Released on July 25, hip-hop artist Freddie Gibbs and producer The Alchemist blessed fans with the release of “Alfredo 2.”
Serving as the second edition of their “Alfredo” series, Gibbs’ smooth yet aggressive flow matches perfectly with The Alchemist’s’ soothing production style. The combination accounts for what may be the best artist-producer duo in the current state of the hip-hop game.
Debuting at No. 13 on the Billboards Charts, I believe “Alfredo 2” deserves Album of the Year recognition. This comes at no surprise — to me, at least — because Gibbs is one of the most consistent rappers in the game.
With fantastic past albums such as “Piñata,” “Alfredo” and “Bandana,” his discography is hard to top.
Opening the album, Gibbs started with the track “1995,” which was released one week prior to the release of the LP. Gibbs came through with five minutes of straight rapping across the two-part song. Furthermore, the intro song utilized an electric guitar in the second part, which really made the track pop.
My favorite song on the album, “Ensalada,” — featuring Anderson .Paak — takes the cake. Other songs I was especially fond of include, but are not limited to, “Lavish Habits,” “Skinny Suge II” and “Shangri La.”
“Ensalada” shines amongst the rest due to the balance of Gibbs’ quick and constant flow with Anderson .Paak’s smooth and crisp vocals. Anderson .Paak’s vocals serve as a break and help combat Gibbs’ more constant flow.
In each of these tracks, The Alchemist gets creative, using various samples and instruments you may not typically hear in the current age of rap music. Examples come throughout the entire album, with outros including the voice of a Japanese man over a light tune.
As for the songs I didn’t like, well, there aren’t any. The only criticism that comes to mind is a similar feel among the majority of songs.
There were also three features on the album: Atlanta-based rapper J.I.D., California-based soul artist Anderson .Paak and San Francisco-based rapper Larry June.
With June providing a slow and melodic verse, Anderson .Paak providing crisp vocals and J.I.D. spewing out raps at an accelerated rate, each feature shined in their own unique regard. In terms of my favorite, though, that honor goes to J.I.D.
J.I.D., an artist I have been following closely since his debut album, shined among the rest of the features. While June and Anderson .Paak both executed, J.I.D. ‘s nearly minute-long verse on “Gold Feet” commands all listeners’ attention.
J.I.D. has an uncanny ability to manipulate words at a speed that normally wouldn’t target the listener properly. Needless to say, J.I.D. came through.
Based on the pure quality of Gibbs’ lyrics and flow, as well as The Alchemist’s impressive production style, I can confidently rate “Alfredo 2” a 9 out of 10.
