Freddie Gibbs: "A Shadow of Doubt"

“Shadow of a Doubt” faces a terrible handicap following the release of 2014’s “Piñata,” a collaboration between Freddie Gibbs and critical sweetheart producer Madlib. After going so far from his usual style, Gibb collected a new audience that now lends it’s ear to “Shadow of a Doubt.” Fans want to know if this album is anything like “Piñata,” or if it compares to it in quality.

Is it anything like the Madlib collaboration? No. And it isn’t a question of how it compares, but how it stands on it’s own. To answer that question, “Shadow of a Doubt” is a good album.

Gibbs’ specialty has never been lyricism, and that’s fine because this album brings to the forefront his excellent flow by the way of the album’s production. The songs sound claustrophobic and dark, creating an excellent and different aesthetic to accompany Gibbs’ tales of drugs, money and women. The instrumentals are a seamless combination of synthesizers and samples.

The album, besides Gibbs’ occasional singing episodes (stick to rapping, Mr. Gibbs) is a creepy little excursion through dark streets in the bad part of town. It should be heard by anyone who enjoys hip hop, especially “Piñata” fans, if only to prove that Gibbs does not need the celebrity of his producer to shine.

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