Freddie Gibbs “You Solely Die 1nce” Assessment

Within the close to 20-year arc of Freddie Gibbs’ profession, no album fairly embodies his evolution like Alfredo. The Alchemist-produced endeavor discovered the lone wolf of Gary, IN with a Micheal Jordan-like defiance. His aggressive spirit pushed his pen alongside collaborators like Conway The Machine, Tyler, The Creator, Rick Ross, and Benny The Butcher, leading to his first and solely Grammy nomination. Exterior of Pinata and Bandana, Alfredo marked a brand new chapter in Freddie’s profession the place he was really in a position to reap the fruits of his labor. Extra importantly, it was a feat that spat again within the face of his critics and doubters. It felt extra obvious that his pen labored effectively when figuring out of spite. Like Michael Jordan, it generally warranted amplifying–or straight-up fabricating–his vendettas to gas his prowess.

That angle has pushed him via the hurdles of his profession–blackballing, beef, and arrests (at house and overseas), and so forth. A degree of invincibility in his tone made every of his wins a lot sweeter. 2022’s $$$ felt like a celebratory leap into the massive leagues after incomes a status for his antics past his music. Excessive-profile collaborators, movie star cameos, and a star-studded checklist of producers tied collectively his Blockbuster main label solo debut for a commercially viable endeavor. It didn’t essentially produce a prime 10 hit like Warner most likely anticipated however it proved that no matter Freddie Gibbs’ standing, he’ll create a pocket if there isn’t one already created for him. The casino-themed physique of labor emphasised that after almost twenty years of working the underground circuit, there was a light-weight on the finish of the highway. 

When you think about albums like You Solely Stay 2wice in his catalog and Shadow Of A Doubt, this second was by no means removed from attain. The latter arrived on the heels of Pinata with contributions from Boi-1da, an incarcerated Gucci Mane, and Tory Lanez serving to Gibbs bridge the hole between crucial darling of the underground and aspirations of changing into a family title. However between each albums, a false rape accusation derailed his profession when he was on the cusp of a profession incline. And whereas he was acquitted of all fees, the momentum he had constructed up within the first half of the 2010s died fully. Thus, You Solely Stay 2wice served as a reincarnation the place he returned with an indeniable Album Of The Yr contender. The duvet artwork embodied this second likelihood–a Renaissance-inspired portray of Freddie Gibbs resurrecting in entrance of a crowd. 

In distinction, the quilt artwork for its sequel, the Halloween-themed, You Solely Die 1nce, finds Gibbs preventing his demons from the coffin, some who’ve been with him earlier than rap was a viable profession selection, and others who adopted him since he was arrested in Austria. Belief points, loyalty, and paranoia are sandwiched between avenue legends, political musings, and child mama drama.

On “Wolverine,” co-produced by Pops, 454, Moo Latte, Freddie Gibbs’s guillotine-like move shreds via the lounge-like jazz manufacturing with mob-like bravado and depicting overcoming a system arrange in opposition to him. “… These Europeans, they nonetheless do not appear to deal with us like human beings/ They stripped me of my tradition and my language/ I nonetheless flipped and received well-known, platinum card, no, no complainin’,” he raps. A number of traces later, he attracts a grander portrait of the double requirements between individuals like Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly. “Them crackers wealthy endlessly, you Black, they need the entire thing/ R. Kelly singing for commissary/ And no, I do not condone the shit he did, however he received warmth in my library,” he continues.

All through You Solely Die 1nce, Freddie involves grips with mortality in ways in which juxtapose, and generally contradict his resilience. “It’s Your Anniversary” transforms a joyful pattern of Tony! Toni! Toné!’s “Anniversary” right into a malignant celebration of his enemy’s downfall whereas “Brick Charges” describes his ascent within the streets via dizzying flows and dexterous rhyming the place his regrets take a backseat to the cut-throat circumstances of survival. It’s these moments the place he hyper-focuses on the disingenuous relationships in his profession and private life. Songs like “30 Girlfriends (Yeah Yeah)” create a cool environment the place he asserts his participant standing whereas “Ruthless” transforms 112’s “Cupid” right into a brute response to the drama surrounding his exes which have littered the timeline. 

Whether or not it’s the rap feuds, the newborn mama drama, or the lingering results of the road, the query that he explores throughout this album is whether or not the price of success and luxury was well worth the hardships. Its end result leads us to the penultimate music, the haunting BNXY-produced “Origami,” the place PTSD flashbacks of avenue warfare weigh in opposition to the exploitive nature of the leisure trade as he raps, “Acquired thousands and thousands within the financial institution and I nonetheless really feel like a slave/ My actual life your leisure, these payments gotta receives a commission.” 

This line echoes throughout the album’s nearer, “On The Set.” Produced by Pops and Mischa, Gibbs expresses his disillusionment with the idols he as soon as appeared as much as whereas paying tribute to his fallen friends with references to the Diddy case and the premature deaths of Nipsey Hussle and Wealthy Homie Quan, amongst others. “I used to be gon’ retire from rap after I seen that shit with Nipsey/ Loopy when that shit hit your friends, that shit be hittin’ completely different,” Freddie raps. Not solely does the underlying risk of movie star linger over him however this line leans into the precise value of fame and fortune.

You Solely Die 1nce serves as the fact test post-$$$ the place the voice of the satan on his shoulder grows in prominence as a Greater Energy retains Freddie grounded. However extra importantly, he makes use of the dichotomy to discover the legacy that he’ll depart behind, whether or not it’s a catalog of albums that may put him within the Corridor of Fame or the drama that has overshadowed the artwork. Maybe, the considered hanging up the mic has festered in his thoughts for too lengthy, and stepping again from hip-hop is a actuality he’s prepared to manifest sooner or later. However with the extent of vulnerability that constantly got here throughout You Solely Die 1nce, it seems like Gibbs is simply starting to peel the layers again.