The Alchemist & Freddie Gibbs Announce ALFREDO 2 w/mini-film
The duo returns 5 years after their Grammy-nominated debut. This time things are Japan-themed. Watch their movie & hear the new single
5 years after their critically acclaimed team-up under the all-too-clever moniker Alfredo, top-tier lyricist, Freddie Gibbs, and super-producer, The Alchemist, are back with the sequel. The Grammy-nominated debut had a mafioso aesthetic, complete with an Italian restaurant-themed online merch shop selling everything from a red & white branded cap (“we deliver”) and satin jacket to a comic book featuring Marvel Comics artist “Deadly Mike” Del Mundo.
Alfredo 2 is slated for a July 25th release date and carries the organized crime theme forward into Japan and, more specifially, the Yakuza. The new merch is already in the online shop, and it’s just as bananas as the first time around, with new apparel, another comic book, and posters. There are even vinyl and merch bundles being offered. Don’t be surprised if additional items drop at a later date, as the first Alfredo release did that as time went on.
The Deadly Mike cover art from the debut has been updated from a plate of pasta to a bowl of ramen to match the new direction. This time around, there are four cover variants: The standard, a “comic” art cover, one with cash being strewn through a pasta maker, and one with an obi that’s made to look like a laserdisc. Turntable Lab and Spotify Fans First variants will include the pasta cover art. The laserdisc cover mirrors the art for a new Alfredo film that was just screened last night in Los Angeles.
The press release elaborates:
“Earlier this week, fans were caught off guard by cryptic signage with many wondering about a follow-up album to the critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated Alfredo. Yesterday, a select number of fans arrived at Los Angeles’ Brain Dead Studios cinema for a special advance screening of Alfredo: The Movie. Today, Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist deliver on the rumors with the official announcement of Alfredo 2 paired alongside opening track “1995” and the release of the short film.”
“Directed by Nick Walker and shot on location in Japan, Alfredo: The Movie offers a cryptic glimpse into the Alfredo 2 world. Equal parts yakuza noir and Ghost Dog, the film casts Gibbs and The Alchemist as partners navigating a seedy, hyper-stylized version of the city’s criminal underground.”
A frequent collaborator, Nick Walker was previously tapped to direct the video for the song “1985” off the first release. You can check out the Alfredo 2 opener, “1995” and view the Alfredo: The Movie below. Head to alfredostokyo.com NOW to scoop something up before everything is devoured by hype beasts.