Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo (2020) Album Review
TRACKLIST
1985: Alfredo kicks off with a banger, with an empowering electric guitar sample and a driving drum loop. Freddie masterfully flows over the instrumental, with his typical coke rap lyrics and mafioso energy. Even tho I love this track, I also feel like it’s the most repetitive beat on the album (8/10)
God Is Perfect: this is one of my favorite songs on Alfredo. The amazing piano-sampling instrumental is hypnotizing, with tight drums and some great flows & bars from Freddie that make the whole track feel like a nonstop rapping marathon. The song wraps up with an amazing psychedelic transition into the next track, with a great vocal sample and warm keys. (9/10)
Scottie Beam (feat. Rick Ross): another flawless track on Alfredo. The beautifully majestic pianos, soothing vocal samples and soft drums make this one of The Alchemist’s best beats; Freddie and Rick Ross also deliver great verses that match the instrumental’s lavish atmosphere. (9/10)
Look At Me: Freddie once again effortlessly does a classic Alchemist beat justice, giving us braggadocious bars over a nearly drumless beat with an angelic vocal sample. The best part about it are the psychedelic elements that Alchemist throws into it the mix, making this track feel like an endless high. (8.5/10)
Frank Lucas (feat. Benny The Butcher) : hardest track on the album and my personal favorite off the project. The extremely grimy, gritty and dark griselda-esque instrumental is a perfect fit for Freddie Gibbs and Benny The Butcher to talk their shit as two of the greatest coke rappers of this decade. Around 1:18 the moody synths, hard bass and boombap drums stop and make way for a powerful bridge section that makes you feel like you’re living thru a shootout between rival mafia families. Amazing verses from Freddie and Benny, grimy production and a great transition from Look At Me. (10/10)
Something To Rap About (feat. Tyler, The Creator): this beat feels like laying in the sun at a beach party while listening to the waves crash by. The tropical Yacht Rock-esque guitar is so perfectly sampled that it doesn’t even feel looped, and the transition between Freddie and Tyler’s fun and lighthearted verse (one of his best features) elevates the song to another level entirely. (10/10)
Baby $hit: Baby $hit sees The Alchemist experimenting with more a more trap-influenced drum loop (that includes a very weird snare that I’m not too sure about) and an interesting string sample that sounds fresh off of an elevator music playlist. Freddie gives us more braggadocio and hard bars. This is probably the weakest song on the album, but that doesn’t make it bad as the outro that transitions into the next track is very dark & sinister. (7.5/10)
Babies & Fools (feat. Conway The Machine): lyrically, I consider this track one of the best (if not the best) on the album. Freddie & Conway each give us introspective and heartfelt verses about their past and love for their close ones. The beat also feels calming and carefree. (9/10).
Skinny Suge: This song is darkest and most introspective track on Alfredo, further proving to us all that Freddie Gibbs is more then just a coke rapper but also one of the most skilled lyricists of all time. The moody guitar sample, obscure vocals and dirty drum loop that fades in and out of view perfectly match Freddie’s lyrics on death, drugs, PTSD and trauma. Beautiful and heavy track. (10/10).
All Glass: great closer for the album. The hard organs that linger behind the energetic drums and clear bass make this song hit very hard (Freddie’s Breaking Bad references make it 10x better), all climaxing in a literal explosion that closes the album off with a bang. (8/10).
TOP 5 FAVORITE SONGS:
Frank Lucas (feat. Benny The Butcher)
Skinny Suge
Babies & Fools (feat. Conway The Machine)
Something To Rap About (feat. Tyler The Creator)
God Is Perfect
LEAST FAVORITE SONGS: N/A
FAVORITE BEAT: Frank Lucas (feat. Benny The Butcher)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE: Skinny Suge
FAVORITE LYRICS:
“God made me sell crack so I had something to rap about” (from “Something To Rap About”)
“My first love was football from playin’ that Madden shit/My second love was hard drugs, weed and this rappin’ shit” (from “Babies & Fools”)
"Critics tryna judge a n*gga music, tell the pussy n*ggas suck a baby dick" (from "Baby $hit")
FINAL THOUGHTS
Alfredo proved to us that Freddie Gibbs (one of the best gangster rappers of all time) and The Alchemist (one of the best hiphop producers of all time) are truly a match made in heaven. They delivered to us an album that feels like watching an Italian mafia movie, and it’s high score are all thanks to The Alchemist’s genius production and Freddie Gibbs’s vivid lyricism.