is so intriguing to listen to. very much recommend!
I think this album and Freddie specifically as a rapper sort of derive from a sub-genre of rap that takes a few listens to fully become engulfed in. Im glad you really got into it later in the album. Freddie embodies the best of what a new age gangsta rapper has to offer! Im sure you could observe that his lyrics and content are extremely unapologetic, often funny, dark, brutally honest, nostalgic, and so much more all at once. While not particularly a storyteller through and through, one of his best qualities to me is his ability to paint entire picture in a few bars or less. Never trying to teach or lecture any real point, it generates this sense of rawness that really fills me with a level of heart that so many don't. Very much hints of Pusha T and 50 cent all the way back to mobb deep and biggie too. Im glad you came around a bit to it! this is probably my album of the previous decade so im biased but it is so fun seeing someone have a new experience wit it!!! (Broken is my favorite too btw)
Loved the reaction! I saw your interest in Earl and I would really recommend checking out some of his work like “Some rap songs”
I feel like Atrocity Exhibition and Some Rap Songs would be really interesting reactions. great video!
Danny Brown - XXX
Earl - I don’t like shit I don’t go outside
Aesop - spirit world field guide
You’d enjoy all of these my guy
So as I was watching I was writing notes and what I interpreted from the album and how it might help you. I’m wrote notes on almost every track so this might be the longest comment u ever had. (Sorry lmao) some of the notes could also just be seen more as an agreement 2
Deeper- Glad u picked up on the story! I love the story! The more u listen to more it’s kinda sad in a way with the beat and how Freddie constantly says how that cut him deep. Recommend the music video kinda make the story better, at least for me.
Harolds- song paying homage to his favorite chicken spot growing up. Talks about how he would live this hard/G life but then go to this place and what it meant to him. That’s y the beat is pretty catchy/upbeat/happy but the chorus is almost dark in a way.
Shitsville- the main message I get is not to judge people who live the hard life because if u grew up in the same area/ around that environment you would be doing the same. That’s y the beat almost feels anxious in a way cuz of what comes with that life but that feeling is always there and necessary. He also talks about systemic racism a bit like with the lines “white devil society”. Then towards the end(I think) he makes some disses, which what I get is just cuz u not a gangster doesn’t mean ur a bad person.
Thuggin- will Freddie put a belt on when he’s 40 and totally change? (Just a stupid joke in reference to the line) but the song is about how u can move away from the streets but the streets can’t move away from you. Arizona line could also be about why r u so focused on rap music and these small acts of violence when theirs bigger problems and biggest systems to change. Also he uses the line living off borrowed time which could be a reference to madvillian cuz that’s the first line DOOM says in accordion.
Real- track doesn’t really stick with me. But a lot of people who love this album love this track. If u want more context I was scrolling through the comments and one by morion tax explains it.
Uno-track doesn’t have a lot to analyze but I love it! When I listen I imagine a very dynamic gun fight scene in a movie (maybe like matrix when the bullet is in slow mo) song makes u feel badass. One thing u could maybe analyze tho is that he calls out rappers that talk about this hard life but don’t actually live it. Freddie doesn’t care about rewards or critics he just cares about makin real good hip hop music.
Robes- Song talks about their struggles, how we need struggle to shine, supporters r important and don’t care what others think. Also shown through the sample. U could take this in a sad way but I think that he was going for a happy way about this topic.
Broken- Also my favorite track! I have ALOT to say. The main message I got from this song is that money is evil no matter how rich or poor u r. Talking about how living the gang life constantly is terrible, u might need it but it “breaks” you. Also talks about how working minimum wage at a shitty/minimum wage job is a terrible way to get by too. So you choose which one. In every verse theirs a lot to dig into. The line that stuck with me the most is Scarface’s- A million a day is for minimum wage work a ***** like a slave till they put him in his grave. Talking about how u can waist ur life on minimums wage doing a shit job living paycheck to paycheck until u die or how living off drug dealing u might end up dead or how even with a million dollars a day u you’ll still want more. Another line that stuck with me is Freddie’s line- “money rule the world but when u did that shits irrelevant” so in the end all these worries and corrupt living doesn’t really matter cuz money isn’t life.
Lakers and knicks- just good chill vibe songs!
Shame- another favorite track of mine! song about how u shouldn’t be shameful of meaningless sex for both him and the women.Also how he kinda uses it to cope cuz he had to many heart breaks and other problems. That’s also why he talks about doing drugs with these women as another way of coping. At face value u don’t get this and just see that he’s tryna be a pimp. Ultimately the song is about not feeling ashamed about ur coping mechanisms.
Watts- I’m pretty sure (could be wrong) this is audio of his uncle who died from a crack OD I could be wrong tho. Kinda sad
Piñata- didn’t really dive deep in the lyrics but it’s just fukin BARS!! for the rapper meechy darko his in a group called Flatbush zombies and I highly recommend the album betteroffdead. (It’s only on SoundCloud tho but it’s free) Flatbush zombies (FBZ) also kinda has some rock elements and aggression which u might like.
Glad that u ended up liking this album towards the end! On my first 2or 3 listens I mainly listened to sound as a whole instead of analyzing so I get y it took u a while if I did what u did it probably would for me 2. If u want more Freddie Gibbs albums I recommend bandanna which is also with mad lib. Or the collab albums he did with another sample like producer, the alchemist. Thanks you so much! I love what ur doing with your channel and how ur bringing many music listeners together. Again sorry for this long ass essay. (My English teacher probably mad cuz I don’t do my work lol but I could write all this about my fav album instead of some book I don’t care about) again this is what I got from this album so it might not be completely correct. anyways have a great day for whenever u read this!
Dude, you got into it! This is amazing!
@@bobthepoppop thank you!!! Sorry for making u read my essay lmao
You should check out Freddie Gibbs tiny desk concert, he's in it with madlib,you can really see how much Freddie respects him in it
Took me years of flirting with this album for it to finally click. Always loved Madlib's production so I trusted that it would grow on me one day but it always just sounded like a blur. It finally clicked on a long Midwest drive and man am I glad it did.
I'd say their next album together, Bandana, has more of an emotional and conceptual hook to it and Freddie does a little bit less of that constant badadadadada flow so I look forward to seeing your reaction on that!
Hey! Will you be doing any Earl Sweatshirt ? He was part of Frank and Tylers group Odd Future. He’s the closest thing to poetry in rap. Highly recommend starting with Solace, then doing Some Rap songs
Didn’t listen to this when it first came out but bandana was in heavy rotation all summer 19 when it first came out