Former CTE records artist has a habit of making deep introspective music. Madlib has a habit of being an OCD producer who makes brilliant soulful beats that are so dope they can stand on their own without any lyrics. Together they blessed the world this year with Piñata – a project name that actually doubles as a “group” name.
Upon first listen, it’s impossible for fans to not instantly compare the production focus and playlist flow of the album to Madvillain, Madlib’s collaborative album with the ever illusion MF Doom. Piñata, however, benefits from being slightly more linear (topic wise). Gibbs rides the soulful beats on tracks like Deeper, Thuggin’ and Scarface – exploring lost love, street life and retrospective hindsight.
It’s such a dope album – from start to finish. Contributions come from the likes Raekwon, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Domo Genesis, Scarface, BJ the Chicago Kid, Ab-Soul, Casey Veggies, Meechy Darko, Mac Miller, and more. Piñata is easily my top album of year, and a must-listen for ANYONE who considers themselves a hip-hop head. Hopefully, unlike Madvillain, we don’t spend the rest of our lives waiting for a proper follow-up.
Available everywhere you cop music – A MUST LISTEN.
Note: This top 5 is solely that of Riley “Special” Wallace and doesn’t explicitly reflect the view of all aboveaveragehiphop.com’s staff and writers.
