Wherever Freddie Gibbs goes, it seems drama soon follows. Baby mommas, rapper beefs, court cases. social media scandals – you name it, Gibbs’ got it.
But while y’all TMZ his latest moves, I’ve always been more captivated by the music.
And for the past decade, Freddie Gibbs has been rap’s saving grace.
When you think about it, hip-hop has been in a pretty good place in the past year, at least in terms of quality. Audiences who were once swayed by mumbling autotune and shallow punchlines finally seem to be demanding more from their faves.
That, children, is called growth.
But during the darkest days of hip-hop’s 2010s run, true heads could always count on Freddie Gibbs, an old soul who emphasized belligerent flows as much as he leaned on 90s R&B samples. He was a throwback to better days, but with the cockiness of a modern-day MC.
With Gibbs releasing yet another album of the year contender, I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit his entire run, ranking his solo LPs and celebrated collabo records from bottom to top.
Keep in mind that this list is studio LPs and collabs ONLY. No EPs (so no Str8 Killa or Thuggin), nor any of his mixtapes (like Cold Day in Hell, Baby Face Killa, and Freddie). We’d be here all day if I included all those.
A few years ago I claimed that Freddie Gibbs should be in the conversation for best rapper of his generation. Hip-hop Twitter scoffed.
But Gibbs keeps proving me right. Slammin’.
10. ESGN (2013)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: If this is the “worst” album in your catalog, clearly your discography is top-tier. Though it was far from the first Gibbs project (he was dropping mixtapes a full decade prior to this), Evil Seeds Grow Naturally stand as his official studio debut. And he hit the ground running. Gibbs’ aggression and natural lyricism felt like it was plucked from another era, making him an instant standout among a field of inferior 2010 acts. The project is slightly overlong and he hadn’t quite found his signature style and voice yet but it’s a fantastic intro for a man who needed no introduction by this point.
Forgotten favorites: “9mm,” “I Seen a Man Die,” “The Color Purple”
9. Fetti (2018)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: This is another good project that feels unfair to slot this low but that’s just kinda how these lists rankings work. Trust your boy, I’m a professional. Gibbs’ first collabo album with Alchemist also brought Currensy along for the ride. I wouldn’t hold my breath for a sequel anytime soon, so it’s best to appreciate what we have – and what we have is a very solid showcase of Gibbs’ and Spitta’s chemistry. It’s a brief but brazen release that marries Freddie’s frenetic energy with Currensy’s laid-back delivery. It works very well, as does Alchemist’s always-stellar production. It does take a few tracks before it finds its groove, but once the trio achieve synergy, everything clicks.
Forgotten favorites: “Now & Later Gators,” “Tapatio,” “Willie Lloyd”
8. You Only Live 2wice (2017)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Off the heels of a personally tumultuous 2016, Gibbs does what he does best – hop in the studio to unleash his pain. You Only Live 2wice is a set so brief that it feels more like a mixtape than a full-length set, but he doesn’t skimp on quality. You Only Live 2wice feels like a turning point in his career, scaling back the usual trap tales for more introspection. Family and Gibbs’ own future are big themes here and they’re delivered with the vocal ferocity fans have come to know and love. It was a different type of album for Gangsta Gibbs at the time, showing the growth that would define his career later.
Forgotten favorites: “Amnesia,” “Dear Maria,” “Crushed Glass”
7. Shadow of a Doubt (2015)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Shadow of a Doubt is the album that turned me from a causal Gibbs admirer to an outright disciple. Gibbs has always embraced hip-hop’s grimy early-90s sound, and in a decade drowning in glitzy, overproduced rap, he proved that what’s old is new again. Gangsta Gibbs’ raw, no-frills approach makes every song an event — he doesn’t control the microphone, he assaults it. In 2015, I considered this one of his greatest works. But there was so much more greatness to come.
Forgotten favorites: “F***in Up the Count,” “McDuck,” “Pronto”
6. Soul Sold Separately (2022)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Now, if I did this ranking in 2022, it’s likely that Soul Sold Separately would have been much lower on the list. Not that it’s a bad project – clearly, Gibbs doesn’t make those – but it was so far removed from what I expected that it threw me for a loop. Soul Sold Separately is a much different album than the titans that preceded it – less bleak and antagonistic – but it’s potent in its own right. It often embraces a more mainstream sound that can be jarring to Day One fans, but it’s a great showcase of Gibbs diversity, proving he can do much more than angry underground raps. It’s not the album I expected, but it’s one he needed to make – and it’s one I have greater appreciation for today.
