Straight from L.A., by way of Gary, IN comes one of hip-hop's most incredibly gifted and technical emcees around in Freddie Gibbs. Known for his brand of coke rap with tales of violence, hustling, and struggle, Gibbs is quite the narrator of the hood in ways that the likes of contemporaries such as Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, Scarface, Spice 1, and the late, great Prodigy are/have been revered for, Gibbs is unflinching and unapologetic of his truth as well as his brutal street tales that certainly mirror a society that glorifies, if not promotes and exploits, these bloody ghetto streets. His early mixtapes of The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs, Str8 Killa No Filla and Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik got a little buzz within the Midwest underground before eventually catching the ear of Jeezy and signed him to CTE to distribute the tremendous Cold Day in Hell mixtape to great acclaim. it was off to the races then, delivering subsequential follow ups such as his debut effort, Str8 Killa, Baby Faced Killa, and his full-length debut, ESGN, his first album removed from CTE. However, it was his magically menacing collaborative album with the one and only Beat Kondukta himself, Madlib, Pinata, that officially put him in more people's mouths and made more people pay attention to him. His discography is quite a dope one and shows not only how dumb talented Gibbs is as a verbal spitter, but as an excellent writer as well. Do not expect commercial accessibility or radio friendliness from the emcee who also refers to himself as Freddie Caine or Freddie Corleone. He's straight from the streets, for the streets, in all its beautiful violence and marvelous hustling. Here's a look at Mr. Gibbs and his discography that excludes her early mixtapes in favor of those that put him on the map. By no means should one sleep on Miseducation nor Midwestgangsta. For that matter, don't snooze on his projects even earlier than them that came out in '05 like Full Metal Jacket and This Is My Hustle. From worst to best, Gibbs has delivered a really dope assembly of efforts that rank among the best of his generation. Without further ado, let's go!
12. Str8 Killa EP
Production: Blended Babies, Kno, Block Beattaz, K-Salaam, others
Guests: Jay Rock, BJ The Chicago Kid, Bun B, others
We start with his introduction to the game, 2010's Str8 Killa. Gibbs provides plenty of trunk bumps within this ten-track effort. This is especially prevalent on the "Str8 Killa No Filla", the opening cut, in which we get a clear vision of how dumb dope his emceeing abilities were, plus guest rapper, Big Kill, provides enough rah-rah to get the Alpines some good work. He follows with the Jay Rock-assisted, "Rep 2 Tha Fullest", in which both the Gary and L.A. emcees rap about how these streets are no joke. This theme is the overall riding theme throughout. Gibbs presents how big his nuts are out in the streets on other neck crampers such as "Personal OG", "Live by The Game", and "Oil Money". He gets personal on the Bun B-assisted "Rock Bottom", while getting angst on mainstream media on "National Anthem". Gibbs' talents of being a technical emcee were especially more polished on this effort, while he was still trying to figure it out on his aforementioned prior mixtapes, and the results are of an emcee that was on his way to being among the most in-demand emcees in hip-hop. We see Str8 Killa as the effort that the mixtapes were bound to end up being, and that's a great thing.
