Piñata

A fantastic album that’s always fun to listen to, which is partially why I picked it for my album. This was really my third choice as the first two were already selected. I felt the list lacked a lot of strong modern rap music that has shaped modern culture. This was my choice as for me it’s a culmination of the gangster rap and lyrical conscious rap by Gibbs mixed with funky and soulful best productions of Madlib. This album flows so smoothly and its biggest drawbacks to me is some of the skit portions at the end of songs. Other than that it has impeccable features from older and newer artists to really make this a great album of the past and future. O’Doyle rules 9.3/10

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Deeper, High, Harold’s, Shitsville, Thuggin, Real, Robes, Lakers, Piñata

Great modern hip-hop LP with well-sampled beats and a who's who of guest stars. Does feel a bit crowded and overlong as a result, meaning Gibbs' own personality here is a bit hard to decipher against MadLib's stylings, but given the stellar production and instrumentals (+ poor showings from the more recent selections on the official list), I'm willing to give this a high rating for being such a rock-solid and fun album.

I don't really see what anyone thinks Freddie Gibbs brings to the game that 2Pac didn't already do 20+ years earlier.

Hard. Varied. Great

Huge pick. Freddie Gibbs is an interesting rapper. I can't say that he does anything exceptional or unique, but he's extremely competent and can carry himself well on a beat. I also have trouble connecting with some of his solo projects, but like many other rappers, when he locks in with one producer, we get gold. This album, his first of two (so far) collab albums with the legendary Madlib, has to be his pinnacle. He's extremely comfortable, and the beats are amazing - I've maybe heard this album 4-5 times but so many samples on here feel nostalgic, like I've known this my whole life. That's Madlib for you. Love that this closes with a posse cut, very 2013-14. Aside from a couple skits that run long (some of the skits are good btw), this album is pretty much flawless. It's a five-star classic for me. If you like this one, check out Alfredo, Gibbs' collab album with Alchemist. I'd call that his second best. Album art: This picture has insane aura. Before I knew Freddie Gibbs, I assumed he was some old man on the corner with decades of lost wisdom. I know now he's a goofy troll of a guy, and that mystique is gone. But this cover takes me back. The zebra framing is incredible.

Madgibbs! Sounds so Wu-Tang influenced, it would have been more surprising if The Chef didn't turn up! Loads of other great guest verses too, especially Mac and Earl, but Freddie remains the star of the show. Production is flawless (of course)

Excellent pick ! A contemporary gangsta rap classic. Madlib is a great producer. The fact that Madvilainy isn’t on the original list is a travesty.

Many good vinyl records will reveal some of their character to the light at a lucky angle. Dynamic range allowed by plastic and managed by master becomes texture; Formal boundaries unevenly stripe. Piñata has the organic protrusions of that kind of object, thanks I think to Madlib. Gibbs swaggers over the beats, but he doesn't show up in the skits as some kind of character. Thus, it's a record - and not a short one! - in a totally classic mode, still the right amount of surprising, a true collaboration.

Smooth as hell. A good listen

A bit of a gap for a hip hop head, filled. I enjoyed it, probably would have benefitted from a little more sonic diversity but the features kick ass more often than not.

Oooh I'd been meaning to do Freddie Gibbs for a while, so cheers to whoever put this in. Great beats, stacked with guests, I really enjoyed it end to end.

This is not my genre so when this 1 hour album showed up last night on my to-do list I was not excited. I started this up on a slow Sunday morning and was immediately interested by the opening. It had a strong, 70s cinematic flair that would end up being often explicit throughout the album. Hmmmmm… I’m liking it. As the album went on these songs played around with timing and delivered great rapping with 70s-inspired grooviness that I fell in love with. I had the opportunity to follow along with some of the songs’ lyrics and was impressed when I did. It’s a little tough for this genre to win me over but this one did so at the jump and kept me engaged for the full hour. I don’t often feel like listening to a rap album, but when I do this one will be on the list.

I kinda like it.

Once again Madlib proves he can do no wrong and the flow of every verse on this album is great but there were also quite a few corny lyrics (mainly the La song) and in general I didn’t vibe with it as much as the Mf doom I’ve been getting recently. I think watts is my fav, I think

Legendary collab 🔥Gibbs slides over Madlib’s beats so smoothly, it’s like the were always making music together. Lovely album to revisit!

Mfer classic

Very cool rap album, I feel like I've heard of Gibbs from my brother but can't be sure. Great addition.

From Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, I was under the impression that *Bandana* was the superior album, but I have to admit I haven't listened to them albums a lot. So today's suggestion gives me the opportunity to catch up on those excellent hip hop artists and how they represent old school these days. There sure are highlights in *Piñata*: "High", with Danny Brown, the tough-sounding yet insanely driven and catchy "Shitsville", "Thuggin'", going to even darker territories, the more laid-back yet equally menacing "Real" and "Uno"...). The last quarter of the album is a bit of a letdown, with that slow cut where the sexual boasting becomes grating and ridiculous, and a title track that might be a little lengthy (albeit featuring the fantastic Mac Miller, among other guests like Wu Tang's Raekwon within this album). But it's nothing really aggravating in the long run, all in all. Cut this fat, and you still get a great LP with a proper length. So let's just say that *Piñata* is a nice appetizer while waiting for *Madvillainy*'s arrival. Yeah, I know it's in this users' list. It would be very funny if it appeared right after I push the "vote" button. Do you also get this suspenseful tingling in your soul when you do so? 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5+3.5) Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 14 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 28 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 50 ---- Émile ! J'ai répondu à ton message. Regarde environ douze reviews au dessus ! Pas de nouvelle réponse de ta part, mais c'est pas un souci, je compte juste vérifier toutes les deux semaines environ. On est pas aux pièces, comme on dit sur le vieux continent. 😀

October 23, 2025 HL: "High", "Bomb", "Shitsville", "Lakers", title track A strange mix of ear-candy instrumentals and the everyday horrors that Gibbs raps about- you'd almost think, with the music behind it, that thuggin' and pimpin' are steps to some great spiritual revelation. Before today I knew Madlib from his contributions to Madvillainy, and Freddie Gibbs from a random SNL skit starring Chris Redd. Thankfully, I have a greater appreciation of both after today. Plus, a shocker comes from the fact that my favourite song MIGHT be the one with Raekwon. Yes, the guy whose album Cuban Links was one of my lowest-ranked hip-hop albums from the original list. Do you hear the winds of change?

