Review by Lavender:
Freddie Gibbs is a critically lauded rapper who has been at it for a full 15 years at this point. He broke through in the 2010s on the back of great collaborative records with legendary producer Madlib like Pinata and Bandana. He's continued a run of solid projects into the 2020s, garnering acclaim for his 2020 crossover with The Alchemist Alfredo and more acclaim, from me at least, for 2022's $oul $old $eperately. So when he surprise announced a new solo album last week I had no reason to think it would be anything less than solid. And that's pretty much the expectation that You Only Die 1nce lives up to.
One of the best parts of this record are the instrumentals. Tracks here serve up dreamy blends of fluttering keys and vintage soul that create a great palette for introspection. "30 Girlfriends" is a great example where Freddie takes on this relaxed instrumental with an impressive series of flows that don't require him to up the intensity too much. "Brick Fees" is another good example of Freddie getting into his own personal narrative over a great instrumental. He discusses his life before the fame and some of the difficult decisions he had to make during that time and even though it's a common motif for rap songs, he makes it his own.
Surprisingly though, given how many of these songs have a relaxed demeanor, Freddie doesn't really hone in that tightly on storytelling and there's a lot of tracks here lacking thematic focus. "Origami" is a pretty good example because it's one of the more serious songs here and I actually like it a lot especially with the breathy intimate vocal samples. Freddie can't help but be himself at a few points on the song though, weaving in jokes and silly sex bars that do sort of rock the foundation of the song's poise. Closing track "On The Set" feels like a more general evaluation of the past year of rap news. Freddie begins by analyzing how his thoughts about Diddy have changed over the years before mourning Rich Homie Quan and spinning a pretty compelling chorus about how people go back on their promises to take care of your people after you die.
In contrast to those moments, early on the record Freddie is more inclined to dial it in and spit some bars. "Cosmo Freestyle" is the first full song on the record and it's a straight-up bar fest with a thumping beat weaving together some old school soul stylings highlighted by a killer bassline. That leads immediately into "Wolverine" which is just a brief two minutes but Freddie is locked in throughout. While his cadence and flows are certainly familiar at this point, that doesn't make it any less impressive when he nails them.
One problem I do have with this record is the way it actually attempts to tie things together thematically. It has this recurring devil character who talks with Freddie and basically represents all of temptation, with the only problem being that he's supremely annoying and none of his jokes hit. So when a decent song ends with one to these stupid outros or the flow and momentum of the tracklist is interrupted by a meaningless interlude similar to the scourge of skits on rap records from the 2000s, it's easy to remember how simple it would have been to not to any of this.
In combination with underwhelming cuts like "It's Your Anniversary" which cuts its solid verses with a total flop of a hook and rambling outro, or "Steel Doors" which tries to dial up the intensity but just ends up standing out in all the wrong ways, those skits help keep You Only Die 1nce from living up to its full potential. Yet despite its flaws, consistently strong production and Freddie's bassline of talent prop up much of the record and make it one worth hearing, even if it feels far from essential. 6.5/10
For more rap, check out my review of Tyler, The Creator's CHROMAKOPIA
