The rapper Madlib described as a “new version of Tupac”
Madlib has collaborated with some of hip-hop and R&B’s biggest stars, but, out of all of them, only one reminded him of one of the greatest to ever do it. As he sees it, Freddie Gibbs operates at a similar level as Tupac Shakur.
Madlib and Gibbs, known together sometimes as MadGibbs, have released two albums together, along with five EPs. The albums, Piñata and Bandana, were released in 2014 and 2019 respectively.
While they were promoting their first album, the pair put together a press release in which they hinted at what fans could expect from the record. Madlib pointed out that his production style bears a “human feel,” which in practical terms, means his tracks aren’t entirely quantised electronically. In other words, the timing can be a bit janky.
A very particular sort of MC is needed to perform over tracks that behave in this way. “So you have to be the type of rapper,” as Madlib put it in the statement, “like [MF Doom] or Freddie, who can catch that, or else you’ll be sounding crazy.”
As for the words, Gibbs explained that he was going to reveal truly personal parts of himself on the album. “I will show you my flaws,” he said, “I’ll show you what I’ve done wrong and what I’ve fucked up at. I don’t regret shit, but I’ll show you the things I’m not proud of. I’m about to show n—as how to rap again. Everybody else is going to fall in line.”
Something about Gibbs’ approach to rap captured Madlib’s imagination, specifically reminding him of Tupac. As the producer revealed to Rolling Stone in 2013, “It’s hard to really explain in words. I look at him as a new version of 2Pac.”
Elaborating on what, exactly, he understands the similarities between Gibbs and Pac to be, Madlib highlighted Tupac’s drive to create work that was truly distinct and unique. “[Gibbs] does musically a lot of the stuff that I try to do as a producer,” he noted. “He’s capable of doing everything, but he’s interested in being original and not sounding like all the other stuff on the radio.”
As for Tupac, Madlib considered himself to be a fan of his earlier work in particular. “I’m generally not into the really popular dudes like that, but he was good,” he said. “I actually liked a lot of his older stuff—his first few albums were the best. That’s usually the case with a lot of artists.”
A year or so later, during another conversation with Rolling Stone in 2014, Madlib spoke about the level of trust that he placed in Gibbs whenever they collaborated. Despite being the producer, he was happy to let Gibbs get on with things without feeling the need to supervise him at every moment.
“I don’t have time to sit there and coach somebody that just already knows what to do, and that’s the kind of people I usually work with,” he said. “I don’t want to sit there like a babysitter.”