Even with so many top-notch choices to choose from, “Rock Bottom” still remains my personal favorite from the Str8 Killa saga. It wasn’t so much the genuine expression of his methodical Catch-22 where coping with depression through substance abuse that won me over. It was more so that Gangsta Gibbs wickedly slayed a track that perfectly fit his gravely understated baritone as it was slowed down to the proper BPM to allow his flow to really highlight his full potential. Read the rest of this entry »

Be forewarned that if you’re still hungover from last night or woke up early for a wake and bake, this could/couldn’t be the video for you, as it could induce motion sickness. Our favorite Fred since Fred G. Sanford hooked up with Dan The Man – who employed a couple of 7Ds and some camera trickery referred to as “wiggle stereoscopy” – for “Serve Or Get Served” in full color. Read the rest of this entry »

Journey with Gary, Indiana’s finest 360° on the authentic gangsta tip. The OG mixtape was a rawer-than-sushi shootout designed for your weed smokin’ joyrides through the mind of the methodical genius. Where as Str8 Killa, presented a more concise and direct scope through Freddie Gibbs’ songmaking merits. And now, we have the full-length project stripped of its street décor to give your EP the missing pieces to the studio quality puzzle. Read the rest of this entry »

Let the record show that this will be my first and last time referring to Gangsta Gibbs as The Baby-Faced Killa (regardless if the project manifests or not). I shall simply type: BFK. Anywho, The mayor of Gary gives the 1515 Broadway Boys a lesson in realism as he plugs your favorite mixtape of the year, Str8 Killa No Filla. Read the rest of this entry »

A gentleman and a scholar.

Senator Such’n'So wears quilted pants and matching bow ties, and he often greets people with the humor-tinged, “Hello, taxpayers. And fine Americans you are.” We are Americans who know humor is rooted in truth; we are, in fact, taxpayers. The label never feels condescending, because it’s truthful, and his quilted pants and tie are ballsy, respectable choices that don’t go without regard. Read the rest of this entry »

With the current anticipation and excitement surrounding this here release, nothing more needs to be said. But we’re going to say it anyway. Freddie has ascended to this milestone because you, the fan have given him enough support with his artistic craft and not forced him to compromise his core values when it comes to displaying his talents on the microphone. Read the rest of this entry »

Starting next week, we’ll all be treated to not one but two releases from Freddie Gibbs in a matter of days. Since I’ve gotten several emails asking, here’s a few specifics to clear it up the questions.

Presented by Statik Selektah, DJ Burn One & Josh The Goon, the FREE mixtape, Str8 Killa No Filla, will be dropping on next Thursday over @ XXLMag.com. Read the rest of this entry »

“Mama can’t sleep cause I’m way too deep in the streets/She would pray through the night/Every rhyme that I spit is real sh#t ’cause it’s just another day in my life…”

Beneath a city ravaged with years of drugs, murder and corruption, a sliver of hope remains. Someone who embodies the anguish, yet harbors the ability to recite it with near flawless lyrical ability. Read the rest of this entry »

Given the fact that Freddie’s an obvious student and fan of UGK, “Rock Bottom” is a natural collaboration that’s been in the works for some time. Over a melodic Beatnick & K-Salaam beat, Freddie and Bun tell tales of pain and sorrow, yet managing to keep their eyes on the sparrow all the while. Read the rest of this entry »

Gotty™ has been constantly telling us that the return of gritty, street music hitting the mainstream is upon us. The fact that a video like this for Freddie Gibbs’ “The Ghetto” is getting this much buzz and placement on MTV is a sign that his prediction is coming to fruition. Read the rest of this entry »

As if…you had to guess what Gangsta Gibbs was doing this very second as you read about his blunt history, he fires up auditory blunt raps of his favorite pastime. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Matt “Ginch” McGinley

“Government funds fill my city up with guns and drugs”

This one should be familiar to our audience since it’s one Freddie debuted @ Highline and a few folks kept hittin’ me for the mp3. In a definite strategic change of pace, Gibbs drops a radio version of a song. In my opinion, not a bad move @ all because at a certain juncture, artists have to venture off the internet and make a strong showing for themselves in other arenas. The tough part is an artist like Freddie gets unfairly pigeonholed by his subject matter — which is often street-orientated, true enough. If he’s rappin’ about blunts, guns and cursing, there can’t be anything worthwhile there, right? What naysayers miss is that he’s shown the versatility to craft songs of varying tempos and topics. I don’t think I actually realized it until he practically ran away with his feature spot on Mike Posner’s “Bring Me Down” with not a curse word in sight and enough wordplay to arouse the dead. Having listened to my fair of his catalog, there’s a library’s worth of variety just waiting, yet none of it is technically a radio hit.

What we have in “The Ghetto” is an opportunity for radio to broadcast a song that’s listenable, lyrical and has tinges of awareness, the final component being virtually nonexistent on Clear Channel these days. The easiest comparison, at least in my eyes, is seeing Freddie in the same vein as Pac. Many of his best, more memorable songs were not conventional in any sense. An ode to an addict mother? Teenage pregnacy? “Keep Your Head Up?” Not exactly run of the mill, nevertheless they connected with audiences because held sentiments & an authenticity that couldn’t be denied. Can you find their equivalent on the air today?

On my local station, there are only fallacies and fantasies – bottle poppin’, dancing and constant sexual foreplay with no climax. All of which make it easy to avoid, unless they opt-in with a balance that reflects our grounded reality. Yet many of our better artists literally have to fight and to get their music heard on the radio waves. Remember the uproar it took to get DJ Enuff to play “Exhibit C” on NYC radio? Heard about Trae’s plight in his Houston hometown? If you’ve ever been anywhere “Exhibit C” is played, you know the effect it has on crowds. Trae’s not just an artist; the guy has a day named after him in Houston due to his overwhelming involvement in the community.

When I received “The Ghetto” in my inbox, it was a summons, a call to arms. If you know a DJ, make sure to pass them this song. We all owe it to future of rap…and to radio.

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Download — Freddie Gibbs – “The Ghetto” (Clean)

Str8 Killa No Filla will be a DJ Skee presentation. And I think we’re involved in certain aspects of it. Guaranteed to be RMF! certified. Without revealing too much, even the promo art associated with the project is about ten times ahead of what’s around right now, deal or no deal. Read the rest of this entry »

Life’s a bitch when you got pigs in the rearview mirror, a naggin’ sidepiece and a greedy ass label exec that climbs mountains and plays electric guitars in your pocket. But instead of blowing his brains out behind the pressure, Freddie G. blows the indo and breathes fire into yet another filler-less track. Read the rest of this entry »

If the labels really are trying to kill Freddie G, consider TSS the breath of life. Str8 Killa No Filla is coming. In fact, it’s being broken down right now and should be ready for inhaling sooner than you think. The next installment from the tape, “Slammin’,” finds Gibbs resurrecting Webbie’s Savage Life intro, “G-Shit.”

Correct me if I’m wrong. Since the days of 50′s mixtape dominance, there haven’t been many artists who have the ability to take another’s instrumental and create an entirely new feel to the record. Freddie happens to be one who can. The streets are always going to have stories to tell. Gibbs once again plays voice box while speaking on inner-workings of G.I. street life. The good, the bad and the ugly.

“So hoe I’m trappin’ straight from passing whip
From whippin’ white to dealin’ board
Just shipped a gang of stanky to Kankakee, Illinois
So hit me for them demonstrations for yo’ main and ‘em
No conversation, just straight up ventilation for your cranium…”

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that sounds like 2010 trap music.

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Download — Freddie Gibbs – “Slammin’”