Bleep

Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs teams up with LA beat king Madlib for Piñata, a cinematic exploration of everyday hood life. After two collaborative EPs, the pair finally offer their first full-length together and it's a treat. Soulful samples, Biggie ad libs and guest spots from, among others, Danny Brown, Raekwon and Scarface are just the icing on top of this team's delectable synergy. Switching from funk-laden double time raps and straight-up Blaxploitation-inspired efforts, it's wide in scope and expansive in vision. Gibbs is viscerally honest, and this honesty has found its match in Madlib's emotive sampling.