I can't choose. The single most difficult decision in the entire first round. Two first-rate gangsta rap albums, both of which I adore as much as it is possible to adore an album. There's just very little to choose between Scarface's measured, genuinely frightening raps, delivered over a selection of deliciously syrupy, Southern fried g-funk, and Gibbs' world-weary life lessons, rapped in an immaculate flow over Madlib's stoned blaxploitation soul. I guess The Diary is the more concise, focused statement, but Scarface, despite being one of the best rappers of all-time, isn't quite capable of the lyrical somersaults that Gibbs is, though that doesn't mean one is necessarily more valid than the other. I guess for a lot of people it could come down to whether they prefer the compactness of The Diary, with it's constant mood of dread, short running time, and incessant darkness, or the sprawl of Pinata, with its willingness to discuss both the good and bad sides of life in the streets (something Scarface was also capable of, as evidenced on 2002's equally excellent The Fix). Both have a certain believability about them, an authenticity that is impossible to shake. Both offer a very human element to their stories, going far beyond mere caricature and actually capturing what it must feel like to be involved in that sort of lifestyle. Yeah, I can't choose. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
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Skinny
Hayden
