5 years ago… an unexpected project ended up not only being one of the best hip-hop records of that year, but one of the best albums of the 2020s so far. This came from a collab I should’ve kept more of an eye on in the first place. Yes, I’m talking about Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist with Alfredo. Yeah, this came out at the time where the world was just not in a good place… much like now (again), and this was a Freddie Gibbs album that was following Bandana with Madlib. As much as I liked that album, I think Alfredo has it beat. This has so much replay value, especially going back to it now with joints like “Frank Lucas”, “Something to Rap About”, “Scottie Beam” and deep cuts like “Look At Me.” This garnered so much attention that it even got a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album… unfortunately it didn’t win but still, things have changed since then.
The Alchemist gets lauded for his production work with various rappers over the years like Boldy James, Earl Sweatshirt, Roc Marciano and Kendrick Lamar among others. Every time an album features his production as the main focus, hip-hop heads tune in! As for Freddie, he’s gone on to bigger things like releasing future albums on a couple of major labels and getting into some movie and TV roles… but then again, he’s also gotten into some rap beefs. You like “Frank Lucas” with Benny The Butcher? Welp, you better enjoy it because after that, those two are never collaborating again. You wonder if he’ll collab with JPEGMafia? Don’t. They beefing as well, so don’t expect him in Scaring The Hoes, Pt. 2.
Anyway, Alfredo 2. Should I expect this to be better than the first? Will I like this album compared to the first one?
Going into this, there was one thing I expected to be the same. The production on this is as mellow, vibe-heavy and has as much of a worldly touch as the last record. It’s so smooth and hearing Freddie on this production reminds me how much he can rap his ass off and how it fits so well here. “1995”, basically a follow-up to the first album’s “1985” feels like a sequel track in the biggest and best way possible, from the sample work to the beat switch with the guitar. It just sounds so killer and a damn good way to start off the album.
I’m from the East Side Crime Syndicate, straight thugged out
You a cartoon, Thugnificent, but I broke the mold
Made her crack the safe, only time I broke the code
Nigga be twice as rich if it wasn’t for clothes, alcohol, and hoes, yeah
I want the dope, alcohol, and hoes
Gotta stop trickin’ on every Rubi and Amber Rose, yeah
I’m still in my prime, I’ve seen these hoes get old
“Mar-A-Lago” has some highlights to it, even though the main one is naming your song after the place the Orange Guy often goes to a lot, comparing a raid on his spot to the FBI raiding Mar-A-Lago. There’s some great lines like “Fuck around, throw a grenade and blow your casket up, don’t gas ’em up“, and it’s even got some lines from Ving Rhames via that all-time hood classic Baby Boy. “Lemon Pepper Steppers” sounds like something Mr. Morale would eat with some crinkle fries and a Sprite, but this joint has nice bars to it. Then there’s “Ensalada” (yes, that’s the Spanish word for “salad”); in the context of this song, it sounds like ‘It’s a lotta’ or ‘It’s a lot of’ if you want to be a grammar snob about it. The track goes on about on who you can trust in these streets and worrying about getting killed in there as well. And man, Anderson. Paak sung the hell out of that chorus, and his soul just flowed throughout that track.
Oh, and there’s this:
Fuck-ass nigga, I done whipped across the map to get a nigga whacked, I crossed a couple timezones
Diary confessions of a killer, I see dead faces with my eyes closed
Feel like niggas never really met a plug, all imaginary PablosHope them niggas changed, on the ‘Gram, cloutin’ off a nigga’s name
It’s a lotta, it’s a lotta, said it’s a lot of niggas fightin’ versus one of me
Before I run off, they gon’ have to murder me
Yup, we knew this was coming. This was directed towards Benny The Butcher over that one time him and his crew jumped him in Buffalo and stole his chain. It’s brought up again in the following track “Empanadas” where he also referenced Benny’s foot limping.
Smacked him in Miami, his boys jumped me, he played it safe
Bitches in Buffalo get the same thing, they was throwin’ plates
Limped away on his good foot, but he ain’t bust a grape
These niggas fake, sealed documents, still poppin’ it
Fuck the certified crack babies, come get your mama hit (Yeah)
Shit ain’t sellin’, they gotta resort to drama shit
Fuck these Love & Hip-Hop niggas, I’m at the Oscars, bitch
Also, who did he smack in Miami? Jim Jones. This is the 2nd time Jim Jones had shots thrown at him in span of a month – the first being from Pusha T on “Whips and Chains”. Yeah, the veteran rappers that wanted to chase clout and all that — Pusha was referring to him, trying to get a Drake verse. Also, the beat is just oozing with soul. “Skinny Suge II”, another sequel track, has the beat squealing on the first few seconds with Gibbs channeling 2Pac for a second given the title of the song and lyrics like “Black, bald-headed Jesus, I hang on the cross (Yeah)
Industry crucified me, but I stay bouncin’ off it”.
“Feeling” is another favorite track of mine on here, from the lavish production with the piano to the way Freddie does the hook with his singing and basically (in his words), ‘treating a ho like a ho’ as in “I might fuck you a couple of times but I will never say ‘I do’ to you.” Also, the mention of ‘take the condom off’ does say suspicious things about her. Oh, and we get a feature verse from Larry June and if you know his music, you know he’s very lax, mellow and maybe lethargic at some times. The quality of his verse varies depending on how you feel about him. Me personally, I’m cool with it.