11. ESGN (Evil Seeds Grow Naturally)
Production: Cardo, Fire & ice, Willie B, Tone Mason, Lord Zedd, Lifted, others
Guests: G-Wiz, Daz Dillinger, Spice 1, Problem, BJ The Chicago Kid, others
After his publicized falling out with Jezzy and his CTE imprint, it was back to the gutter bumpers Gibbs had previously been known for prior to mixtapes such as Baby Faced Killa and the ever-knocking Cold Day in Hell. The trunks get rattling again with the thump of this effort and is ultimately seen as his first full-length album. He goes back to his Str8 Killa days with the raw gangsta appeal of this album. Cuts like "The Color Purple", "The Real G money", and "Eastside Moonwalker" are filled with the familiar raw dog hip-hop Gibbs had been known for. The biggest story to emerge from this album is the length of the album at twenty tracks and that all but seven cuts have him with at least one guest on the cuts, especially from his crew of Screwface, G-Wiz, Big Kill, Fleezy and D-Edge, who all do decent contributions on this effort. The production is primarily a southern to western bumper filled with plenty of Alpine overkill, 808s and enough trap that you could hear the likes of Gucci, T.I., or his old cohort Jeezy floating over any of these cuts. The rawness of cuts like "I Seen A Man Die" (calling back to his legit fandom of the ever legendary Scarface) and the JasonMartin (then known as Problem)-assisted "One Eighty Seven" are nothing that reinvents the wheel, but holds him to the standard of uncompromising hip-hop filled with aggressive, gritty street narratives that usually end up in violence, crime and plenty of bricks. With the exception of the BJ The Chicago Kid-crooned "Lose Control" with its slight R&B turn, don't expect anything less than unforgiving gangsta shit that Gibbs completely excelled in on this album all throughout. Other cuts like "9MM", "Dope in My Styrophone", and especially the Spice 1/Daz Dillinger-assisted "F.A.M.E." are not for the weak, radio-accessible fan that likes their rap filled with catchy hooks and equally catchy melodies. While we don't knock Cold Day in Hell nor BFK, as both mixtapes before this effort were definitely worth the spins, ESGN was a return to form for Gibbs that heads had been missing since Str8 Killa. The best was next up later in the year with the generational classic, Piñata, but hearing Gibbs at his most unfiltered and aggressive was intriguing and set the tone for what would end up becoming quite an astounding year for the "space rabbit".
10. Freddie
Production: Kenny Beats, RichGains, Tony Seltzer, Dupri, others
Guests: 03 Gredo
Following up his dumb dope, You Only Live 2wice, album, Freddie Caine dropped, Freddie, a ten-track gumbo of trap-filled production with thick 808s, and enough bass to hear counties over from where you reside. Don't let the R&B-influenced cover fool you. This album is as street as anything Gibbs had delivered. This is evidenced by tracks like "Set Set", the Mary J. Blige-sampled "2 Legit", and "Triple Threat", as the latter has him going melodic at times but still so Gibbs. Due to the fact that this is a lot more southern and trap, he doesn't go track to track and delivers his typical almost breathless flow and expansive cadence, but that doesn't stop cuts like the bass-heavy "Weight" and "Toe Tag" from being Cadillac-approved. He goes back to his ever technically gifted self on the hard "Automatic" and the Alpine BUMPING collab with 03 Gredo, "Death Row". He even gets assistance from his daughter on "Diamonds 2", in which this may possibly be the smoothest cut on the album and appropriate for a late summer night cruise around town. We hear Gibbs more energized than he had been in some time on Freddie, and when he does turn up the knob on his energy, one feels it through the speakers as Gibbs is on one pretty much throughout the entire project. The Teddy Pendergrass-saluted cover was quite the troll job for an album that ranks amongst his most consistently snapping efforts.
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9. Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away (with Statik Selektah)
Production: Statik Selektah
Guests: Daz Dillinger, Chace Infinite, SMoke DZA, Fred The Godson, Trae Tha Truth, Reks, Termanology, others
Just before he dropped his much talked about, Cold Day in Hell, mixtape, Gibbs collaborated with acclaimed DJ/Producer Statik Selektah for a seven track EP entitled Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away. If you're familiar with Statik's style of production, you'll already know he likes to ride the boom-bap train a lot with impressive samples and melodies. However, his frequent collab albums with the likes of southern giants Bun B and Paul Wall show that he can extend beyond the Tristate area and Massachusetts. He took his production talents to Gary, IN and Gibbs handled his own over dope Statik production. The title track is a great example of how Gibbs can float over damn near any track, including a track with sharp drums and haunting two note organs. On every track, Gibbs has at least one guest with him, and the pairings are overall pleasant. Daz Dillinger guests on the highly dope "Rap Money", Termanology and the late Fred The Godson blaze the track "Wild Style", and H-Town's Trae Tha Truth brings his smooth vocal delivery to "Already". Because this was an EP, both artists knew this had to be a project where not one single moment gets wasted, and fortunately with Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away, they don't at all. Gibbs showed his chameleon style, being able to adapt to Statik's east coast boom-bap and melodies excellently. One can only hope for another Statik/Gibbs project, but if we don't, this alone was a knocker and kept Gibbs' underground momentum going.
