In the history of annoying journalism clichés, no one’s ever embodied a “rapper’s rapper” as much as Freddie Gibbs. When he’s not sharing vivid D-Boy recollections or laughing at fallen enemies, he’ll make time to own it. Otherwise, critics like me will prescribe it for him, noting a gravelly baritone that emits intensity and the way his omni-directional flow agility is a perfect conduit for bars that can be as quippy as they are poignant. By my count, he’s dropped at least three fringe classics — Piñata (2014), Bandana (2019), and Alfredo (2020). A sequel to 2017’s You Only Live 2wice, the new You Only Live 1nce isn’t one of his best, but it’s still Freddie Gibbs, so it’s great almost by default.

Released the day after Halloween, Gibbs’ latest is a tightly coiled 37-minute project riddled with all the rich samples, somersaulting couplets, and cinematic vignettes that define a customary Gibbs release. This one’s laced with BNYX®, 454, and Pops production perfect for ambivalent brooding and lucid gangster micro-theater. Gibbs once again threads them all with his typical assholeish personality, the intonation control of a vocal coach, and an eccentric imagination that adds dimensionality to his grisly street raps. Each track is filled with bleakly funny images of murder, wealth, and evolution, with Gibbs often collapsing the distance between the three.

The flexes are as hyper-specific as the dope dealer reminiscences, and the soundscapes — pensive and luxuriant — are fit for a modern Black Godfather. Imagine Vito Corleone shaking his head at the tragedy of VladTV (“Cosmo Freestyle”): “Look how they massacred my culture!” For “Wolverine,” Gibbs offers a blunt summation of a former dope dealer’s rise, one punctuated by venture capitalist linkups and the type of courtside seats perennially reserved for Joel Embiid. Elsewhere, on “Rabbit Island,” he grinds the notion of Twitter beefing to dust with a sly turn of phrase and a little viciousness: “Murder always complicate, once it’s up, it’s outer space/ Niggas wanna have a kumbaya, but I can’t conversate.”

While he’s perfectly at home on the soul beats — I mean, come on — Gibbs has pretty much always been capable of sonic surfing. On the Lambo and Pops-produced “Ruthless,” he skitters across threads of a 112 classic for some not-so-repentant playboy bars. Its angelic essence is a hilarious contrast to the dutiful fuckboy bars on display. Elsewhere, he pops out on a Tony! Toni! Toné! sample for “It’s Your Anniversary,” a gleaming G-Funk track fit for low-riding and reflection. Here, he flips the tender backdrop and the song title’s implied sentimentality into a celebration of a dead enemy, infusing the cut with some of his customarily inventive gunplay: “It’s the ‘caine train, hundred percent, fresh off the lip / Chopper shot wet, nothin’ but net, I hear the swish.”

Tucked away on “It’s Your Anniversary” is both a career update and an intriguing self-classification: “Lately, I’ve been focused on movies and not the music/ Underrated, but I still feel like I ain’t got shit to prove.” On one hand, yes, Freddie’s been diving into some new things. He’s done movies. He’s even tried standup comedy. Re: the latter bar: It feels disingenuous to call Gibbs underrated. If he is, he’s the designated “most underrated” guy — the person who’s been called that so many times he’s not even underrated anymore. Think 2019 Mike Conley or Jrue Holiday now. Every couple years, he’ll pop out to remind folks he’s not to be fucked with his raps are self-contained arguments for a peerless skillset. He’s not a transformational cultural force like his more lauded contemporaries, but his consistency is its own form of transcendence. You Only Live 1nce reups on the tradition.

The new album’s comical devil skits don’t add much, and personally, I preferred the regional sonic variance Soul Sold Separately, even if the beats and rhymes here coalesce the way they should. This one feels like a lower-stakes Alfredo — pretty fire, all things considered. The album continues Gibbs’ history of rendering greatness into a casual routine. Even if he doesn’t have anything left to prove, albums like You Only Live 1nce always make their point.

COLD AS ICE

ROAST ME

How it feels hearing Westside Gunn talk about cooking crack in the air fryer pic.twitter.com/ixQD4E5glO

— Steez⁴⁷ (@Steez_HH) November 13, 2024