Do you know what the hardest part of getting older is? Finding new music to connect to. There will come a point where you in almost every situation will lean on the old faithfuls. Feeling melancholy about that girl that won’t pay you any attention? Nothing hits quite like “Passing Me By.” Wanna dance? “Get Low” still gets asses to the dance floor…quickly. The point is this: it has become increasingly difficult to connect with Rap/Hip-Hop as presently constituted. That was until I found Freddie Gibbs.
Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana is another one of those unfortunate Midwest cities along the “rust belt” like Buffalo, New York, or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that boomed with industry during World War II. However, as those industries dried up post-World War II, it was crime, and drugs that became the most prevalent.
Freddie Gibbs emerged from Gary’s music scene in the early aughts. He’s the biggest thing to come out of Gary since Jesse Powell. On your first listen one might dismiss him as just another gangster rapper. I know I did, though the Huey P. Newton tattoo on his back gives me pause. His initial catalog is brimming with tales of guns, drugs, and loose women. Naturally, he reps Gary fervently throughout all of his earlier work.
His videos during that time featured many of the sights of his beloved city that the initiated will find familiar. There’s the Sharks on Broadway, the water tower on 19th & Madison (presently being demolished,) and 2300 Jackson St just to name a few. You’ll find an unrelenting pride from the sons and daughters of Gary, even in the midst of reeling from the drugs that saturated the region during the 80s. I know because I’m from Gary too.
Discovery
I’m going to go out on a limb and say middle-aged men as a whole aren’t shopping for new gangster rappers to follow at this point in the game. Officially, 50 Cent was the last one for me. Get Rich or Die Trying dropped in 2003 and the 23-year-old me was excited because of the massive buzz. Fast forward to 2010 I had never even heard of Freddie Gibbs. A coworker of mine when he hears that I am from Gary refers me to a video online featuring Gibbs.
He is telling a story about Michael Jackson and it’s really funny. But can he rap? I look into it but just barely. I’m not convinced. Another 9 years pass by and Bandana hits the streets to critical acclaim. I’m now 40; still, I slumber. Just a few days ago and a Facebook friend mentions Freddie Gibbs as someone who is at the absolute apex of the rap game. Alright, universe. That’s quite enough. I hear you loud and clear.
The Lab
I started my research with a playlist of gems from his various projects. The best part about discovering him at this point in his career is that he has a lot of material out. iTunes has upward of 15 albums for one to purchase. There is so much to like about this guy. First, he rides the beat like a young Snoop Doggy Dogg. Freddie Gibbs essentially surfs across a beat. It is never more evident than on “Gat Damn,” a mellow groove with a jazzy bassline and breezy violins.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say Freddie Gibbs can sing nor hold a tune. You’ve undoubtedly heard Pharrell Williams and he can’t sing either but somehow, someway he does a whole lot of it and it doesn’t sound corny. Gibbs is the exact same. He has been really careful all this time to stay away from that rapid-fire “syllable” rap that has been made famous by the Midwest underground (Twista, BONE, Psychodrama). Do not get it twisted though, as he seems right at home there too as shown on tracks like “BFK.”
Though he top to bottom is a talented and capable MC if you check the trajectory of his career he really begins to hit his stride when he is paired with his muse Madlib. Check for the Pinata and Bandana albums. Madlib with his soul-heavy production is the perfect compliment to Gibbs’ sharp lyricism. For one of the most impressive displays of flow I’ve ever heard check for Bandana’s Situations where he tapdances across Madlib’s production like Gregory Hines. The changes in tempo and flow are downright impressive.
The Connection
Freddie Gibbs and I are from the same city but in the same way that Barbara Streisand and Jay-Z are from the same neighborhood. The nicks, dimes, and gang banging that are so often referenced in his rhymes were the type of thing that just never stuck to me. They were always right there but just not me. Alas, I find myself on the dark side of 40 delving into a genre that I thought I left behind more than 10 years ago.
Freddie Gibbs is 135% worthy! He doesn’t resemble at all that new school of Hip-Hop that dominates the radio. He is cut under the old law where lyrics and dope beats are equal parts important. I am as well. He and I are connected by virtue of that more so than where we come from. Unfortunately, I slept on him for years. I am now enlightened.
Gibbs is a rising star and should be mentioned among the Drakes, Migos, and Futures. Perhaps he’s on the way to being the next big thing. The thing that has brought me here though, underneath it all, is that my brother in proximity speaks a language that is unique to us. I’ve heard his message and I’m here to bring the gospel to the people. Listen to his most recent collab album with The Alchemist titled Alfredo below.
