Legendary Gary, IN rapper Freddie Gibbs and critically acclaimed producer the Alchemist have teamed up once again to create a sequel to their 2020 masterpiece Alfredo with Alfredo 2. In support of their new release, the dynamic duo hit the road with a masterfully curated tour, both aesthetically.
One of the most lyrically gifted rappers from the blog era, praised both by critics and peers alike, Freddie Gibbs has been putting out some of the best music of his career since working with the highly influential Alchemist, known for producing classic albums and records with artists such as Mobb Deep, Action Bronson, Larry June and Griselda, just to name a few. After releasing Alfredo in 2020 the saga continued as the duo dropped Alfredo II in the midst of many other classic hip-hop albums released around the same time early this year, easily making 2025 one of the greatest years in hip-hop in recent memory.
On their latest project, Gibbs and Al took a Japanese-inspired take on their album series and even put out a short film to accompany the record. With a carefully curated album rollout, the duo hit the road to promote the latest Alfredo installation, and Austin was the first Texas stop to get a taste.
With a sold out show at Austin’s Emo’s, fans were lined up around the block to see the legendary duo in action, despite there being a major music festival taking place around the city, Gibbs proved his loyal following, even amidst rumors among the crowd that the Alchemist wouldn’t be at the Austin stop of the tour.
With a stage decorated as a Ramen style restaurant with a kitchen and all, fans began to pour in, a majority of which headed straight towards the merch booth as the first act began to play. The opening acts were as well curated as the album and aesthetic surrounding it. Sven, a four piece instrumental started the show off with some smooth jazzy funky instrumentals. You could almost hear these songs being perfect for a Gibbs instrumental and they really set the tone for the Japanese theme that the show had going for it, but was a far cry away from the music that you would expect to see from an opener at a Freddie show. The fact that the audience embarrassed the band so well proved that this was a diverse crowd of not only hip-hop heads but fans of great music in general.
Shortly after Sven left the stage, the first rapper of the evening, Mavi came out to an adoring audience. The MC has been putting in work building a core fan base for almost a decade, and the fans’ admiration showed thoroughly through their incredible energy. Mavi, felt the love all around and really showed out for the audience putting his heart and soul into the show as he passionately laid down his lyrics to the crowd. It was clear he was having so much fun with his craft as he joked around with his DJ in between songs, showed positivity to the crowd and created an uplifting mood throughout the venue. You could feel anticipation raise the mood lift as Mavi left the stage with the crowd ready for more.
Before the man of the evening hit the stage, an artist by the name of Jalen Ngonda played. With a smooth, high pitched soulful voice, Jalen created an atmosphere of his sounding more like what a rapper would sample, Jalen and his band brought the sounds of the early 70s in a new and refreshing way. You could hear chatter in the crowd as fans likened him to the greats such as Mavin Gaye and Motown artists. With the backdrop of the Alfredo Japanese Restaurant, Jalen’s set felt as though it was straight out of a classic movie. Me moved the crowd with his soulful melodies, stunning guitar licks, and incredible musicianship all around. Jalen not only carried a classic sound, but also ended with a couple of classic covers as well. As Ngonda left the set you could hear the audience chatter asking for his name, making an impact on the crowd, and clearly gaining new fans from his stellar performance.
As the room went black, the man of night, the big rabbit himself hit the stage drawing a black martial arts gee and to the audiences’ delight, was joined by none other than the Alchemist himself. The duo went into some Alfredo classics beginning with“1985”. Gibbs was there to have a good time as he rapped and took shots with his onstage posse, joked with the fans, and reminisced on the music he and Al have created together.
Gibbs is a rapper’s rapper, not using any backing tracks Freddie would often lead into songs acapella with Al’s beats following. About mid way through the set Gibbs left the stage through the doors of the ramen restaurant and let the Alchemist spin on his own. Al gave the crowd some classic hip-hop tracks that he’s produced over the years and even surprised the audience with a new Mobb Deep track. But the biggest surprise came when Uncle Al hopped off the decks and gave the crowd some bars of his own from his verse on Ferraris In The Rain.
Towards the end of the song, Freddie popped back on stage now drawing a red gee as the show continued, Freddie and Al traded verses. While the set was most filled with cuts from Alfredo and Alfredo II, appropriately towards the end of the set, Gibbs gave the audience some classics from his earlier catalog as well with hits like Thuggin’ and Crime Pays. The show ended with the Alfredo II fan favorite Ensalada. The show momentarily came to a halt as the dynamic duo walked off stage, but fans wanted more as they chanted “Freddie!” over and over. Freddie and Al reappeared on stage and gave the fans what they wanted as the closed with Jean Claude and A Thousand Mountains. It was a great night to be a hip-hop fan, and music fan in general as Freddie and Al closed one for the books in Austin, TX.
I’m a photographer currently based in Austin after recently relocating from Denver, CO. I graduated from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. I love music of all genres and have been going to live shows since I was 5 years old. Some of my favorite artist currently include Freddie Gibbs, Lola Young, Ivy Lab and Knocked Loose, but that is always subject to change.