Better than I expected

Not my thing. 2 stars.

A lot of f*ck, sh*t, b*tch going on here but I fail to see the relevance of this album. Sorry.

It's just a guy saying "mother fucker" and "bitch" for an hour

An impressive rap album by MadGibbs reminding me of Wu-Tang Clan.

Instant classic and one of the finest hip-hop albums of the 2010s. Gibbs takes the hard-hitting street consciousness of gangster rap and combines it with the swagger and hooks of the bling era, all over some of the most luscious beats Madlib has ever cooked up

I enjoyed this! Tuneful and interesting. Good fun

Piñata is pretty good and much more my style when it comes to hiphop. Beats are bold and deep without being dominating, Gibbs' flow isn't anything remarkable but he's competent and has a rich tone to his sound that lends to the whole vibe. I didn't really pay attention much to track listings but Deeper, Thuggin' and Lakers were good, a few avoidable skits bring it down but I think a low 4, it's pretty good.

I like the beats more than the rhymes, but it's an interesting blend.

It was cool to hear a modern rap album that I didn't hate. This was pretty cool. Maybe one day I'll listen to it again. 3/5.

There's an easy flow here to groove to though I lost a lot of the lyrics with the loose, mumbly rapping. The relentless crudity wore thin. I didn't dislike it but doesn't hit the standard of other Madlib collaborations like Madvillain.

Not really for me but its not bad 3 Shitsville kinda banger Ok its fckn good

I am “o.k.” With this

I'm always a bit sceptical on hiphop albums. But this one wasn't all too bad

Not a fan of the gangster rap. Gibbs vocal tone is ok. The production and noises are quite good, but overall not my taste.

Well-crafted and engaging, with an assertive but easygoing flow. Lyrics are vivid and grim, and a bit much for my taste.

This is a pretty solid album with great beats by Madlib. Stylistically, I was reminded a lot of Wu Tang (having Raekwon on helped) and lot of Tupac. In a way, it was nice to hear these styles together, yet at the same time, I wonder why this was even needed. While the work is solid, it must made me want to listen to Wu Tang and Tupac. I wouldn't have believed this came out in 2014 if I didn't already know that going in.

I quite enjoyed this hip hop album. Like many of the genre, I'm not a fan of the skits. The music is eclectic and cool, though, and the skits can be skipped. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: High Date listened: 29/08/24

Pretty good hip hop. Very Tupac-esque. I've heard of this before, but never listened to it. From the praise I've seen this get, I was expecting something more envelope-pushing, I think. Still an interesting listen though.

Too long But some great moments

Enjoyed this, proper good hip hop, would I come back to it, not sure

Interesting beats.

This was decent I think I’d need a few more listens to truly appreciate it.

Mid-10s rap. Didn't really make me feel any kind of way, but seems like it was fun to make.

Good pick, not a known artist for me, surprised at how modern it is because it's a bit of a throwback

Interesting beats. Some tired sweary rhymes. Not my thing.

Not bad.

Good in places

Madlib is getting heaps of love in this Listener’s Honourable Mentions list. I’d never really heard of Freddie Gibbs before but he sounds like 2Pac v2.0. It’s a good hip-hop jam, but I found it a bit stale in the thematic department. Still, the beats and rhymes slap, so there’s that.

This was good fun.

This one I struggled with. I am not the target market and as a result there is a lot of a particular word I am not comfortable with. I find when an album is heavy on that usage it reduces my ability to enjoy it. I think I really liked the overall sound and vibe. I probably would have given it an extra star had it not been so prominent.

I like Madlib and Freddie is a capable rapper. At an hour long it's certainly value for money too! It's an eclectic mishmash of rips and moods and difficult to keep track of the everchanging flow.

Liked this, despite the immature misogyny in places.

Eh, braggadocio rap - not really my thing. The production was plenty swish, and the flows competent enough, but the subject matter rarely kept my interest. Fave track - "Shitsville", let's say.

I wasn’t impressed with it

It seems well crafted, lyrics, beats, however the content itself isn't in my wheelhouse. It ends up being a bit more regrettable. Pass on this.

It's a smooth album with some good beats, but the language is just a bit much for me. Somewhere along the way, he samples TLC... a bit weird.

No. Can appreciate what he's doing here, but it's distinctly not for me.

Hip-hop. Rollo. Un 2.

Not my jam.

Couldn’t get into this one.

While this wasn't all that objectionable, the whole shuffling radio station thing had been done to death. And the less said about the drunken ranty voicemail message, the better.

Not unique just more of the same

I might have liked this 25 years ago. Nice enough production. Decent flow and tone (although I’ve never been much of a fan of 2pac). But the content just doesn’t appeal to me at all. Maybe I’m a pussy-arsed-bitch these days but I just find it a bit gross.

Nah, really didn't dig this at all. The waterfalls riff is the highlight.

Quite boring, hypnotizing hip hop because of how repetitive it is. Maybe the lyrics have content but they are irrelevant in the face of such simple music.

A lot of things that should never have been said are said on this vile album.

Nope

I hate this kind of rap. And I in general hate rap.