Piñata

Piñata paired Freddie Gibbs, the street rapper from Gary, Indiana, with Madlib, the cult producer from Oxnard, California. The cover shows Gibbs sitting in a neighbourhood park in a black Adidas tracksuit, framed by a loud zebra-print border that turns an ordinary snapshot into something out of a 1970s blaxploitation poster.

The cover photograph is credited to Peter Beste, the Houston photographer best known for his books documenting Norwegian black metal and the Houston rap scene, with further photography by Matthew Scott. Beste's documentary eye keeps Gibbs relaxed and unposed, while the border carries the album's love of vintage soul and film.

Piñata was released on 18 March 2014 on Madlib's label Madlib Invazion. It was quickly hailed as one of the best rap albums of the decade, and Gibbs and Madlib followed it with Bandana in 2019.