Five years ago Atlanta rapper Freddie Gibbs and Oxnard producer Madlib released ‘Piñata‘ and it was low key the album of 2014. Only a handful of people would attest to it, but it was. The duo oft hinted that a follow-up was on the cards, but there appeared to be no rush. Gibbs in particular has been busy, dropping three solo albums since then, as well as beating a bogus sexual assault charge, of which he was acquitted in September 2016.
Anyway, following singles ‘Flat Tummy Tea‘, ‘Bandana‘ and ‘Crime Pays‘, the duo present ‘Bandana.’ It’s an album that delivers everything its predecessor did, and more. What we’ve got is Madlib’s stunningly textured beats [which apparently were all made on an iPhone!?] paired with Gibbs’ tales of his drug dealing past, but this time around there’s a humour to the narrative. Gibbs has allegedly retired from the game to a zebra farm in the midwest but, as the ‘Crime Pays’ video can attest, old habits die hard. Much like ‘Piñata‘, ‘Bandana‘ has all the makings of another cult classic, and will likely prove to be low key the album of 2019 – if you know, you know.
Province 
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