Freddie Gibbs‘ journey to where he sits now in the music industry is incredibly telling.  Hailing from Gary, Indiana, the rapper comes from an area that is among the most notorious in the nation for it’s levels of impoverishment, violence, and crime.  Not surprisingly, his lyrical content is often fueled by tales of pimping, crack dealing, and murder.  Such subject matter clearly isn’t revolutionary for the rap game, but his level of sincerity and his approach to how he delivers it is something that has become increasingly rare.  Folded into “Gangsta” Gibbs‘ tales of street life are various reflections about topics as intimate as the death of his grandmother to the miscarriage of his child.  It’s this directness that really makes the listener feel like they can trust what is being relayed in the tracks.  Whether that means that you believe that he’s experienced what he’s detailing or simply believe that he Freddie will honestly kill your ass if you cross him, there’s an authenticity to his words, as well as with his delivery.  There’s an ability to verbally paint landscapes in a very matter of fact style that neither glamorizes or rejects the environments created.  It’s a quality that greats like Tupac used to possess; a feeling that the artist has become a rapper only because they have something to get out and needed a forum, not that they are simply trying to come up with something to say, because they were infatuated with the idea of becoming a rapper.  And the rising rap star definitely has plenty to say, as evidenced by the endless material that seems to pour out of him (including one full 81-track mixtape).  With one mixtape after the other, Gibbs has stayed true to his motto of “Str8 killa No filla“, by continuously maintaining a high level of quality throughout the ridiculously prolific amount of material that he’s released in such a short time.  Making most of his work available for free download, Gibbs appears to be in no danger of running out of new material , displaying more than a minor amount of confidence about his staying power or his willingness to continuously move forward.  Now, with his latest 16-track (17 w/bonus song) mix-tap, Cold Day in Hell, Freddie doesn’t miss a beat, providing another stack of grimy cinematic, gangster rap joints, absolutely free of charge. Read the rest of this entry →