Pinata

Ever since Madvillainy Madlib has had my attention as a producer. His sound is so in your face with its samples and bass-heavy drums. I can only describe it as beautiful hip-hop. His production on Pinata is no different. Every song has a unique sound to it yet the album flows seamlessly. You'll hear a wide range of sounds, tempos, and sample variations with this album which is a good thing. As far as production, this album has got to be my favorite since Kanye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It's really that good.I feel Freddie Gibbs is underrated as far as MCs go. He has been putting put quality underground gangsta rap music for years now but has still remained under the radar for the most part. Pinata is the strongest he has been lyrically on any project. He keeps topics diverse and not solely relating to gangster qualities (although there is still plenty of that intact). His storytelling is above par. His flow can get repetitive at times but infectious nevertheless.Madlib and Freddie Gibbs proved themselves to be a partnership capable of greatness. This is a fantastic album with amazing production AND MCing. This might be an album that stays in constant rotation for a long time.

I consider this a 5-star album for all sorts of reasons. Most importantly, I can listen to this entire album without skipping a single track. Each and every track is good in its own way, and that's hard to find in a lot of hip-hop albums these days. But Gibbs & Madlib don't drop any filler tracks, boring beats, or lame verses here- it's all quality through and through. Madlib's production is on point as usual, using interesting samples and smooth transitions. Gibbs is consistent on every track, and his style, reminiscent of old-school gangsta rap, is refreshing to say the least.The pair aren't working alone, either, because there's a whole lot of guests in this party. The features range from Danny Brown (who did a great collab with Freddie on "The Return" off Danny's album "Old"), to Odd Future members Domo and Earl (I was surprised Gibbs had these guys, it's really cool). Mad respect to everybody who was involved with creating this music, you guys really did a number here.If you are even remotely interested in hip-hop, buy this album. It's definitely one of my favorites in recent memory, and surely an album I will continue playing for quite some time.

I've never really listened to Freddie Gibbs much, I primarily got interested in this album because I am a big fan of Madlib's production. I was impressed with both the quality of Gibbs and Madlib on this album, Gibbs flow and Madlib's beats were on point every track, plus there were some nice guest features from Danny Brown, Reakwon, Scarface, Earl Sweatshirt, and others. I was surprised with how well Gibbs sounded over Madlib's soulful and jazzy instrumentals instead of his usually hard hitting and darker trap beats. Gibbs gangster vibe blended incredibly well with these soulful beats and the sampled dialogue from various Blaxploitation films. This is easily the best Freddie Gibbs project I've heard and another great addition to Madlib's already impressive catalogue. This is an incredible album, I've listened to this almost everyday since I got it. I strongly believe that this album will last a long time and only get better with age.

I love cds and music so you should buy this

If you've heard Freddie Gibbs at some point over the past five or so years you've followed him. You listened to his to his projects. You were disappointed when he signed with CTE. But ESGN didn't disappoint. This feels like Gibbs' "official" debut. Madlib encompasses something along the lines of "grunge soul" and Gibbs swims along each beat like they were crafted after he laid his vocals. Nothing feels out of place. You'll listen to some songs over again just to try and pick up on the intricacy of what Madlib's put together and inadvertently catch another line Gibbs laid. This is a genuinely enjoyable, masterfully mixed, amazing album. It's hard. It's gritty. It sounds like early-mid nineties hip hop re-cut for 2014. Gibbs' pinnacle to date.