Freddie Gibbs and Madlib feat. Earl Sweatshirt and Domo Genesis – Robes
They’ve been teasing us for the better part of three years, releasing a single here and there, but finally Madlib & Freddie Gibbs have released their long-awaited collab, and it’s just as mesmerizing as you thought it would be. Madlib is Sonny Sharrock to Dilla’s Hendrix and as such, the madcap production requires a really versatile MC. Freddie Gibbs more than holds his own, never seems out of place and these beats feel like they were made to have his voice flow over them. Some of the tracks we’d already know are the standouts, especially “Shame,” but the newer material is also strong, especially “Robes” the track above featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Domo Genesis along with Gibbs on the mic. Madlib provides the sounds and it’s a virtuoso flip of a Lenny White song that sent me looking for the original and marveling at how Madlib builds the entire beat from the one track but deconstructs it in such a way that it gives it an entirely different character. The album holds up nicely just as an instrumental record, but the two compliment each other so well that you’re best served hearing them together as intended.