On “I Still Love H.E.R.”, Freddie raps about his relationships with multiple women, flexes luxury brands and money, and also talks about the streets. Believe it or not, you might think the title references that one Common song, but it’s also a nod to a song from Japanese rap group Teriyaki Boyz, with “H.E.R”. standing for “Hontō E Rap” (which means “Real Rap” or “True Rap”). You can also see that the album as a whole has some Japanese aesthetics. It was even in that short film they did for the album and in the “1995” music video.
Oh, and the album cover is clearly not alfredo but ramen.
“Shangri La” presents a cynical view of relationships with women from drug use and various sexual encounters, especially with the line, “I done have bitches get on the Internet, try me like Zion, I’m still undefeated, bitch” – that’s a reference to basketball player Zion Williamson, who was hit with a sexual assault allegation, and his career was never the same. It’s much like how Freddie got hit with allegations a few years ago but it didn’t stick.
I really dug the hell out of “Gas Station Sushi” … I meant the song. I don’t think I ever had that for real (nor do I want to), but he was rapping on that track as well and of course, there’s another shot thrown at someone, that being another rapper that also worked with Gibbs in the past: Curren$y.
Yeah, remember Fetti? From 7 years ago?
Apparently Gibbs was pissed at him for not promoting the album enough by not doing a show or shooting a video for it. And well, as much as I like Curren$y and some of his albums (like the recent one he did with Harry Fraud), Gibbs wasn’t wrong to be pissed. Speaking of throwing shots once again, the next track “Lavish Habits” has disses for some familiar faces that we know.
I’m still gon’ squeeze Akademiks titties, that fat bastard
Gunna dissed me and took a plea, he a rat bastard
Show up at your funeral, Big Fendi bitch, ten blickies
Pee on city girls like P. Diddy, bitch, get with meEffects of being broke, Black, agitated and drugged out
Effects of being young, Black, rich might unalive me
They killed Nip, Takeoff, Dolph, I see the signs, G
For the fame and the goddamn chain, they’ll undermine me
Give a fuck ’bout beef with multiple rappers, I like variety, uh
However, the latter set of lyrics does talk about how whenever you get rich and successful, you ended up being killed, and yes the names you see are examples, sadly. “Gold Feet” has this fire production with what sounds like a distorted and warped version of The Price is Right “Come on Down!” music (at least that’s what I thought it sounded like). Oh yeah, we hear JID on this and his verse was amazing, like I even think he outdid Freddie (both rappers did their thing). Plus, it’s nice to finally hear JID on an album with an artist whose album isn’t dogshit.
Beatin’ the block with a heavy bass, damn, fleein’ the cops
Schemin’ on them in a ski mask, in the summer inside of the city
Don’t care if you see ’em or not, it’s insidious
I’m in Italy with Sicilians, standin’ on stage, no, spitting soliloquies
I’m a sinner, my life is a cinema, send me a script, I could be on a big screen
Bunch of bad women with the cinnamon skin
She send me a pic’, it’s a dick tea’
Let’s be serious, I got experience, win the series like I play for the big leagues (Oh, shit, oh, shit)
In the final two tracks, things wind down a bit in tone and production, first with “Jean Claude.” Yes, he makes a Bloodsport reference and once again, throws another shot at Benny, mostly about him getting shot in Houston that one time while also a line about his Grammy loss, a la “Grammy night felt like niggas took my trophy like Reggie Bush, nigga (Bush, nigga)” In comes the closing track “A Thousand Mountains,” where in the first few lines, he’s talking about going to the mountains and getting him a flute while saying the only rapper on his level is Andre 3000… yes, the same one that pretty much retired from rap and does instrumental records now as he does seem like he’s tired of all the bullshit throughout the years.
I have to say it’s tough trying to rate my thoughts on this album because I feel like everything in the album has been elevated from the first, like the aesthetic going from Italian mafioso in the first to Japanese yakuza in this one (hence the ramen and some of the instrumentals being slightly Eastern-centric). There may be more tracks but more focus on Freddie as a rapper, and he continues to be one of the best in the game, and The Alchemist’s production truly has elevated from the first as well. I think my favorite beats on here are “Ensalada,” “Gas Station Sushi,” and “Gold Feet”.
Were there some cracks in the rapping and content? Maybe. It shows that Freddie has a lot of beefs to address (just hope it’s not a rapper that you like), but I heard rappers say things either worse or not that interesting. We’re in the middle of a great month for hip-hop, and we have another golden album on our hands. Kudos to both Freddie and Alchemist for another joint album. Now I wonder what he’ll do when he collabs with Kaytranada next year.
FINAL VERDICT: Buy It. Enjoy with some alfredo… or some ramen. I wonder if he’ll do Yakisoba on the next Alfredo album.
ALFREDO II is on ESGN/ALC Records/Virgin Music Group and is available on CD, vinyl, cassette, digital download and on streaming services. Links to buy are HERE and HERE as well.