8. Shadow Of A Doubt
Production: KAYTRANADA, Speakerbomb, Frank Dukes, Boi-1nda, Mike Dean, Murda Beatz, others
Guests: Gucci Mane, E-40, Black Thought, Tory Lanez, others
After the monster that was Piñata in 2013, the roll was up for the Gary native. The outstanding momentum he was garnering had him in more of a spotlight, becoming more in demand and becoming more of a household name little by little. With his follow-up album, Shadow of A Doubt, Gibbs may not have had Madlib with him this go around, but that didn't stop him from delivering a bumping effort. This was also seen as his most experimental album as well. Gibbs started flirting with melodic rap and even straight out singing on a few tracks, and even gets deep on a track or two. He starts strong with the cuts of "Rearview" and the somewhat catchy "Careless" and puts it into more into thump category with cuts like the coke rap themed "Packages", "McDuck", and the haters addressing "Lately". As we had been seeing from Freddie Caine over the last couple albums, we had heard bits of him getting not juts personal, but honest and even revealing at times. He gets real on the track "Insecurities", in which he confesses his need for attention but expresses the need for his daughter to get the attention she deserves. Also, on "Forever & A Day", he expresses the struggles he faces internally concerning different issues including regrets such as disappointing his mother with his actions. Over snapping 808s and somewhat moody melodies, Corleone expresses a rare look inside himself that showed vulnerability yet still as Gibbs as ever. We get right back to the bumpers with highlights such as "Fuckin' Up The Count", the dope Black Thought-assisted "Extradite" (which has these two being yet more emcees gliding over the ever oversampled "Nautilus"), and the Gucci Mane/E-40-collaborated "10x", which has a Bay Area groove with it that doesn't have Gibbs nor Gucci sounding out of place, whereas 40 Water sounds right at home on it. Gibbs showed his tremendous talent once again on Shadow of A Doubt. While at times some of his style switches may tend to have fans give of confused faces, he still makes it all sound great, and Gangsta Gibbs showed once again he's in this rap game for the long haul.
7. You Only Live 2wice
Production: KAYTRANADA, Dupri, BADBADNOTGOOD, others
Guests: N/A
Fresh off coming home from an SA case that he was ultimately acquitted of, Gibbs dropped You Only Live 2wice, which a lot of it was written while incarcerated awaiting trial, and the results of it all showed how much of an in-depth writer and impeccable emcee he really is. Truthfully, you don't have to look further than the closer, "Homesick", in which he goes pretty introspective in a way that's both to be respected and admired. Willing to leave his crew alone for the sake of his daughter, Gibbs admits he misses them but ultimately, he did what had to be done for the sake of his then-infant child. Once we get that out the way, the rest of the album is both hard and haunting. The first single, "Crushed Glass" uses the same sample Mobb Deep used for "Where Ya Heart At" from Murda Muzik in which Gibbs goes personal and reflects on what made him who he became and seeking a better sense of self. He follows on the tremendous "Andrea", in which he has his own Bonnie & Clyde-type relationship with this woman. He gets back to his trap bag with the bumpin' "Amnesia", which conjures up his Str8 Killa and ESGN days for the better, showing he's never above bringing his signature street grit over some mean ass 808s. He hits another home run on the outstanding sounding "Alexys", in which BADBADNOTGOOD and KAYTRANADA provide him with a dazzling melody for Gibbs to express how much he's tired of the same shit he sees and experiences with his friends to the point where he feels he's outgrowing them. Gibbs even goes the sing-songy route on "Phone Lit", but don't let this confuse you. This is a dope cut and shows his ability to not stay in one box and having it come out effectively. With You Only Live 2wice, Gibbs shows a more consistent vision of introspection and honesty more than we had heard from him in previous efforts. Based on the obvious aforementioned events, it's no reason as to why, but this resulted in one of most engaging albums to date.
