Bandana (album)

During Madlib's talk with Red Bull Music Academy on May 7, 2016, he announced that he and Freddie Gibbs will be releasing a second collaborative studio album called Bandana.{{cite web|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2016/05/freddie-gibbs-madlib-announce-bandana-album/|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib Announce 'Bandana' Album|work=XXL|last=Coleman II|first=C. Vernon|date=May 8, 2016|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630085943/https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2016/05/freddie-gibbs-madlib-announce-bandana-album/|archive-date=June 30, 2019|url-status=live}} On May 11, 2019, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib announced that Bandana will be the second installment of a planned trilogy, following Piñata, and that the third project will be called Montana.{{cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-say-bandana-drops-june-announce-follow-up-montana-news.79907.html|title=Freddie Gibbs & Madlib's "Bandana" Drops in June, Follow-Up Album Revealed|website=HotNewHipHop|author=Aron A.|date=May 12, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630085944/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-say-bandana-drops-june-announce-follow-up-montana-news.79907.html|archive-date=June 30, 2019|url-status=live}}

Gibbs has described the album as a "manifesto", stating that he wrote the majority of his lyrics while incarcerated and expecting to "go away for ten years". His lyrical content on the album has been described as "veer[ing] between cynicism and empathy".{{cite web|url=https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/classic-pairing-freddie-gibbs-madlib/|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib: A classic pairing|work=Crack|last=Kane|first=David|date=September 26, 2019|access-date=October 17, 2022}}

The day after the album's release, Madlib tweeted that he made all the beats for Bandana on his iPad.{{cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/madlib-says-the-beats-on-bandana-were-produced-using-an-ipad-news.84519.html|title=Madlib Says The Beats On "Bandana" Were Produced On An iPad|website=HotNewHipHop|last=Ch|first=Devin|date=June 29, 2019|access-date=October 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024185438/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/madlib-says-the-beats-on-bandana-were-produced-using-an-ipad-news.84519.html|archive-date=October 24, 2019|url-status=live}}

Gibbs and Madlib released the lead single "Flat Tummy Tea" on February 20, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2019/02/20/freddie-gibbs-madlib-flat-tummy-tea|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib reunite on "Flat Tummy Tea"|website=The Fader|last=Renshaw|first=David|date=February 20, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713005520/https://www.thefader.com/2019/02/20/freddie-gibbs-madlib-flat-tummy-tea|archive-date=July 13, 2019|url-status=live}} A titular non-album single, "Bandana" featuring the dancehall artist Assassin, was released on March 5, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2019/03/freddie-gibbs-madlib-bandana-project-title-track|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib Share 'Bandana' Project's Title Track|website=Complex|date=March 5, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019}}

On May 28, 2019, the official album cover was revealed, featuring Madlib's animated alter-ego Quasimoto wearing a bandana around his neck and sitting on a zebra as they watch buildings in Hollywood being set on fire.{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/heres_the_cover_art_for_freddie_gibbs_and_madlibs_bandana|title=Here's the Cover Art for Freddie Gibbs & Madlib's 'Bandana'|work=Exclaim!|last=Slingerland|first=Calum|date=May 28, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019}} On May 30, the second single "Crime Pays" was released along with the album's release date being confirmed for June 28.{{cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-drop-crime-pays-and-announce-bandana-release-date-new-song.1983184.html|title=Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Drop "Crime Pays" & Announce "Bandana" Release Date|work=HotNewHipHop|author=Aron A.|date=May 30, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630085946/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-drop-crime-pays-and-announce-bandana-release-date-new-song.1983184.html|archive-date=June 30, 2019|url-status=live}}

