Freddie Gibbs has been one of hip hop’s most consistent artists for 20 years now. The Gary, Indiana native has long stood out for his singular ability to fashion his flows and lyrics into wicked tools of destruction, entertainment and insight. He’s a rapper’s rapper, if ever there was one. ‘You Only Die 1nce’ continues that legacy, but it also threatens to undo it at times, with some questionable and unfocused moments blotting his copybook.
Status opens the record in inimitable Gibbs fashion, with ethereal vocals disguising rough and ready boom-bap. Freddie simply floats here, twisting syllables and rhyme schemes like a contortionist squeezing into an impossible space. His built-in charisma prevents any lyrical gymnastics feeling forced, and the same can be said about Brick Fees and Wolverine, which both border on being essential Gibbs cuts.
Album six’s trump card, though, is its personal focus and emotive sense of honesty, which reaches its peak on the closing track On The Set.
“I was gon’ retire from rap when I seen that shit with Nipsey, crazy when that shit hit your peers,” is a particularly revealing line, especially amid shout outs to the late Rich Homie Quan, Young Dolph, 2Pac and Notorious BIG.
Unfortunately, though, outside of a its superb bookends, the middle section of the record contains some of Gibbs’ most forgettable material. It’s Your Anniversary is a cluttered mess of weak individual parts, while he attacks his verses with an intensity way beyond anything the beat calls for, making it a jarring misstep. Ruthless, meanwhile, feels particularly pedestrian and beige given the pedigree of the performer.
‘You Only Die 1nce’ finds Gibbs walking towards greatness but getting distracted along the way. If he could get the steady hand of The Alchemist or Madlib back behind the wheel, as he did for ‘Bandana’ and ‘Alfredo’, there would be no question that he’s still one of the best around.
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