welcome to this segment. its kd and ill be reviewing albums weekly or monthly or never. i don't know, guess well have to see. my main concerns lay with the world of modern hip hop, pop, alternative, and a bunch of other random shit. lets start!
today's album is gonna be Alfredo by friddie Gibbs and the alchemist. ok, so Freddie Gibbs has had a bunch of fire ass albums in the past, like piñata and bandana. but also, its not just all his work, he has some legendary producers working with him. Freddie Gibbs is in his forties, so he clearly has a shit ton of experience, and the alchemist is a relatively up coming producer. lets dive into this album.
album cover is cool. alfredo is a restaurant so its a tie to his background. the puppeteering indicates his rise to power now. he can do whatever he wants and shit like that. I think the brown background is a symbol of the beats. simple, mellow, easy, relaxed. 95%
-1985
cool to start this with an interlude of a boom box that carries on to a be a beat. so this is a mediocre opening to this album but it makes sense. Freddie Gibbs is talking about gang actives and and drugs and women. typical. execution is unique tho. so the title track has this mellow back music that's shattered by this metal/rock boisterous guitar (that pretty much dictates the beat). while repetitive, the beat is rather energetic af. his flow on it is has this constant change of rhythm which is kinda muffled, giving a cool-radio overall feel to the title track. his tie back to Michael Jordan is interesting. in a tie to the year 1985, a crucial aspect of Jordan's career. moreover, we're getting these movie interludes that will carry on for the album. dope shit. 75%
-god is perfect
the beat is dizzy as shit. I really like the beat. Freddie floats on it with a unique beat that's consisting of a repeating piano progression and a falling saxophone. cool. his flow has this six couplet feel to it that shows up occasionally. lyrics are about going to Mecca (since he's muslim) and pleasing god. he's kinda confessing to gang shit and stuff like that, so its almostt a crucial point of his career where he's reflecting on all his wrong doings. mellow backdrop at the end. jazzy. maybe he's its representative of a introspective moment? idk. I like this. 78%
-scottie beam
this is ok. he's taking the hook from a famous jazz song but putting his twist on it. super cool idea. in a time with involving the George floyd and black lives matter movement, its cool to see him give his own thoughts. he's talking about getting pulled over at one point. police being abusive. its sad that this is recognizable. dreams are oppressed in this song. the beat meanwhile is this laid back and tingly feel to it. mainly vibraphones and high notes on the piano. rick ross verse is a little weak tho. not really adhering to the topic. mentions Kobe Bryant? fucking bitches? not really sure lol how this aligns with the overall lyrical content. I mean Freddie diverges but rick ross wasn't briefed at all. 63%
-look at me
fire ass song!! the alchemist takes a pivotal point in a song and expands on it so that Freddie Gibbs raps over it. has this cool ass flow for a hook that keeps recycling words and flows with no real set time. almost like his little ballad in here. and there's an echoy sound to the song that really emphasizes the tiredness and beauty of the beat. interesting choice to add the very deep voice that repeats Gibbs words... I like it tho. the drums are almost non existent. I like the slow sound overall. lyrics are about him making it out of his childhood and neighborhood. "look at me" showing how different he is now. almost as if he's coming back to a high school and bragging about all these things. last thing, the hook is super cool. repeating these lines in a way that doesn't exactly lines up is super pleasing. I know I already said it but holy shit. the interlude at the end introduces a shift musically and lyrically. ending point is about shit and blood and we dive into another song. this is a crucial aspect of the album. 90%
-frank Lucas
hm. this one might either be really important or not really. I think it is tho lol. ok so basically, frank Lucas is a famous drug trafficker. so this is about Freddie's experience selling drugs and I think the beat accurately reflects that. rough electric back sound that keeps resetting. keeps me on edge, like Freddie in the drug shit. Freddie sounds rough as shit. police, drug abuse, drug production, and drug distribution. he indicates that this is a part of his past tho so it makes sense its on this. reflective song. the benny feature makes sense (unlike rick ross one lmao). so benny brings it on about leaving school to pursue this gang shit. the streets ultimately shaped these two people. "war stories" but its really just drug punchlines and short ideas. I like it tho. its an interesting, short glimpse of their complicated life. the end shifts into this guitar solo that introduces the next song. its really interesting the way these songs shift. 68%
