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Alfredo(album)

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Alfredo
Studio albumby
Freddie GibbsandThe Alchemist
ReleasedMay 29, 2020
GenreHip hop
Length35:05
Label
ProducerThe Alchemist
Freddie GibbsandThe Alchemistchronology
Fetti
(2018) 		Alfredo
(2020)
Freddie Gibbschronology
Bandana
(2019) 		Alfredo
(2020) 		Soul Sold Separately
(2022)
The Alchemistchronology
Lulu
(2020) 		Alfredo
(2020) 		Haram
(2021)
SinglesfromAlfredo
  1. "1985"
    Released: May 28, 2020

Alfredois a collaborative studio album by American rapperFreddie Gibbsand American hip hop producerThe Alchemist.It was released on May 29, 2020, through Gibbs' own record label ESGN Records, as well as ALC Records andEmpire Distribution.

The album is the first project between only Gibbs and The Alchemist, as it also marks the second time they have collaborated on a full-length project, following 2018'sFettiwith fellow rapperCurrensy.It featuresguest appearancesfrom fellow rappersRick Ross,Benny the Butcher,Tyler, the Creator,andConway the Machine.It was nominated forBest Rap Albumat the2021 Grammy Awards.

Background

[edit]

The Alchemist and Gibbs first worked together as early as 2003–2004. However, nothing from that period was released.[1]Their first official collaboration was in April 2011 on theCurrensyand Alchemist song "Scottie Pippen", which Gibbs was featured on.[1]In October 2018, the trio released a collaborative album titledFetti.[2]

Title and artwork

[edit]

The title is a portmanteau of The Alchemist and Gibbs' names.[3]Thealbum cover,designed by Vlad Sepetov, shows a hand puppeteering aFettuccine Alfredodish. It draws similarities to the logo of renowned crime film franchiseThe Godfather.[4][5]

Release and promotion

[edit]

On May 27, 2020, Gibbs and The Alchemist announced the release of new music via social media, before confirming the collaborative project shortly after.[6][7]The announcement came alongside the option for pre-ordering the album in digital and physical format, including a comic book stylized based on the album.[8]

The first single, "1985", was released a day before the album, alongside an accompanying music video directed by Nick Walker.[7][9]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic88/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Clash9/10[12]
Exclaim!9/10[13]
HipHopDX4.5/5[14]
The Line of Best Fit9.5/10[15]
Loud and Quiet8/10[16]
No Ripcord8/10[17]
Pitchfork8.0/10[18]
Q[19]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((1-star Honorable Mention))[20]

Alfredowas met with widespread critical acclaim. AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received anaveragescore of 88, based on nine reviews.[10]

Jack Bray ofThe Line of Best Fitpraised the album, stating, "It's an incredibly tight record packed with stellar performances, production and presence throughout. The blood, sweat and tears of hip-hop run through the album, but Gibbs has once again redefined what that means".[15]Josh Svetz fromHipHopDXenjoyed the album, saying, "Alfredois a master class in rap — 35 minutes of cutthroat bars that feel like 15, leaving you hungry for another course. In a world where the basic function of waking up feels like a chore, Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist have served up a dish of quick comfort food packed with essential nutrients included ".[14]Reviewing the album forClash,Robin Murray stated: "Alfredoexcels on every front, a record that fuses a thirst for fresh innovation with a depth of love for hip-hop and rap music that is almost unparalleled. Pretty much an instant classic, it's the sound of Freddie Gibbs finally bursting free, working with tour de force production to surge past expectations and claim his place at the absolute pinnacle. "[12]Juan Edgardo Rodríguez ofNo Ripcordgave a positive review, stating, "Gibbs is a masterful curator who knows who to match his flows with, like on God is Perfect and Look at Me, splicing soul loops, movie clips, and inventive beats etched into his gruff vocals. The beats are an attraction in itself, but make no mistake: they wouldn't be as good if Gibbs weren't behind the mic spitting his poetic yet matter-of-fact observations".[17]

