It's not often that producer/rapper Madlib pairs up with a single rap artist for an entire project, the results are usually pretty damn excellent though (I'm looking at you Madvillain). And Piñata is no exception, even if Gibbs is clearly no MF DOOM. I'll admit I have this album because it's a Madlib project. Before hearing this I wasn't too familiar with "Gangster Gibbs" aside from hearing a few singles and features. And even though this album hasn't made me a huge Gibbs fan, I find that he handles himself very well over Madlib's unorthodox beats. He never sounds awkward or uncomfortable, and in many cases his verses really compliment the songs. On album highlights like Shitsville, Thuggin' and Real (all from the album's strong midway point) Gibbs changes up his flow, making these tracks some of the more memorable ones on a jam-packed 17-song album.
Another track on the album worthy of mention is the excellent and highly addictive title track Piñata, featuring the most guest appearances on the album. Out of the plethora of guests on this song, I'm only really familiar with Domo & Casey Veggies (of OFWGKTA fame) and Meechy Darko, that unmistakeable zany voice of Flatbush Zombies. Even though I'm not a fan of Domo Genesis, I think everyone on this track has some solid verses. But in the end, it's still Madlib's infectious beat that really makes this song.
Last thing I'll say about Piñata is that I really appreciate the lack of any long, boring "skits," which I was expecting on a 17-track album. Instead, what we get is a number of samples from Blaxploitation films (plus a few bits and pieces people talking, and who I'm assuming is Gibbs trying his hand at mock-singing some TLC songs) that effectively break up the tracks and keep things flowing before and after songs. The movie clips are purposeful though, as Freddie described Piñata as "a gangster Blaxploitation film on wax." That's cool. I think that it adds to the album, having a general theme running through it while never shoving that theme down the listener's throat, as is the case with many a "concept album."
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