-something to rap about
most popular track I think. beach, peach-fuzz type of back beat. lyrics about making it and living the rich lifestyle. the piano and guitar compliment each other on the beat. the drums, as usual, are laid back af. there's this progression every now and then that gives life to it. the beat really isn't complicated but its a reflection of the fact that their lives isn't either. no real hook. he does a repetitive couple lines like the 93 old one. but essentially this is him defeating life and having financial freedom. cool idea to include Tyler on it!!! unexpected feature between a hard core rapper and someone who just dropped Igor! the guitar shifts up in noice (upper-middle class to upper symbol??). Tyler feature is about living the life. wearing what he'd like. doing actives he likes. hopes to buy a boat. ignoring those who got in his way and dissing them because he made it further. not a big fan of the message but it shows a mentality. Tyler creatively mimics Freddie's rhythms; almost a tip of the hat to an elder rapper. tyler did what he wanted and now he's rich af and fuck anyone who got in his way-basic message of the verse. nice to stretch out at the end. interlude introduces a change at the end that's pretty interesting! civilization speech shifts into baby $hit. 85%
-baby $hit
civilization speech intro. cool muffled trumpet and FIRST INSTANCE OF HEAVY DRUMS! Freddie floats over this and there are really cool sounds incorporated into the layers of the beat. these chimes; alien sounds? (idk what that shit is). the bass is super massive and nice. six tuplet flow makes up the flow. lyrics mainly are around him having to fend for himself really. the outro is really mean! wtf is that shit haha. movie interlude about wanting to sell drugs because he enjoys getting these needy people hooked on drugs and shit. hard worker who made it on his own. snowy beat. is muffling a theme in alchemist production?. 67%
-babies & fools
easy, jazzy ass beat with this saxophone and sampling of a song. record spinning! drums include a ride yay. humming and singing adds melancholy. Freddie is being reminiscent on his past. he fits it in with the "all I need" which really integrates Freddie with the beat. this adds a lens for the listener in the sense that we get to really hear what Freddie's past looked like. Conway fits in on this nostalgic rap. he also lyrically aligns it up so its pretty dope. kinda sad to hear him spit. Conway is disconnected from his family and he openly speaks on it. seems that gang activities have filled his heart instead of his family. really nice ending to this song. the saxophone sounds super dope in the back (and the hidden strings that cut off). 78%
-skinny suge
starting off the beat-its really nice. a guitar solo (throwback to 1985). Freddie saying some incomprehensible shit but its nice. the back drop of echos add an a sense of eeriness to the song. Freddie spits over this beat in a free-rhythm form that hints at his fears of his death. skinny sage is his nickname and he reflects on his drug business and really takes an introspective lens on his business. interlude from some movie about murder and drugs. its almost as if he's saying "yeah I live this shit but it comes with a cost" (like his uncle passing away and his ties to that). the outro is nice. the echos and guitar solo drifts outwards. 69%
-all glass
vibraphone progression to kick off the song with these muffled harsh drums riding with Freddie's voice. braggadocios way to end the album with lyrics about his dangerous self-esteem. giving small hints at these stories of drug shoot-outs. while the rhythm is a bit predictable, the beat isn't. a voice progression takes place in the back that resets everything (emphasized by Freddie stopping the rap). interesting noises in the back (maybe a symbol of his friends and gang members fucking around in the back). this is a bang end to the album. he's spitting on his ego! cool reference to breaking bad's Walter white at the end. these movie references and interludes really tie the album together. 67%
-favorite songs: look at me, something to rap about, and god is perfect.
-album rating: 74%
-closing thoughts: really good album overall. one of my favorites from Freddie. the muffled sampled beats, snowy overall sound, repetitive and unique rhythms Freddie brings, and the reminiscent lyrics are what defines this album for me.
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