The third single, "Giannis" featuring rapper Anderson .Paak, was released on June 13, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/listen-to-freddie-gibbs-madlib-and-anderson-paak-new-song-giannis/|title=Listen to Freddie Gibbs, Madlib, and Anderson .Paak's New Song "Giannis"|work=Pitchfork|last=Strauss|first=Matthew|date=June 13, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630085945/https://pitchfork.com/news/listen-to-freddie-gibbs-madlib-and-anderson-paak-new-song-giannis/|archive-date=June 30, 2019|url-status=live}}

Released in December 2019, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib performed a short set for the NPR Tiny Desk series, backed by New York soul band El Michels Affair. The following year, they joined El Michels Affair at their Long Island City studio to record The Diamond Mine Sessions, three new versions of tracks for Amazon Music.{{cite web|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/freddie-gibbs-madlib-amazon.html|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib Release Amazon Music Exclusive 'The Diamond Mine Sessions'|website=Okayplayer|last=Threadcraft|first=Torry|date=May 14, 2020|access-date=March 12, 2021}}

{{Album ratings

| ADM = 8.1/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/9959/Freddie-Gibbs-and-Madlib-Bandana.aspx|title=Bandana by Freddie Gibbs and Madlib reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701103637/http://anydecentmusic.com/review/9959/Freddie-Gibbs-and-Madlib-Bandana.aspx|archive-date=July 1, 2019|url-status=live}}

| MC = 88/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/bandana/freddie-gibbs|title=Bandana by Freddie Gibbs Reviews and Tracks|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408135147/https://www.metacritic.com/music/bandana/freddie-gibbs|archive-date=April 8, 2020|url-status=live}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bandana-mw0003287660|title=Bandana – Freddie Gibbs, Madlib|publisher=AllMusic|last=Kellman|first=Andy|access-date=July 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726223105/https://www.allmusic.com/album/bandana-mw0003287660|archive-date=July 26, 2019|url-status=live}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = B+{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-go-2-for-2-with-the-head-spinn-1835833792|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib go 2 for 2 with the head-spinning Bandana|work=The A.V. Club|last=Purdom|first=Clayton|date=June 26, 2019|access-date=June 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626164516/https://music.avclub.com/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-go-2-for-2-with-the-head-spinn-1835833792|archive-date=June 26, 2019|url-status=live}}

| rev3 = Consequence

| rev3score = A−{{cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/07/album-review-freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana/|title=Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Deliver a Knockout on the Hard-Hitting Bandana|work=Consequence|last=Thiessen|first=Christopher|date=July 3, 2019|access-date=July 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709213849/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/07/album-review-freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana/|archive-date=July 9, 2019|url-status=live}}

| rev4 = Exclaim!

| rev4score = 9/10{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/freddie_gibbs_and_madlib-bandana|title=Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: Bandana|work=Exclaim!|last=Mullin|first=Kyle|date=June 28, 2019|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630020209/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/freddie_gibbs_and_madlib-bandana|archive-date=June 30, 2019|url-status=live}}

| rev5 = Financial Times

| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/7ef3ef58-9731-11e9-9573-ee5cbb98ed36|title=Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: Bandana — a richly detailed follow-up|work=Financial Times|last=Hunter-Tilney|first=Ludovic|date=June 28, 2019|access-date=June 28, 2019|url-access=subscription}}

| rev6 = The Guardian

| rev6score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/28/freddie-gibbs-madlib-bandana-review|title=Freddie Gibbs & Madlib: Bandana review – unvarnished and utterly dazzling hip-hop|work=The Guardian|last=Van Nguyen|first=Dean|date=June 28, 2019|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628173104/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/28/freddie-gibbs-madlib-bandana-review|archive-date=June 28, 2019|url-status=live}}

| rev7 = NME

| rev7score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana-review-2517335|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib – 'Bandana' review|work=NME|last=Hobbs|first=Thomas|date=June 27, 2019|access-date=November 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128033421/https://www.nme.com/reviews/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana-review-2517335|archive-date=November 28, 2019|url-status=live}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8score = 8.1/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana/|title=Freddie Gibbs / Madlib: Bandana|work=Pitchfork|last=Kearse|first=Stephen|date=June 29, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630065424/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana/|archive-date=June 30, 2019|url-status=live}}

