Freddie Gibbs x Alchemist - Alfredo (Discussion Thread)

NormanConnors

NormanConnors

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Shield & Sword said:
This quote here conveys how I feel Alchemist... he's a real chemist with the sonics and arrangements but he gets out of the rappers way. So his stripped down, slow beats are for the rapper to shine, but sometimes it ain't exciting enough for me.

In contrast, Madlib is a whole different animal by himself and sometimes it feels like Gibbs is tryna catch up to HIM. I haven't stopped playing Bandana since day 1. But Gibbs is one of the few rappers I trust to attack these stripped down Al beats.

Going to pour up and sit with this tonight.
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:ehh:
 
NormanConnors

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Trot LaRoc said:
Was Benny's verse THAT nice?:patrice:

Griselda tends to get overrated round these parts
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Def a Dope verse but he didnt out rap Fred, all cats have to do is post the lyrics to both verses, Fred was flowing on that piece so well it was easy to miss his bars:manny:. Benny is on that template vibe to me just like Ross where I see where the verse is heading technically every time, very meat and potatoes type of rapper but that's not always a bad thing.
 
Spades Of Aces

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Sat down listened to this early in the morning out here in Germany. Freddie floated through the the entire album! I just like how laid back the beats were! My only complaint is that is too short!! Lol, I wanted more. But less is more so I’m definitely satisfied with the overall quality of the album. The features on here were great as well as everyone held their own on Al’s beats.

This is right up here with Bandana as it’s my favorite Gibbs album.
 
S

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TheDarceKnight said:
You may not like it more (and I don't either) but Bandana is really streamlined and focused. It's shorter. Less features. Gibbs' flows are more versatile and polished, and Madlib uses a lot more esoteric samples because he really trusts that Gibbs can handle it.

My biggest problem with Bandana (and I usually don't care about this stuff too much) is the mixing is legitimately horrible on certain songs. Like on Cataracts and Education in places it sounds like the vocals were recorded inside a tin can and you can even hear Gibbs' chain swinging around on certain parts in the mix.

Again I like Piñata better, but that's the first time I've seen a smiley like that for anyone saying they like Bandana better.

It’s not an easy answer either way
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Piñata is a fossil of rap history, Bandana is the full realization of that concept. Piñata was a once in a decade paradigm shift. The experimentation, throwing anything at the wall to see what stuck, and seeing damn near everything sticking.. ultra-rare, and definitely not an album that tried to play it safe, down to the packaging.. Bandana took what they learned from this shot in the dark that was Piñata, and fortified it, making Bandana the purest form of that particular style of work. Objectively, Bandana is the better album of the two projects. Y’all who argue it, damn.. I’m open to take your cases.

Subjectively, I still assign the sentimental value to Piñata. When that shyt dropped, life was more vivid. I remember driving to the fukking Best Buy to cop in the winter time, and how the shyt rattled my bones to the core. I felt compelled to buy that album after listening to the bootleg in a way I’d maybe never felt before. My money wasn’t enough to show respects. I felt that album; the story-telling, the vibe, the pockets, the small town feel of Gary on Harold’s, the fact that my favorite track was Shame, when it was Freddie’s least favorite. That alone told me that he was reaching a crowd he was not familiar with. It’s magic in a bottle that no one can predict. Innocent music with unintended consequences.

For anyone coming in fresh and blind to both Piñata and Bandana today, I think 8 out of 10 would say Bandana takes the cake. I don’t give a fukk what anyone picks. I’m only disappointed when those pieces are disrespected.

As far as the mixing goes on Bandana, I felt like it was a risky move that ultimately paid off. They cracked a code in Piñata, and refined and polished it off with Bandana. Where Alfredo’s beats are intentionally reserved, Madlib went the fukk off on Bandana (as did Gibbs), and they attempted to make the battle between beats and raps a virtual tie. I respect and honor the decisions, and it has only piqued my appetite for Montana. They will refine from Bandana. I’m beyond interested to see where they take it from here. With Piñata and Bandana. It was like they landed on the moon, and now with Montana, I feel like they are deciding they suddenly want to go to fukking Mars. I’m okay with failure on their third, honestly. It’s beyond earned. Don’t do it for fanfare, don’t do it for anyone’s expectations. Do it because you love what you’re building, and you’ve got your sights set on the skies.


nightpupil said:
:damn: I just came back from listening to the album and reading the whole thread. Yall people are a gas chamber from old Auschwitz huh????? LOL You people are a cult nerd following mediocre music screaming amen for your life people. LOL!

You people are still impressed by atmospheric guitars??LOL

You people got to be playing yourselves. where were you when people were playing a better version of this shyt back in the day when hip hop was happening. Next thing you see they try to bring back na na na na's. There's no innovation of dope beats, they still stuck with the same content rap wise. Get the fukk out of here. blhahaha
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:ohlawd:
Don’t worry. You’re definitely getting inducted to the Playa Haters’ Ball this year. Master class.
:mjlol:
 
Piff Perkins

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One area Piñata really shines in, that doesn't get touched on enough, is how Freddie lets the beats breath. Multiple tracks are slower rap wise and there's a melody between verse and beat. Lot of tracks like that on Bandana too, which is partially why it sounds so great with a live band (see: NPR concert, Amazon studio show etc).

Alfredo is Freddie murdering damn near every beat. He's not off beat but I sometimes wish he slowed down on some of the shyts to let it breath. Look At Me for instance, which is great but that's one where I immediately felt like Spitta would have found that balance.

Great fukking album regardless. Feels special. This isn't a collection of songs thrown together. Just like the Calvin EP and the Boldy James album, Alch does a great job connecting the songs together with interludes to create a great sequence. You start this on a random track and end up listening to half the album again.
 
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