Freddie Gibbs Is Just Getting Started
Insight into the rapper’s rising popularity
If there was one good thing that happened last year it was Freddie Gibbs finally getting the recognition he so rightfully deserves. Gibbs isn’t exactly an underground artist, rather he fits into that niche category of having a fairly sizeable following with a few big-name co-signs, but just barely reaching full mainstream attention. I can’t call myself a longtime fan of Freddie, as I only starting really listening to his music about 2 years ago, but his lyricism and beat selection caught my attention almost immediately. To be honest, I felt kind of late to the party as I went through his back catalog recently thinking to myself: “how the fuck did I not listen to this sooner?”
Well after years of consistently grinding and building his artistry, Freddie Gibbs has finally started drawing people’s attention with last year’s incredible Alfredo, and a slew of singles and guest features as well. This was no overnight success, but the result of a man with focus and determination. In this article, I’ll be giving a brief oral history of Freddie’s come-up, discussing a few of my favourite projects of his, and lastly, his personality within the rap game and social media presence. All of which have been playing a vital role in his rising success.
Straight Outta Indiana
Born June 14th, 1982 in the city of Gary Indiana, Freddie grew up on the city’s eastside. An area rife with crime, poverty, and lack of care from the city’s government. Gibbs did a stint in college, went to the army, and was discharged and worked several jobs before turning to drug dealing and pimping. Gibb’s hustler lifestyle would inspire him to pursue rapping, using his stories of selling crack, dealing with prostitutes and other competing dealers. Gibbs would become a street prophet, painting vivid pictures of the life he was forced to live much like his contemporaries such as Pusha T, Jadakiss, and Jay-Z to name a few. Having a rapper like Freddie Gibbs in the current landscape is a breath of fresh air, a lot of oldheads seemingly gravitate towards Gibbs because of his style. It emulates that of Tupac, Biggie, and other rappers from that era, but we’ll get more into his style in the following section.
After his debut mixtape, Gibbs would get his first record deal with Interscope, before being suddenly dropped from the label in 2006. He’d then start self-releasing a series of mixtapes, becoming the talk of the underground before signing with Jeezy’s label CTE in anticipation of his debut album ESGN. Following this, Gibbs would leave CTE and start his own independent label also named ESGN, where he’d release every other album on. Besides this, he also signed with Warner Records this past June.
I find it ironic how a talented artist like Gibbs hails from Gary, Indiana. This is the same town that the King of Pop Michael Jackson also grew up in as well. Call it a coincidence but it's fascinating to me how two prolific black artists, both of whom champion their respective genres could come from such a low-key city as Gary.
Album(s) of The Year
Freddie has a lot of albums under his belt for his decade-long career, but I picked three that I‘ve come to really enjoy. I feel like they all showcase Gibbs’ rapping and production at their highest potential. Freddie is one of few artists who always drops stellar albums, especially considering he’s releasing music every single year, so picking just three out of the bunch was a bit difficult. However, I’d encourage anybody to check out the rest of his work if they haven’t, as they’re all great projects in their own right. For now, let's briefly dive into these 3 albums.
Starting off with 2014’s Pinata, his first full-length collab with legendary producer Madlib. The two hinted at a potential album following a few EP’s and singles, but they finally delivered to the masses with this gem. Madlib’s use of sampling jazz, funk, and movie excerpts, alongside Gibbs’ hood stories, makes the album feel like a gritty blaxploitation film. It oozes modern-day gangster rap with bangers like “Shitsville” and “Thuggin”. The latter track sees Gibbs heavily detail his hustler lifestyle with Kanye-like confidence, before reminding listeners that he and others like him are still human, and can go at any time with the former track:
(“You wake up every day and pray before you sleep, right? You motherfuckers just like me. You shed tears when you hurting; if I cut you then you bleed, right? You motherfuckers just like me.”)
He trades bars with Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt, and Raekwon among many others. Pinata is truly one of the best rap albums of this past decade, and for good reason. It embodies the hustler lifestyle heard throughout the ’90s with the modern style of current rap thanks to Madlib’s eccentric production, just talking about Pinata alone doesn’t do it enough justice.
2017’s You Only Live 2wice was released 6 months after Gibbs was acquitted of sexual assault charges in Austria, a crime he was wrongfully accused of. While it’s a short project at just 8 tracks, it feels like a triumphant victory. As the production incorporates heavenly harmonies, low-key drums, and soothing basslines. It’s even evident through the album’s cover art, Freddie is dressed like Jesus rising above the trappings of his past life (strippers, corrupt cops, and other hustlers.). The album is a self-reflective journey as heard through tracks such as “20 Karat Jesus” and “Crushed Glass”. All of which was clearly influenced by his incarceration. Album closer “Homesick” is an emotional ode to becoming a stronger person, especially for his daughter and wife, to never end up behind bars again. Truly one of Gibbs’ most personal albums to date.