| rev9 = Q

| rev9score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=The Dynamic Duo|journal=Q|last=Howe|first=Rupert|issue=400|date=Summer 2019|page=113}}

| rev10 = Rolling Stone

| rev10score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/freddie-gibbs-and-madlibs-bandana-853476/|title=Freddie Gibbs and Madlib's 'Bandana' Is the Sound of Two Rap Veterans at the Height of Their Powers|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Schwartz|first=Danny|date=June 28, 2019|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630051313/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/freddie-gibbs-and-madlibs-bandana-853476/|archive-date=June 30, 2019|url-status=live}}

}}

Bandana was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 88, based on 23 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Accompanied by a perfect score, Dean Van Nguyen of The Guardian described the album as "unvarnished and utterly dazzling hip-hop", highlighting Gibbs's performance and the production and direction of Madlib. Thomas Hobbs of NME labelled Bandana the "best rap album of 2019", praising Gibbs's improved lyricism compared to Piñata and Madlib's inventive use of samples: "On Bandana, Gibbs hits another level as a lyricist. He still makes an art out of violent imagery (on the potent "Flat Tummy Tea" he threatens to stab "white Jesus" with a sword), but now has developed much more of a philosophical edge, too. Gibbs' bars, with which he triumphantly talks about going from food stamps to making millions, are inspiring and have a real resilience about them." Hobbs concluded: "The chemistry between Madlib and Gibbs is perfect and there's a timelessness to these songs that will make you think of raw black cinematic worlds such as Super Fly or Truck Turner. Gibbs is basically Isaac Hayes if he could spit a hot 16, his union with Madlib proves opposites really do attract." Christopher Thiessen of Consequence saying "From beginning to end, Bandana is a perfectly-paced album. Madlib never lingers on a single musical idea as he chops samples and switches beats, often midway through songs. Meanwhile, Gibbs, an expert in flows and rhythms, glues each song together with his undaunted, straightforward performances, which offer an illusion of effortlessness".

Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! concluded that Bandana "stands on its own as one of the very best rap albums of 2019, or any other year in recent memory", praising the album's guest appearances and production. Jack Bray of The Line of Best Fit stated: "It is an exceptional modern hip-hop album unafraid of exploring the darker sides of the modern rap persona, all whilst creating a rich, textured sonic environment within which it can be best ingested."{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana-album-review|title=The new album from Freddie Gibbs & Madlib is an instant classic|work=The Line of Best Fit|last=Bray|first=Jack|date=June 26, 2019|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626200738/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/freddie-gibbs-and-madlib-bandana-album-review|archive-date=June 26, 2019|url-status=live}} Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club said, "The first record was a grower, gradually establishing itself as one of the great producer-emcee efforts of the young millennium, but Bandana seems designed to dazzle, to assert a joint legacy". Pitchfork{{'}}s critic Stephen Kearse said, "For Bandana, the pair taps into that heritage and allow themselves to be shaped by its highs and lows, its heroes and villains. Finding themselves within that slipstream of black thought and life, they plot their course on their terms. Bandana is tradition and transgression: one rapper, one producer, no limitations".

Bandana debuted on number 21 on the US Billboard 200 and number 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with 18,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.{{cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.52027/title.hip-hop-album-sales-chris-browns-indigo-debuts-at-no-1|title=Hip Hop Album Sales: Chris Brown's "Indigo" Debuts At No. 1|website=HipHopDX|last=Ivey|first=Justin|date=July 8, 2019|access-date=May 9, 2020}}

All tracks produced by Madlib.

