When enough time has passed to reflect on the past ten years in hip-hop with an analytical and objective lens, it will be truly difficult not to name Freddie Gibbs as one of the best rappers of the 2010s. With a discography lined with acclaimed albums, both solo and collaborative, few can rival Gibbs’ deep and compelling catalog. Evidently, one of his most revered bodies of work happens to turn seven today, as the Madlib-produced Piñata turns the page on another year.
Widely hailed as a modern classic (though modern is becoming increasingly inaccurate), Gibbs’ Piñata proved that mafioso rap would forever remain a beloved subgenre. As such, it feels appropriate that he enlisted one of the greatest lyricists to ever do it, master of criminology Raekwon, on “Bomb.” Feature two verses from Gibbs and one from The Chef, the track finds both parties spitting vivid street bars as equals. “The evasive black American gangster, sinister corner hugger,” spits Gibbs, in a highlight stanza. “Cuz seeing this ni*ga shine been annoying me like a muthafucka / This busta owe me, now he act like he don’t know me / Forty fo’ my closest homie, kill cockroaches like Tony.”
We’d like to wish a happy anniversary to Freddie Gibbs, Madlib, and all of the emcees who helped elevate Piñata into one of the most immersive and visceral rap albums of the past ten years.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
The evasive black American gangster, sinister corner hugger
Cuz seeing this ni*ga shine been annoying me like a muthafucka
This busta owe me, now he act like he don’t know me
Forty fo’ my closest homie, kill cockroaches like Tony