Clayton Tomlinson ofExclaim!said, "The current king of rap manages, yet again, to offer a searing insight into his life, past and present. The songs onAlfredoare fun even when the themes aren't ".[13]Pitchforkcritic Matthew Ismael Ruiz said, "Gibbs skates over these beats, effortlessly gliding in and out of the pocket. Even the moments of stark contrast feel natural".[18]Writing forAllMusic,Andy Kellman felt that "Whether Alchemist transmutes glacial boom-bap and trawling acid nightmares or spiritual soft rock and tear-jerking soul, Gibbs makes it all work to his benefit".[11]Rupert Howe ofQsaid, "The melodic flow of Alchemist's beats perfectly offsets his partner's raw, unfiltered delivery".[19]

Year-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings ofAlfredo
Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 20 Best Rap Albums of 2020
6
[21]
Complex The Best Albums of 2020
4
[22]
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2020
15
[23]
The Fader The 50 Best Albums of 2020
15
[24]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2020
34
[25]
 The Best Music of 2020
9
[26]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2020
44
[27]
Spin The 30 Best Albums of 2020
16
[28]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2020
18
[29]
Under the Radar Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020
59
[30]

Industry awards

[edit]
Awards and nominations forAlfredo
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2021 Grammy Awards Best Rap Album Nominated [31]

Commercial performance

[edit]

In the United States,Alfredodebuted at number 15 on theBillboard200,earning 30,000album-equivalent unitsin its first week,[32]making it both Gibbs' and The Alchemist's highest-charting album to date.[4]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks produced byThe Alchemist.

Alfredotrack listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."1985"
2:32
2."God Is Perfect"
  • Tipton
  • Maman
3:59
3."Scottie Beam" (featuringRick Ross)
4:04
4."Look at Me"
  • Tipton
  • Maman
2:33
5."Frank Lucas" (featuringBenny the Butcher)
4:41
6."Something to Rap About" (featuringTyler, the Creator)
4:42
7."Baby Shit"
  • Tipton
  • Maman
3:36
8."Babies & Fools" (featuringConway the Machine)
3:26
9."Skinny Suge"
  • Tipton
  • Maman
2:52
10."All Glass"
  • Tipton
  • Maman
2:33
Total length:35:05
Vinyl bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Daddy Loves You"
  • Tipton
  • Maman
1:18
Total length:36:23

Notes

  • "Baby Shit" is stylized as "Baby $hit"

Sample credits

  • "Scottie Beam" contains a sample of "Alone (Reprise)", performed by Wee and written by Norman Virgil Whiteside.
  • "Something to Rap About" contains samples from "On Love", written by D. Walker.

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Freddie Gibbs' social media.

  • Ben "Lambo" Lambert – creative direction
  • Rich Gains – engineering
  • Vlad Sepetov – art direction
  • Mike "Deadly Mike" Del Mundo – original illustration
  • Eddie Sancho – mixing
  • Joe Laporta – mastering
  • Vic Wainstein – additional engineering (track 6)

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance forAlfredo
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (UltratopFlanders)[33] 145
Canadian Albums(Billboard)[34] 76
USBillboard200[35] 15
USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums(Billboard)[36] 12

