You Only Die 1nce

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Aside from a few stray comedy bits involving the devil, there’s nothing terribly frightening about Freddie Gibbs’ Halloween 2024 drop <i>You Only Die 1nce</i>. Still, coming some two years after 2022’s lauded major-label venture <i>$oul $old $eparately</i>, his long-awaited follow-up proves quite the treat for devotees of the Midwest-bred MC’s razor-sharp raps. From its tangent-following opener “Status” on, he feeds the fanbase with reliably reckless and resonant bars. His penchant for going hard over laidback beats persists here, via the pot-scraped narratives of “Brick Fees” and the violent world-building of “Steel Doors.” Even when gunshots ring out on the 454-produced “Walk It Off,” he’s cool, calm, and collected, singing as much as rapping his way through the narco tale. Acknowledging some of the tabloid fodder that makes its way to his social media, “It's Your Anniversary” brushes off baby-mama drama and scoffs at rappers too shook to collab with him. In other words: This is pure Freddie Kane.

via Apple Music