2019 was an explosive year for the rap music industry, from Kanye’s shift towards theology to Young Thug’s never-ending stream of hits. Artists like Blueface and JPEGMAFIA made waves with new, original releases looking to bend the norms of rap as a genre. However, one project stands out amongst the year’s creative burst: Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s Bandana.
Earning the Spotify Album of the Year award and multiple other nominations, Bandana’s innovative approach to the genre has been widely acclaimed by music critics. The album is Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s second collaboration, building on their groundbreaking 2014 album Piñata. While Piñata’s old-school production and autobiographical lyricism evoked an immense sentimentality, Bandana abandons the prior longing for a rugged past in favor of a bold confrontation with the future. Adapting his style to the times, master producer Madlib adopts the synthesizer and hard-hitting bass-lines characteristic of contemporary hip-hop. Similarly, master of the craft Freddie Gibbs shifts his lyrical focus away from his humble upbringing and towards his life as a global phenom.
Regardless of his thematic focus, Freddie sounds as good as ever. From his inventive experimentation with the traditional couplet verse structure to his impressive technical speed to his hard-hitting picture-painting, Gibbs’ stands out as the most impressive lyrical performance of the year. The artist seamlessly transitions from the gritty street-scene of Fake Names to the revolutionary politics of Palmolive (which features a show-stopping verse from Pusha T) to the emotional sensitivity of Practice without losing his distinctive verbal agility and rhythmic talent. Freddie has a once-in-a-generation ear for rap music that displays its versatility time and time again.
Such diversity of talent is also reflected in his partner Madlib. The highly-acclaimed producer layers sound-bites with his unique jazz-influenced sound to produce an innovative, old-school yet futuristic sound that provides the backdrop for Freddie’s lyrical excellence. Employing a distinctive combination of distant drum-beats and intimate instrumental performances, Madlib’s work on Bandana is somehow as impressive as Freddie’s.
Bandana may not have earned an Album of the Year nomination from the Grammys, but it is unquestionably the biggest musical breakthrough of the year. Few duos in rap history have displayed as much compatibility and raw talent as Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, and it is precisely their perseverance, despite the lack of institutional recognition, which gives Bandana its revolutionary, gritty feel.