Two of the biggest hip-hop releases this month have been heralded as the return of ‘gangsta’ rap, a subgenre that once sat proudly at the top of the charts in the early 2000s. Rap as a genre has diversified considerably since then, branching into a ton of separate movements and in general allowing much more niche rappers to become big. ‘Oxymoron’ and ‘Pinata’, two eagerly awaited projects from unique MCs, pay tribute to early gangsta rap while updating the genre from an aesthetic point of view. So, how do they hold up?
Oxymoron’s number one problem is consistency, which is a shame as there’s so much to like on it. Schoolboy Q has one of the most memorable deliveries in recent years, his raspy squall is entirely singular and he’s become adept at switching the tone of his voice to match his lyrics, something he’s definitely improved on since his breakout ‘Habits and Contradictions’. It’s when the production matches Q’s delivery that this album really shines. Break the Bank, Man of the Year and Collard Greens are the radio singles on the album and they’re all fantastic, Break the Bank features this great hook that’s sounds like Q just messing around in the studio over the chorus but with his throaty voice it just works. Hoover Street is another track that shines, it’s a bit of an outlier in the album as the other songs on the album that feature Q’s storytelling fall a bit flat, Prescription/Oxymoron is a tiresome dirge, and it’s clear that no matter how good Q’s delivery and flow can be, he can’t get by on just that for a whole album. ‘Oxymoron’ is not a bad album by any means, there’s simply too much filler here for it to be considered great, Q is undoubtedly a magnetic presence on the mic, but at the end of the day he simply burns out on ‘Oxymoron’, proving that you can have too much of a good thing.
While consistency is what ultimately lets ‘Oxymoron’ down, it’s definitely Pinata’s biggest strength. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib have crafted an album that shines because it’s simply so focussed on nailing a particular aesthetic. Madlib’s productions have a particular shimmer to them that’s complemented by the slight growl in Gibbs voice. It also helps that Gibbs is able to do pretty much anything as a rapper, he’s equally adept at rapping double time, doing his own hook and transitioning into verses so easily it doesn’t seem like he’s even trying. The guest features on the album are also fantastic, there are no duds and most at least hold their own against Gibbs. My favourite has to be the collaboration with Danny Brown, Freda Payne’s ‘I get High’ has been sampled so many times, but Madlib manages to flip it in a pretty original way allowing each rapper enough space to do their thing. It reminds me a lot of Kush Coma in the way that its 3 minutes of two great MC’s clearly having a ton of fun with their flows. Freddie’s flow puts an emphasis on the last few syllables of each bar, and Danny Brown retaliates by spitting a verse that seems like the result of a bet on how many words you can bleed between each bar.
Both of these albums are definitely worth a listen; but after a couple of months, when we return to these two discussion will revolve around separate songs on ‘Oxymoron’ and how they were great, but with ‘Pinata’ there’s a consistency which means it becomes something more than the sum of its parts. An early contender for album of the year and a project that cements Freddie Gibbs as one of the best rappers out there.
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