Last year Gibbs teamed up with another acclaimed rap producer, Cali’s own The Alchemist for their collab effort Alfredo (a portmanteau of Freddie and Alchemist’s names.). This album was a drastic change from the previous albums I’ve described. While the production is still sample-heavy like Pinata, it features more chill and mitigated instrumentals. Each track is soulful, and unsurprisingly, Freddie kills every track here. When I listen to Alfredo, I think of being in a classy restaurant with a mafia family, serving the finest wine and best alfredo pasta (a coincidence?). Not just because of the use of mafioso movie samples, but also Gibbs’ attitude throughout. Here, he sounds like a full-time gangster who's finally made it to the top, he’s in full control here. Gibbs flexes his gangster muscles on “God Is Perfect”, “Skinny Suge” and the Benny The Butcher assisted “Frank Lucas”. From pushing coke, gang banging, and being the boss, this is Freddie Gibbs in his true prime.
Granted he does take a step back and look at himself in the mirror as a black man in America with “Scottie Beam”. His verse is a chilling contrast to the song’s relaxed vibe as he discusses racial profiling and police brutality, and how fitting that this song and Alfredo both released during the height of the BLM protests last year. The line “The revolution is the genocide, my execution might be televised.” while simple, holds a deeper meaning about the harsh reality of seeing the tragic deaths of African American men/women at the hands of the police.
Off The Mic
I called the previous section “Album(s) of the year for a reason, as Freddie proclaims that each project he drops is the album of that year. It’s a bold statement to claim you have the best album for almost every year, but Freddie shows no signs of slowing down and always delivers 110% with everything he does. Even leading up to this year’s Grammy’s, Gibbs was selling album of the year merch for Alfredo, despite it losing to Nas’ King’s Disease, a loss he humbly accepted. He knows he’s good at what he does and isn’t afraid to remind people that he’s the best rapper alive, he’s an extremely confident person and it’s this mindset of always being the best that I believe pushes him to be such an acclaimed artist.
When it comes to his social media it’s a completely different story. If you follow Gibbs on Insta or Twitter be prepared for some of the funniest, NSFW memes and videos you’ll ever see on your timeline. Videos of fights gone horribly wrong and crackheads doing the weirdest stuff plague his IG stories with his signature caption “D’fuck?” Where he finds the stuff he posts on his stories is still a mystery but it’ll have you laughing and questioning what you’re watching. It's been so bad that he’s been removed from Instagram numerous times, so follow at your own risk. My guess is that he’s sharing all these things because in his mind, growing up hustling in Indiana, this stuff is normal and funny to him. Whereas a fan of his whose unfamiliar might find it unnerving? just my guess.
Gibbs doesn’t beef with anybody but come for him and he’ll put you in your place, a lesson that the internet’s punching bag DJ Akademiks learned quickly after calling Gibbs out on Twitter last summer. The beef was squashed before it even started thanks to Gibbs’ humourous clapbacks, even going as far to making merch of him kicking Akademiks’ ass. For the full thing click the link here to see the funny exchange.
Besides all that, Gibbs is still a humble man. He always looks back at the life he lived to get to where he is right now. It was a long struggle, but it’s paying off very well. Despite him claiming he’s the best, he almost always shows love to his competition. Gibbs cites the late great MF DOOM for inspiring him to become a better rapper when working with Madlib on Pinata as detailed in a recent interview with Mixmag:
“Rest in peace to MF DOOM. I feel like he gave me the measuring stick. He set the tone. When I was making ‘Piñata’, everyone was talking about how he did the best shit and you know the competitor in me wanted to make the better album.”
I could go on about Freddie’s current lifestyle and mentality, but for a deeper conversation into his personality, I highly recommend watching his episode on the Bootleg Kev Podcast. It's a 90 min conversation between Gibbs and the radio host where they discuss sports, the current rap game, and racial identity. A funny yet informative listen that I feel really expresses who Freddie is.
Watching Freddie Gibbs rise to success is like seeing your best friend from high school become a famous actor or successful businessman. He started from the bottom and struggled with label issues and the trappings of Gary, Indiana. He showcases his greatness throughout his discography, as he really shines on the three albums used as examples. Lastly, he’s confident to proclaim his greatness off the mic, while still remaining humble about other rappers and using social media to deter his haters and provide entertainment. As an artist whose pushing 40, in an age range where most rappers his age are slowly losing relevancy and fans, Freddie Gibbs is just getting started.
