I’d struggle to name an emcee who mastered the craft the way Freddie Gibbs has in the past year.
Working in the afterglow of whipping up PiΓ±ata with beat konducta Madlib, Gibbs has been trampling everyΒ projectΒ thrown his way. At first I was worried. Writing to the beats of a legendary producer undoubtedly has some “Midas Touch” effect. The concernΒ Gibbs would slightly decline was legitimate, but fortunately for everyone it was nowhere near reality.
On “F***in’ Up The Count” Gibbs flips a flow, melodic without sacrificing any grit, over a beat fitted with references to The Wire. This makes for a perfect sonic backdrop to the visuals, following an honest portrayal of youths chasing drug money. Β Gibbs’s choice to have kids working out his trap is definitely not an over-dramatization, rather a harsh reality too many “gangster rappers” avoid. There’s nothing pretty about children turned to killers by the systems they live in, and Gibbs is still a witness in Hip Hop to those truths.
Artists and fans throw around the term “hood journalist” too freely. It’s a position closer to a burden or duty, not a badge to flex. I think Gibbs carries that yolk, making it out of Gary, Indiana with an obligation to spread a lost reality. He does it well, as a skilled emcee and brilliant artist, with the talent to shift the waves of the genre.
Check out the tracklist and F*ckin’ Up The Count on iTunes
Art by your homie Arthur Banach
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