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10.0
112179
10.0 |
NME
Opposites attract on the duo's second collaborative album; experimental producer Madlib and gruff rapper Freddie Gibbs have created this year's 'Daytona'
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10.0
112193
10.0 |
The Guardian
Unvarnished and utterly dazzling hip-hop
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9.1
112288
9.1 |
Consequence Of Sound
At 14 minutes shorter than its predecessor, Bandana concentrates the grimy energy of Piñata into an even more potent punch, and the result is a knockout
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9.0
112211
9.0 |
Exclaim
One of the very best rap albums of 2019, or any other year in recent memory
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9.0
112185
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
An instant classic
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9.0
112186
9.0 |
Loud And Quiet
Another instant classic with nuance that’ll keep it there for decades
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9.0
112607
9.0 |
All Music
It's doubtless that these beats are among the producer's headiest, deep and detailed. They're creatively threaded with a head-spinning array of samples raiding popular and obscure soul and funk, reggae, Hindi thriller soundtracks, and even broken beat
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8.3
112177
8.3 |
A.V. Club
It’s 15 minutes shorter than Piñata but twice as dense, full of deep-in-the-mix flourishes that zip by and lyrical change-ups from Gibbs that unfurl in the span of a single bar
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8.2
112282
8.2 |
Paste Magazine
They compliment each other extremely well, Gibbs proving he really can rap over whatever weird left turns Madlib gives him
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8.2
112550
8.2 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
I can't conceive of a rapper-producer duo who could curb each other's most extravagant impulses more than this one; accordingly, Bandana is not a second too long, not a sample too nostalgic and not a bar too rap-heavy
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8.1
112205
8.1 |
Pitchfork
On their second album as a duo, Madlib and Freddie Gibbs pull themselves deeper into one another’s worlds
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8.0
112208
8.0 |
The Skinny
Madlib and Freddie Gibbs continue to draw the best out of each other on Bandana, the spectacular follow-up to Piñata
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8.0
112183
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
The crushing bass and dense mesh of samples and found sounds surround you like narcotic smokeThe crushing bass and dense mesh of samples and found sounds surround you like narcotic smoke
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8.0
112219
8.0 |
The FT
The pair’s second collaboration melds the LA-based producer’s ingenuity with the Indiana rapper’s dexterity
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8.0
112225
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
The hip-hop production wizard and charismatic MC team up for another head-spinning album
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8.0
112226
8.0 |
Q
For all the walks-ons, this remains a two-man show that celebrates the MC/producer relationship at the heart of hip-hop--and allows both talents to shine at their brightest levels. Print edition only
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8.0
112599
8.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Bandana continues a conversation not only between eras and between styles, but also between Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, both of whom continue to carve a path wholly their own — with little regard for what lays outside of it
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8.0
112315
8.0 |
No Ripcord
Bandana is one of the most satisfying rap records I’ve heard so far in 2019
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8.0
112329
8.0 |
The Quietus
Whilst Bandana doesn’t have Piñata’s same effortless sense of an instant classic, it has considerably more urgency and contemporary punch, also reflected in the once-again immaculate choice of collaborators
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8.0
112371
8.0 |
Spectrum Culture
Their styles are so different that when they come together, they create something they could not achieve on their own
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7.0
112289
7.0 |
The 405
There was a lot riding on this album to be a worthy successor to Piñata, and Gibbs and Madlib ended up with something that unfortunately doesn’t come close to those heights, but something that’s still worth thoughtful evaluation and plenty of discussion
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7.0
112187
7.0 |
Clash
Madlib continues to provide the backing that allows Freddie Gibbs to shine, choosing to predominantly stick to slower, authentically instrumental led soundscapes across the LP
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7.0
112204
7.0 |
Crack
At 16 tracks, it occasionally feels a touch too indulgent, but that’s easily forgiven when you wonder how many more records of this quality we might get if more of hip-hop’s key figures were as open-minded as these two
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4.0
112229
4.0 |
The Observer
What will this album be great for? Chopping up and scattering into DJ sets: verse here, chorus there
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