You kind of forget that most of the tracks don’t contain traditional hooks and rhyme patterns until you get to the track “Shitsville,” which is constructed in a more conventional manner. The lead singles “Thuggin” and “Shame” (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid) are still my favorites but “Deeper” and “Broken” (feat. Scarface) might change my opinion. On another note, the beef that Freddie Gibbs has with Young Jeezy is not something I’m particularly interested in, but I have to admit his diss song “Real” is dope. In my personal opinion, I think Gibbs is too talented to waste his energy on one man, but it’s hard to change a made-up mind. I enjoyed this Producer/Emcee combination of Madlib and Freddie Gibbs, and I think Piñata is a very good album.
The one knock I have on this album is the lack of commercial appeal. I know Freddie and Madlib primarily appeal to the underground/backpack audience, but I think they are talented enough to provide more balance to the music without compromising its integrity. With that said, Piñata reminds me of a “Po man’s” version of Ghostface Killah’s “Supreme Clientele” album. And that’s no disrespect towards this great album; it just indicates that Ghost’s album had more of the commercial balance I spoke about. All in all, I give Freddie Gibbs & Madlib’s Piñata a B+. The album can be streamed and heard on Spotify for free. To check it out Click Here