Five years ago, a stressed-out pandemic-summer world got a brief reprieve in the form of Alfredo, the excellent collaborative album from underground rap greats Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist. The two made for an ideal pairing, just like Gibbs and Madlib before them. Alfredo appeared on tons of year-end lists and got a surprise Best Rap Album Grammy nomination. And just like Gibbs and Madlib before them, Gibbs and Alchemist are now coming back for seconds. Next week, Gibbs and the Alchemist will release Alfredo 2 their second full-length team-up.
Today, Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist share their new single "1995," the obvious sequel to their lead Alfredo single "1985." "1995" is a lush, expansive workout that finds the two of them right back in their zone. There's nothing surprising about it, but the pillowy pianos and spacey guitar licks ornament Gibbs' agile, authoritative rasp beautifully. Gibbs and Alchemist have also shared their new 14-minute short film Alfredo: The Movie, a criminal-underworld tale that they filmed in Japan with director Nick Walker.
We haven't seen the Alfredo 2 tracklist yet, so we don't know who might be joining Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist on this new album. But a bunch of fancy, expensive Alfredo 2 bundles are up for pre-order right now, and the album has four different alternate covers. Below, check out "1995," Alfredo: The Movie, and all those different covers.
Alfredo 2 is out 7/24 on Rabbit Vision/ALC Records/Virgin.