Forgotten favorites: “Rabbit Vision,” “Gold Rings,” Zipper Bagz”
5. Alfredo (2020)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: There’s something special about an artist committing to working with just one producer for a project. Late 90s and 2000s fans certainly remember the era of the superproducer, where albums were a hodgepodge of beats created by whoever was hot at the moment. But that one band, one sound approach often makes for tighter releases. That certainly goes for Alfredo, is as rich and satisfying as its namesake. Gangsta Gibbs’ delivery is downright effortless; he scorches every single track Alchemist lays down. Guests like Rick Ross and Conway the Machine stop by and immediately raise their games – there’s no slacking when Gibbs is this fired up. Even when the momentum slightly slows near the end of the set, Gibbs’ never-ending confidence refuses to show weakness. Al and Fred prove to be a duo for the ages.
Forgotten favorites: “1985,” “Scottie Beam,” “God is Perfect”
4. Alfredo 2 (2025)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: I know, I know – y’all will probably scream “recency bias” for this placement. Trust me, I went back and forth on the placement of Alfredo 1 & 2 – they’re pretty interchangeable, which speaks to the superior quality of both sets. But while the former loses a little bit of steam on its second half, the sequel keeps the momentum rolling the entire time, never letting up. Alfredo 2 is exactly what you’d expect – and what you’d desire – as follow-up to a storied release. The production is top-tier, the collabos burst with chemistry and energy and Gibbs’ refuses to release the stranglehold he’s had on rap in the past decade. Whether you’re a fan of part one or two, you’re winning either way.
Forgotten favorites: “Lemon Pepper Steppers,” “Skinny Suge II,” “Gold Feet”
3. You Only Die 1nce (2024)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Serving as a sorta-sequel to his 2017 album, You Only Die 1nce sees Freddie in a much different place in his life. He’s enjoying the high life of Hollywood, but with those perks comes devilish temptations, which he details as only he can. That comes with heaps of soulful samples – everyone from Tony Toni Tone to 112 gets a callback – and loads of Freddie’s brutal punchlines and biting wit. His delivery is as effortless as ever, and at barely 40 minutes, it’s delivers without overstaying its welcome. It’s his best non-collabo album to date.
Forgotten favorites: “Steel Doors,” “Walk It Off,” “Ruthless”
2. Pinata (2014)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5
Edd said: Sure, many of us had already been riding with Freddie for awhile when he decided to connect with the mastermind Madlib for Pinata. But this is the moment when the hip-hop world at large stood up and took notice. Gibbs was known as a rugged and streetwise MC, but this union with Madlib raised the stakes, diversifying his soundscapes and broadening his concepts, quickly morphing him into the beast we know and love today. The production alone is monumental – from 70s soul to block bangers and all points between. Lyrically, Gibbs held nothing back, whether leaning into his breakneck-paced flow, or slowing it down for some crooning. Regardless, he never loses his stride, nor his confidence. Pinata is one of the most celebrated releases of Gibbs career, possibly his signature work. But there’s still one album better…
Forgotten favorites: “Haorld’s,” “Robes,” “S***sville”
1. Bandana (2019)
Soul In Stereo rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Edd said: There’s something extra magical about Gibbs’ and Madlib’s follow-up to Pinata. Everything is taken to the next level on Bandana – the beats hit a little bit harder, the guests bring a little more fire and Gangsta Gibbs is obsessed with proving that he’s one of the best in the world. Bandana takes everything that made Pinata work, and ramps it up to extreme levels. And I’d argue that many of Madlib’s best beats to date make their home on this project, making it truly feel like a watershed moment for both of their careers. There’s a reason why I not only named it the best album of 2019, but one of the greatest rap releases of the 2010s. Bandana is Gibbs’ best work to date, and unquestionably one of the best rap records of the modern era.
Forgotten favorites: “Crime Pays,” “Cataracts,” “Palmolive”
Now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite Gangsta Gibbs album? Pinata fans and Shadow of a Doubt stans, let your voices be heard in the comments below.
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