{{Track listing

| headline = Bandana track listing

| total_length = 46:17

| title1 = Obrigado

| writer1 = {{hlist|Fredrick Tipton|Otis Jackson}}

| length1 = 0:29

| title2 = Freestyle Shit

| writer2 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson}}

| length2 = 2:28

| title3 = Half Manne Half Cocaine

| writer3 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Frank Dukes|Denzie Beagle|Winston Riley|Wilbert Williams}}

| length3 = 3:12

| title4 = Crime Pays

| writer4 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Mary Ellen Haberman|Steve Haberman}}

| length4 = 3:02

| title5 = Massage Seats

| writer5 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson}}

| length5 = 2:26

| title6 = Palmolive

| note6 = featuring Pusha T and Killer Mike

| writer6 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Terrence Thornton|Michael Render|Leon Sylvers III}}

| length6 = 4:05

| title7 = Fake Names

| writer7 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Sylvers III}}

| length7 = 3:44

| title8 = Flat Tummy Tea

| writer8 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson}}

| length8 = 2:34

| title9 = Situations

| writer9 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson}}

| length9 = 3:48

| title10 = Giannis

| note10 = featuring Anderson .Paak

| writer10 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Brandon Anderson|Sachin Dev Burman|Majrooh Sultanpuri|James Brown|Alfred James Ellis}}

| length10 = 3:18

| title11 = Practice

| writer11 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Donny Hathaway}}

| length11 = 2:54

| title12 = Cataracts

| writer12 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson}}

| length12 = 3:39

| title13 = Gat Damn

| writer13 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson}}

| length13 = 2:50

| title14 = Education

| note14 = featuring Yasiin Bey and Black Thought

| writer14 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Dante Smith|Tariq Trotter|Rahul Dev Burman}}

| length14 = 4:22

| title15 = Soul Right

| writer15 = {{hlist|Tipton|Jackson|Malcolm Catto|Jake Ferguson|Mike Burnham}}

| length15 = 3:26

}}

Samples

• "Freestyle Shit" contains a sample from "Elastic Lover", as performed by Revelation Funk.
• "Half Manne Half Cocaine" contains samples of "Gregorian", written and performed by Frank Dukes; "Dust a Sound Boy", written by Denzie Beagle, Winston Riley, and Wilbert Williams, as performed by Super Beagle; and "Graveyard Ismael", written by Dominique Di Rienzo, as performed by Alpha Centori.
• "Crime Pays" contains a sample from "Free Spirit", written by Mary Ellen Haberman and Steve Haberman, as performed by Walt Barr.
• "Massage Seats" contains a sample from "Dance Hall Pt. 1", as performed by Tenor Saw.
• "Palmolive" and "Fake Names" contain a sample from "Cry of a Dreamer", written by Leon Sylvers III, as performed by the Sylvers.
• "Flat Tummy Tea" contains a portion of the composition "Orbit", written by Kaidi Tatham, as performed by Agent K; contains samples from "Love Theme from The Godfather", as performed by Professionals; and "Different Strokes", as performed by Syl Johnson.
• "Situations" contains a vocal sample of "I Don't Give a Shit Saturday", an Instagram video by Thaddeus Matthews, or known as "The Cussing Pastor".
• "Giannis" contains samples from "Aasman Ke Neeche", written by S. D. Burman and Majrooh Sultanpuri, as performed by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar; and "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud", written by James Brown and Alfred James Ellis, as performed by James Brown.
• "Practice" contains a sample from "Make It on Your Own", written and performed by Donny Hathaway.
• "Cataracts" contains a sample from "Teach Me How", written by Norman Whiteside, as performed by Wee.
• "Education" contains a sample from "Mukti Music", written and performed by R. D. Burman.
• "Soul Right" contains a sample from "Noises and Conversations", written by Malcolm Catto, Jake Ferguson, and Mike Burnham, as performed by the Heliocentrics.

{{reflist}}

{{Freddie Gibbs}}

{{Madlib}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2019 collaborative albums

Category:Madlib albums

Category:Freddie Gibbs albums

Category:Albums produced by Madlib