I’ve not been this excited for a new album in a long time. Yesterday, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib announced their new album Bandana would drop on 28th June. Egon of Now Again originally set a release date for 2020 so they’re ahead of schedule (a rarity for a Madlib joint).
To promote it, we have a new video. Crime Pays sees Gibbs on a ranch living the good outdoor life. What I love the most is how far removed the subject is from Gibbs’ gangster persona. He said himself that Madlib had pushed him out of his comfort zone on the previous album and this is a fine example of it. In the mid-section of the video, the music stops and Gibbs orders his ranch hands around with a business-like mantra about it being Monday.
But despite all the wading in mountain lakes and nakedness on the plains (don’t worry, he’s covered by a luxurious-looking dressing gown), we get back to the gangster we know and love. I won’t say how as that’ll spoil the video but watch until the end. And can I just say – the zebra motif is fantastic. It has an exotic nature but with a sense of docility. 10/10 on the aesthetic.
Stream Crime Pays below.