

In a bizarre turn of events, Gucci Mane actually audibly raps on "Ten Times" displaying that its simply put up or shut up on a Gibbs track, as he’s been prone to dominate (listen to “Scottie Pippen” by Curren$y for a straight up murder.) The undeniable consistency of these jams are what makes Shadow of a Doubt the most impressive release of his still young career, and we haven’t even finished. Banking off the success of “Pinata,” Freddie goin’ in on the raw produced pre-released track “Extradite” reveals more versatility from the midwest home invader and with the help of a perfectly placed hook cameo from rising trap star Tory Lanez, “Mexico” delivers one of Freddie's most polished choruses. Gibbs seems so ridiculously comfortable out of his comfort zone, as he melodically spits his way from each verse into the stunning chorus. The group of tracks 3-9 are as consistent as possible, as the catchy as hell Careless proves to be the best work of Gibbs' career. A decent opener, but leaves a lot more to be desired. On opening track “Rearview,” Freddie establishes his powerful presence in the gangsta rap world as early as possible. In short, Gangsta Gibbs pistol whips you and takes your wallet with SOD. That lick became a pound, as Shadow of a Doubt is unquestionably Freddie's hardest release to date. Leading into 2015, we got a glimpse of things to come with the production behemoth Pronto EP (seriously, listen to "Diamonds") and the Kaytranda collab "Dopehouse." Both of those releases revealed that Freddie Gibbs was still Freddie Cane Freddie Corleone at heart, but now is more of a father of the game (whilst giving birth to his first child, Irie.) But us junkies were still knockin on Gibbs' multi lock door, beggin for a new lick. A classic collaboration with one of hip hops behind the boards legend Madlib not only drew critical acclaim, but truly showed just how versatile he is. Review Summary: Gangsta Gibbs leaves no Shadow of a Doubt.Ģ014 was a huge year for Gary, Indiana's own Freddie Gibbs.