6. You Only Die 1nce
Production: Lambo, DJ Harrison, Coleman, Moo Latte, 454, K-Notes, others
Guests: N/A
After delivering quite the knocker with his major label offering, $ouls $old $eparately, Gangsta Gibbs returned after numerous appearances and beefs (most notably with Benny he Butcher), and delivered the much-anticipated sequel to You Only Live 2wice, in You Only Die 1nce. Much like You Only Live 2wice, Gibbs is very introspective and honest. That being said, we hear Gibbs at his most focused and re-energized on this project as well. He starts things with the first single and video, "On The Set", in which he does his best Nas "Purple" impression, in which he comments on random things that he's observed and that he contemplates. Items such as his feelings about Diddy, the death of Rich Homie Quan, and even saying he was about to retire when Nipsey Hussle died in one of the most impressive thematic moments on the album. On "Origami", Gibbs flawlessly glides over an elegant beat that could easily rival an Alchemist production. This standout has him facing his feelings of being exploited in this rap game with his history in the streets for commercial appeal in another spectacular moment. Gibbs also manages to transform a couple of R&B classics into gritty narratives with "It's Your Anniversary" (Tony, Toni, Tone's "Anniversary") in which he celebrates the downfall of an enemy of his, as well as "Ruthless" (which redoes 112's "Cupid") that has him devouring exes of his, including his BM, in classic Corleone fashion. When he's not going in over things that are vital to him and his thought process, he's still excelling in his shit talking like on the dumb dope "Cosmo Freestyle" and "Rabbit Island". He goes back to the bloody streets on "Steel Doors", but on "Wolverine", over a jazzy-styled beat, Gibbs goes in on everything from his love of R. Kelly as an artist to why Black men go down while their White counterparts seemingly get slaps on the wrist. If $$$ was him trying to find himself while trying to hustle his way to mainstream acclaim and success, You Only Die 1nce is the more substantive aftermath of that fame he was willing to sell himself for, while also reflecting back to his days of the SA incarceration and reflecting on stuff that's more important, including his own mortality. It's clear from contemporaries such as Young Dolph and Nipsey Hussle to personal homies of his that have fallen, this all makes him observe things more closely, especially from within. We may start seeing more of him like this, and this isn't a bad way to be at all.
5. $oul $old $eparately
Production: James Blake, The Alchemist, Madlib, Boi-1nda, Hit-Boy, Kenny Beats, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Sevn Thomas, KAYTRANADA, DJ Dahi, Anderson.Paak, DJ Paul, Jake One, others
Guests: Kelly Price, Raekwon, Anderson.Paak, Rick Ross, Moneybagg Yo, Musiq Soulchild, DJ Paul, Pusha-T, Scarface, Schoolboy Q, Big Sean, Offset, Jadakiss, others
After years of going the indie route, Gibbs finally secured a major label deal with Warner Music Group in early 2022. The results were him delivering his first major label release (fifth full-length album overall), $oul $old $eperately. Prior to the album, Gibbs was bringing out cuts that ended up being extended edition bonus cuts such as the cut with Big Sean, the Hit-Boy crafted, "4 Thangs", the Schoolboy Q-assisted "Gang Signs", and the Rick Ross-guested "Ice Cream" to tease us with what type of vibes we could expect from $$$. What we ended up getting was arguably the most cohesive album of his career. Gibbs, although ever the technical master, was not against experimenting with different types of deliveries, flows, and cadences. For the most part, it worked. With this being a major label album, he was allowed to go over and beyond what he's been accustomed to up to this point, and you could tell early that this would be a more accessible album, while still keeping it true to who Gibbs is. From the opening jumper of the Kelly Price-crooned "Couldn't Be Done", we knew this would be a fairly new direction for Gibbs in terms of the lush sounds and more dramatic soundscape. The material here is about making it to the next level by any means, even it means his integrity and character, which in turn has him spitting about the grimmest aspects of doing so. He collabs with the almighty Alchemist for "Blackest in The Room", while he handles what he gotta do to make a half a million on the Bone Thugs N Harmony-saluted collab with Offset, "Pain & Strife", and goes unforgiving on the violent coke rap cut "Zipper Bags". On the bumpin' "Space Rabbit", he confesses how much he wanted to be a part of G-Unit but people kept comparing him to Young Buck, while keeping with the "rabbit" theme on "Rabbit Vision", he gets personal as he addresses someone he has issues with while also stating that he and Jeezy "haven't spoken in years", but still has love for him, even after their publicized beef on Gibbs' "Real" cut from Piñata. He gets right back to the aggressive, middle finger waving on cuts like "Dark Hearted", the Scarface-assisted "Decoded", and the DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia-collaborated "PYS", but also finds time to finesse the good life on cuts like the Rick Ross-assisted "Lobster Omelet" and the collabo with Pusha T, "Golden Rings". Don't let the fact that this is a major label album fool you. Gibbs is as gangsta and as street as ever on $oul $old $eparately, and with all the albums he has within his excellent discography, this may be his most well-rounded, but this is also his first official taste of what mainstream critical acclaim looks like. While just short his classics with Madlib and Uncle Al, $$$ is a beast in its own right.
