The odds of Freddie Gibbs delivering audio dope when he starts a song off with the word “Slamming,” are even higher than the winning percentage of a regular Gangsta Gibbs song — or even higher than gangsta Gibbs himself. The second time I ever interviewed him, I smoked three blunts in one hour with him […]

Max Bell is not fragile. If you’re reading this, you’ve heard of Jonwayne, the “rap game Sam Beckett,” the “open toed Blowedian.” (see here, here, here, or here). Yesterday, marked the release of Cassette 3: The Marion Morrison Mixtape, the third tape in the “Cassette Trilogy.” Taking its name from actor John Wayne — his […]

Jonah Bromwich sees the shadows of tomorrow. If I had to pick an artist that I thought people might be listening to fifty years from now, I’d give serious consideration to Madlib. For one thing, there’s the prolificacy—when you put out thirteen albums in a single year, you’re significantly multiplying the chances that someone is […]

Madlib mixes aren’t smooth. He is a bug out DJ, a trickster out to lay traps. His blends can be smooth, but usually not. They’re more apt to take you on a tour of his mind, which can get as cluttered and stoned as his studio. For some people, this is a detriment. They want […]

The greatest rappers sound great over any beat. Freddie Gibbs could rap well over a spam voice recording trying to enlist you into a class action lawsuit for asbestos. Though Smokey Gibbs, the Dog, may be the uncredited star of the video. See Also: MobbDeen: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Shame EP

Deen has no shame. The latest salvo from Gibbs & Madlib ensures their batting average stays at a thousand. I’m far from surprised, but you know what they say about the best laid plans and all. Madlib provides the soulful soundscape (are we still required to reference RZA, ‘The Blueprint’, Kanye, Just Blaze and Bink […]