''Freddie'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper
Freddie Gibbs
Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper from Gary, Indiana. After initially being signed to Interscope Records in 2006, Gibbs recorded his debut studio album under the label ...
.
It was released on June 22, 2018 through ESGN and
Empire Distribution
EMPIRE Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (marketed as EMPIRE) is an American distribution company and record label founded in by Ghazi Shami with offices in New York City, London, Nashville, and Atlanta. It has released albums in vario ...
. The album features guest appearances from Gibbs' daughter Irie Jane Gibbs, alongside
03 Greedo and Cassie Jo Craig. It also includes production from Gibbs himself, credited as Freddie Kane, alongside
Kenny Beats
Kenneth Charles Blume III, known professionally as Kenny Beats, is an American record producer, audio engineer, and songwriter.
Early life
Kenneth Blume III was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. He has been studying music since the age ...
, Jones, A. Lau, RichGains and Tony Seltzer, among others.
It succeeds the release of Gibbs' third studio album, ''
You Only Live 2wice
''You Only Live 2wice'' is the third studio album by American rapper Freddie Gibbs. It was released on March 31, 2017, by ESGN and Empire Distribution. The album includes eight tracks with no guest appearances.
Background
In June 2016, Freddie Gib ...
'' (2017).
Background
Hours before the album's release, Freddie Gibbs released an
infomercial
An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...
-style promo as a teaser for the album.
Artwork
The album's artwork features Gibbs donning a beige suit with a pink backdrop.
The title and artwork of the album is inspired by
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musi ...
' 1979 album ''
Teddy
Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to:
People Nickname
* Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator
* Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer
* Tedd ...
''.
Critical reception
''Freddie'' received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84.
Riley Wallace of ''
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
'' praised the album, stating Gibbs has "enough fire here to remind fans that he’s able to compete in an era that has continuously boats of some insane releases." Wallace also commented that "the 10-song effort delivers an experience that fans of Gangsta Gibbs have come to expect after the last two projects: glimmering gems scattered among a curated blend of believable, high-quality gangsterism."
[ Meaghan Garvey of '']Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' wrote that ''Freddie'' "feels like a pure and reckless purge from Gibbs, a collection that finds him at his wildest and most essential."Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
called ''Freddie'' "trolling-as-marketing done right: Gibbs juxtaposes the silky, colourful imagery of vintage R&B with crude beats and tight, blissfully vulgar verses that demand to be replayed at ignorant levels."AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Paul Simpon called the album "a focused set of trap-influenced tracks, showcasing Gibbs' flow at its most energized."
Track listing
Credits adapted from Freddie Gibbs' official Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
.
Personnel
Credits adapted from Freddie Gibbs' official Instagram.Kenny Beats
Kenneth Charles Blume III, known professionally as Kenny Beats, is an American record producer, audio engineer, and songwriter.
Early life
Kenneth Blume III was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. He has been studying music since the age ...
– recording, mixing
* RichGains – recording
* Sid "Speakerbomb" Miller – recording
* Eric "Enstrumentals" Sandoval – recording
* TJ Jacobs – mastering
Additional personnel
* Ben "Lambo" Lambert – creative direction, A&R
* RichGains – A&R
* Nima Etminan – project management (Empire)
* Eamon Mulligan – project management (Empire)
* Scottie Cameron – photography
* Vlad Sepetov – art, graphic design
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2018 albums
Freddie Gibbs albums
Empire Distribution albums