4. Fetti (with Curren$y & The Alchemist)
Production: The Alchemist
Guests: N/A
When we mention all-time greatest hip-hop producers, especially of modern hip-hop times, the name Alchemist better be at or near the top. Cranking out memorable album after memorable album, outstanding cut after outstanding cut, the Cali-tuned-New Yorker previously known as Mudfoot during his Whooliganz days is a master craftsman behind the boards and not a single he does have, does, or likely will ever go wrong. In 2018, he managed to bring Freddie Gibbs and frequent collaborator, New Orleans own Curren$y, together for an EP entitled Fetti. The mere thought of Spitta and Gangsta Gibbs together doing a whole project together was enough anticipation, but with The Alchemist providing the sound structure, the thoughts were spooky. The nine-track project was a sincere sizzler from the jump once we were blessed with "Location Remote", and it only got more nuts from there. Al provided the fellas with a soundscape that resembled Prodigy's Return of The Mac album in terms of the seventy's soul Blaxploitation feel, and the imagery of the cuts was hit home simply by the highly delightful production. The tag team energy of Gibbs and Spitta was first evident on Curren$y's RIDICLOUS cut "Scottie Pippen" (also done by Uncle Al) on his outstanding Covert Coup mixtape. They continued their momentum on cuts like "New Thangs", "Saturday Night Special", and "Tapatio", in which the sounds of eighties-styled synths and little to no thumping percussion were the rule. While Curren$y's laid-back N'awlins drawl wasn't out of place necessarily on this project, especially on his solo cut on here, "No Window Tints", it was the "baby faced killa" himself that was the shiner with his exceptional technical and rhythmic style that propelled these and his solo cuts of "Now & Later Gators" and "Willie Lloyd" to great heights. For a nine-track project, there was little to no room for error, and Fetti didn't provide one. Alchemist laid the soulful gangster vibes with this project, while Curren$y and Gibbs used it as their muse to paint one hell of a project that showed that, as the final cut "Bundy & Sincere", pointed out, they're two of the most feared and reputable figures out here in this landscape.
3. Alfredo (with The Alchemist)
Production: The Alchemist
Guests: Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, Tyler The Creator, Rick Ross
As was previously mentioned, Uncle Al's...ahem...chemistry (I had to) is sharp as nails with Gangsta Gibbs. As obvious with Fetti, Al and Gibbs together is an entire problem. The very next year, in the height of the pandemic, the two would team up again, only this time without Curren$y, to deliver the surprise album, Alfredo. Although not the clear seventies Blaxploitation vibes Fetti gave us, Alfredo was no less menacing. In fact, Uncle Al provided Gibbs with ominous, soulful, and cleverly sampled backdrops that Gibbs was ridiculously comfortable rhyming over. Nothing new subject-wise from Gibbs, as drugs, crime, the streets, and money are the check points here, but Gibbs brought his sizzling technical ability all over this project. Cuts like the disrespectfully soulful croonings of "Look At Me", the bleak boom bap of "Baby Shit", and the Conway-assisted "Babies & Fools" are excellent demonstrations of how Gibbs is gifted in not just his themes of the streets, but how incredible he sounds delivering them. How Freddie glides perilously over these melodically murky beats from Al is something to behold, and on cuts like "God Is Perfect", he matches the rhythm of the production with the instinctive nature to match the rhythm with his flow and delivery and makes the track that much dope. He teams with (at the time) compadre, Benny The Butcher, for the dumb dope "Frank Lucas", but completely makes Rick Ross sound quite good on the cold "Scottie Beam". Alan The Chemist leans back into smooth soulful sounds of "Something To Rap About" with Tyler The Creator, in a not bad performance from the Cali Grammy Award winner in his own right, while the closing two cuts of "Skinny Suge" and "All Glass" are classic Gibbs in which he delivers his tough dude talk in such descriptive fashion that the vivid nature of them sticks out like sore thumbs. While "Skinny Suge" is smoother, and "All Glass" is more of a thump, both are dark in texture, and Freddie all but lyrically slaps the hell out of those tracks. It serves as no wonder why Alfredo was nominated for a Grammy at the 2021 Grammy Awards, as Al and Gibbs presented a practically flawless piece of art that both artists can stand high on. At this point, Gibbs was already considered among the highest touted emcees around, but this album all but stamped him within that circle if there was any doubt being considered. As for Alan Maman, well you already know his GOAT status as it is.
