Written by: David Williams

Score 8.4/10

Versatility is what separates the average rappers from the ones that are at the next level. It’s like gold when you discover someone who can spit bars with different cadences and flows, seemingly being able to float effortlessly on any type of production. Conversely, how many times have you heard an album from an artist repetitively seeming to make the same song throughout, only slightly switching up the formula? These artists are a dime a dozen, usually leaving the spotlight as quickly as they arrived.

In comparison, an MC who stays true to their core, never following trends or placating record labels, can always find ways to keep things fresh. Artists who persevere like this, grinding through low points of popularity to stick to their vision, can find staying power on the other side of their 40s, unlike the ones following trends.

Despite being in the rap game since the late 200s, Gary, Indiana-native Freddie Gibbs has ground out an unprecedented surge in notoriety and popularity for a rapper a decade-plus into his career over the last few years. His new LP, $oul $old $eparately, triumphantly stakes his claim as one of the best rappers in the game and musically culminates his half-decade run with a roster of legendary producers and an endless supply of perfected flows. 

$oul $old $eparately, Gibbs’ first record released through Warner Records fifth solo project, sees multifaceted artist rap with his gravelly flow over various kinds of production. Gibbs adapts like a chameleon in the jungle, using 13 other producers on the 15-song tracklist. On the lead single, “Too Much,” he uses a machine gun flow to eliminate all challengers and any doubt that he can still make a club banger. In a blink, Gibbs can switch into a 90s New York Mafioso mode on “CIA,” with production from frequent collaborator Madlib, with whom Gibbs already has had two joint records. He speaks over a slick saxophone-laden beat about being ashamed of still having to sell crack even when he was on the XXL 2010 Freshman List.

Freddie cultivated a loyal following through the 2010s, largely from his critically acclaimed Piñata and Bandana collab albums with legendary producer Madlib. His Grammy Nominated collab album Alfredo with producer the Alchemist served as Gibbs’s breakout moment. With 70s soul samples and dark chords, they manufactured a Scorsese-Esque mafia cinematic experience. $ouls Sold Separately’s “Blackest in the Room” brings the duo back together with a return to form. The track begins with Freddie rapping thoughts on political issues about being black in America, the Flint water crisis, and mistreatment in prison. The Alchemist’s elevator lobby-style production introduces the album’s setting of a bunny-ornamented hotel California, before a beat switch that hits harder than Aaron Judge at Yankee Stadium. Sonically descending into a New York grimy back alley, the philosophy in Gibbs’ flow reflects the instrumental. The darker the chords, the darker the content he spits: “My pistol in my pillow, I sleep amongst all the murderers.”

Freddie has been known to be a student of music. While his mastery of the rap art form is evident, his passion for soul and r&b shows up in his crate-dug samples, as well as the moments where Freddie lets his inner singer shine. Freddie could be an unofficial member of Bones Thugs-n-Harmony with his cadence on the chorus of “Pain & Strife (feat. Offset)” How he sings on the Kaytranada-produced “Zipper Bagz” is reminiscent of 2005 50 Cent. He can melodically croon about emptying clips on his enemies: “Yeah, I’m ’bout to shoot up your party ’cause that’s what I feel like.” Gibbs had an affinity for G-Unit back in the day, even compared to Tennessee rapper Young Buck from his label Interscope Records. At this stage, Freddie has mastered his craft like the athlete he features in an interlude, Kevin Durant. Both have mastered their craft, picking up tricks from their peers over the years, ultimately cultivating an arsenal of techniques from different eras that they can pull from their bags instantly. 

Gibbs raps with a constant chip on his shoulder, possibly from being overlooked for a good chunk of his career or coming up in dire circumstances in Gary. His tone in his delivery has a sharp razor’s edge to it. He is looking for beef with other rappers, almost needing someone to say something out of pocket about him to get his blood rushing on the microphone. This mentality has a backlash to it, most notably in an altercation with alleged associates of Benny the Butcher in Buffalo. He seems to address this persona he carries on “Rabbit Vision:” “Talkin’ tough on social sites, this shit gets real in the streets / We had spat, I talked to Wack / Ain’t need the minister to settle the beef.” In the same song, he addresses his falling out with Young Jeezy, expressing regret for their problems over the years. In this case, cooler heads seem to prevail.

The budget for features under Warner has opened up the budget to have more features giving Freddie a chance to test his mic skills against his contemporaries and, for the most part, iron sharpened iron. Gibbs goes toe to toe in a heavyweight prize fight of coke bars with Pusha T in “Gold Rings.” One-man show extraordinaire Anderson Paak seems to do it all on “Feel No Pain,” where he produces, sings, and raps with ease. The lone misfire is Rick Ross on “Lobster Omelette.” While still having his trademark luxury voice, he can’t compete with the likes of Gibbs tempo-wise at this stage of his career. He has a slower pace to his flow and is feeling his age with thoughts about his Pension Plan.

Turning 40 this year, Freddie is not slowing down one iota with his tenacity for wanting to be the best ever to do it. Putting out this quality of work at this stage in his career is a rarity in the music industry, especially in hip-hop. Gibbs is getting better by the day, aging with gracelike fine wine. $oul $old $eparately is a supreme showcase of Gibbs’s talent and skill, exemplifying him as one of the best in hip-hop today.