References

[edit]
  1. ^abSetaro, Shawn (May 29, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist Break Down New Album 'Alfredo'".Complex.RetrievedJuly 8,2020.
  2. ^Hopkins, Anna (September 27, 2018)."Freddie Gibbs & Currensy to Drop 'Fetti' Album on Halloween".XXL.RetrievedJuly 8,2020.
  3. ^Suarez, Gary (June 4, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs And The Alchemist's 'Alfredo' Perfects The Rap Duo Recipe".NPR.RetrievedJune 24,2020.
  4. ^abJohnson, Patrick (June 19, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist 'Alfredo' Interview".Hypebeast.RetrievedJune 24,2020.
  5. ^Rose, Jordan (May 29, 2020)."Stream Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist's Latest Project 'Alfredo'".Complex.RetrievedJune 24,2020.
  6. ^Eustice, Kyle (May 28, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist Drop Surprise 'Alfredo' Album Stream".HipHopDX.RetrievedMay 28,2020.
  7. ^abBreihan, Tom (May 28, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist Announce Surprise Album 'Alfredo', Share First Single" 1985 ": Listen".Stereogum.RetrievedMay 28,2020.
  8. ^Johnson, Patrick (May 28, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist 'Alfredo' Comic Book".Hypebeast.RetrievedMay 28,2020.
  9. ^Findlay, Mitch (May 28, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist Lay Waste To" 1985 "".HotNewHipHop.RetrievedJune 2,2020.
  10. ^ab"Alfredo by Freddie Gibbs Reviews and Tracks".Metacritic.RetrievedJuly 17,2020.
  11. ^abKellman, Andy."Alfredo – The Alchemist, Freddie Gibbs".AllMusic.RetrievedJune 11,2020.
  12. ^abMurray, Robin (June 1, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo".Clash.RetrievedJune 2,2020.
  13. ^abTomlinson, Clayton (June 1, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs Proves He's One of the Best Around on Alchemist Collaboration 'Alfredo'".Exclaim!.RetrievedJune 2,2020.
  14. ^abSvetz, Josh (June 1, 2020)."Review: Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist's 'Alfredo' Is A Premium Hip Hop Offering".HipHopDX.RetrievedMay 2,2020.
  15. ^abBray, Jack (June 5, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist's next collaborative effort changes the game entirely".The Line of Best Fit.RetrievedJune 5,2020.
  16. ^Cashin, Cal (June 16, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo – Review".Loud and Quiet.RetrievedJune 16,2020.
  17. ^abRodríguez, Juan Edgardo (July 9, 2020)."Quick Takes (June 2020) – Music Feature".No Ripcord.RetrievedJuly 11,2020.
  18. ^abRuiz, Matthew Ismael (June 3, 2020)."Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist: Alfredo Album Review".Pitchfork.RetrievedJune 3,2020.
  19. ^abHowe, Rupert (August 2020). "Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist: Alfredo".Q.No. 414. p. 107.
  20. ^Hull, Tom(June 9, 2020)."Music Week".Tom Hull – on the Web.RetrievedJune 20,2020.
  21. ^Glicksman, Josh (December 10, 2020)."The 20 Best Rap Albums of 2020: Staff Picks".Billboard.RetrievedDecember 12,2020.
  22. ^Gee, Andre (December 1, 2020)."The Best Albums of 2020".Complex.RetrievedDecember 1,2020.
  23. ^Morawitz, Owen (December 2, 2020)."Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2020".Exclaim!.RetrievedDecember 2,2020.
  24. ^Elder, Sajae."The 50 best albums of 2020".The Fader.RetrievedDecember 15,2020.
  25. ^Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (December 18, 2020)."The 50 best albums of 2020: the full list".The Guardian.RetrievedDecember 19,2020.
  26. ^Petrusich, Amanda(November 27, 2020)."The Best Music of 2020".The New Yorker.RetrievedNovember 27,2020.
  27. ^Scarano, Ross (December 8, 2020)."The 50 Best Albums of 2020".Pitchfork.RetrievedDecember 9,2020.
  28. ^Bell, Max (December 10, 2020)."The 30 Best Albums of 2020".Spin.RetrievedDecember 10,2020.
  29. ^Helman, Peter (December 1, 2020)."The 50 Best Albums of 2020".Stereogum.RetrievedDecember 1,2020.
  30. ^Redfern, Mark (January 15, 2021)."Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020".Under the Radar.RetrievedJanuary 31,2021.
  31. ^Warner, Denise (March 14, 2021)."Here Are All the Winners From the 2021 Grammy Awards".Billboard.RetrievedMarch 15,2021.
  32. ^Caulfield, Keith (June 4, 2020)."Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica' on Course for No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200 Chart".Billboard.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
  33. ^"Ultratop.be – Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  34. ^"Freddie Gibbs Chart History (Canadian Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  35. ^"Freddie Gibbs Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  36. ^"Freddie Gibbs Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved June 9, 2020.
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