2. Bandana (with Madlib)
Production: Madlib
Guests: Killer Mike, Pusha T, Black Thohught, Yasiin Bey, Anderson.Paak
While Gibbs was starting to be a fully established star within the game after the release of his breakout album with Oxnard's mad genius, Madlib, Piñata, the elements were getting put into place for the second of the three-part Cocaine trilogy, Bandana. As fate would have it, Gibbs encountered legal trouble in the form of being incarcerated on SA charges that he ended up being acquitted on. From this, Madlib and Gibbs wanted to get back to work on the album and, from Gibbs himself, he was "writing like that may have been his last album". Thankfully, it wasn't, and Bandana was presented to the masses in 2019, and practically picked up where Piñata left off. While Piñata was more or less a gangsta blaxploitation film on wax, Bandana was more surreal. Sure, he kept the tried-and-true formula of drugs, crime, violence, and gritty hood narratives, but with Bandana, he presented themes of empathy and learned lessons along with the aforementioned themes. With a chip on his shoulder and a hunger that spilled out as urgency, Gibbs demolished tracks such as the opener, "Freestyle Shit" and the follow-up, "Half Man, Half Cocaine", in which Gibbs divides this song into a half. The first half has him spitting about his come up, while the second half has him diving into the streets and his drug accounts. He obliterates the cut, "Massage Seats" into bits, while slowing down his flow slightly on the slightly bouncy "Crime Pays", but still gets gritty with cuts like the menacing sounds of "Flat Tummy Tea", the Pusha T/Killer Mike-collaborated "Palmolive", and "Fake Names", in which once again Madlib splits the song up in two separate beats for two different focus shifts, but the same raw delivery Gibbs always comes correct with. A bit more reflective, he gets more somber on the cut "Gat Damn", in which he stems back to the time where he was incarcerated and details what was going on inside him during that time but also pours out some liquor for his fallen close ones. We didn't think it was possible for The Beat Konducta to provide him with even harder, more outstanding production than he did for Piñata, but he did just that, just not quite as gritty and bathed in soul-centric samples that took one back to the seventies at times. With Bandana, the sound was more up to this era in terms of imagery, but Gibbs presented himself as a guy that still battled the harsh realities of the streets, but also lets people know there can be consequences to the game, and Gibbs' thug wisdom equated into delivering another benchmark in the career of the self-professed "space rabbit".
1. Piñata (with Madlib)
Production: Madlib
Guests: Scarface, Domo Genesis, Earl Sweatshirt, Raekwon, Danny Brown, Mac Miller, Ab-Soul, BJ The Chicago Kid, others
With Gibbs' name becoming more and more spoken about within hip-hop circles, it was only a matter of time before we were to receive that album that would officially establish his name into modern hip-hop consciousness. The man responsible for aforementioned dope albums such as Str8 Killa, ESGN, and Cold Day in Hell linked up with Madlib for the first of their three-part Cocaine saga. We previously mentioned Bandana and the significance it brought to both careers. As the second of the three-part saga, the inaugural installment was the 2014 monster, Piñata. It's been well established that Gibbs is a technical psychopath on that mic, and with his gritty street narratives and gangsta imagery, Madlib provided him the quintessential backdrop for this outstanding album. The Beat Konductor's unparalleled style of production blended heavy elements of seventies soul mixed with occasional jazzy and bluesy undertones that are as methodically chopped and sampled as only he could execute. This helped to make cuts such as "Deeper", "Uno", and "Shitsville" such excellent cuts to peep and repeat often. We hear Gibbs going into straight reality rap mode, chronicling real life drama, beefs, and even the occasional regret without coming off soft in any way, shape, or form. On cuts like "Thuggin'", he's unapologetic about his gangsta lifestyle and how he walks in it, but on cuts like the fantastic collab with the legendary Scarface, "Broken", he details how his life was like growing up in a broken home with a father who was a police officer and left the home, only for him to dive even further into his lifestyle in the streets. There's surely a balance of the unapologetic and even brazen, but also the method behind the mayhem. We get a bouncy collab with the ever quirky, yet dumb talented, Danny Brown, "High", and the vivid, yet bleak, imagery of "Scarface" that have him acknowledging his dirt, faults, and vices, and at the same time, we get cuts like the double-sided "Lakers" and "Knicks", in which "Knicks" has him detailing his need to hustle in order to make it, whole "Lakers" has him utilizing the fruits of his hard-earned labor. This dichotomy of Gibbs is essential in exploring more about the man behind the excellent emcee. He's damn sure been a hustla and has been caught up in the concrete jungle throughout his life, but also makes room to let the listener in as to his view of why he was the way he was, and why he is who he is today without excuse making or remorse. He gets in your face on the venomous diss cut, "Real", in which he viciously goes after former mentor, Jeezy, in almost 2Pac-like fashion, but gets back to reminiscing about his surroundings on "Harold's" and the outstanding, yet menacing, collab with Raekwon, "Bomb", that has quite the storytelling aspect about it. Madlib basically brought out the very best out of Gangsta Gibbs at this time with Piñata, and it became the true groundwork for what would be an impressive career and set the standard to this day of his finest overall offering of his career, which considering Bandana, is a mouthful.
Freddie Jamel Tipton (Mr. Gibbs to the uninformed) is a talent the likes of which we should've gotten in the late nineties, as his legacy would've already been established as quite possibly a GOAT emcee. He's definitely among the best around in today's hip-hop climate. His technical ability is second to none and his cadence and breath control is stellar. This discography showed how valuable Gibbs is to the game and this Grammy nominated emcee isn't done yet. With Montana hopefully aiming for a 2025 release as well as another Alchemist collaborative effort to follow up Alfredo, Gibbs is determined to be one of those emcees you tell your kids about when they get older. Sure, he's had controversies with SA charges, beefs, and label issues, but he's also a made man. Collaborating with names such as Scarface, Bun B, Nas, Raekwon, Spice 1, among others, have him within elite hip-hop circles, and one can only imagine what else is to come from the best emcee to ever emerge (if not the only) from Gary, IN. Until next time folks!
Here are some tracks that display the tremendous talent that is Freddie Gibbs:
Look At Me (production: The Alchemist)
Thuggin' (production: Madlib)
Alexys (production: BADBADNOTGOOD, KAYTRANADA)
Baby Shit (production: The Alchemist)
Flat Tummy Tea (production: Madlib)
Crime Pays (production: Madlib)
Dark Hearted (production: James Blake)
Kush Cloud feat. Krayzie Bone, SpaceGhostPurp
Shitsville (production: Madlib)
God Is Perfect (production: The Alchemist)
Real (production: Madlib)
Half Manne, Half Cocaine (production: Madlib)
No Window Tints feat. Curren$y (production: The Alchemist)
My Nigga feat. G-Wiz, D-Edge, Hit (production: Cookin' Soul)
Education feat. Black Thought, Yasiin Bey (production: Madlib)
Bundy & Sincere feat. Curren$y (production: The Alchemist)
Bomb feat. Raekwon (production: Madlib)
Let Ya Nuts Hang feat. Scrilla
Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away (production: Statik Selektah)
Broken feat. Scarface (production: Madlib)
F.A.M.E. feat. Spice 1, Daz Dillinger
I Wanna Do It feat. Sir Michael Rocks (production: DJ Fresh)
Extradite feat. Black Thought
Willie Lloyd (production: The Alchemist)
Blackest In the Room (production: The Alchemist)
Rap Money feat. Daz Dillinger (production: Statik Selektah)
Rob Me A Nigga feat. Alley Boy
Black Illuminati feat. Jadakiss
