Freddie Gibbs, a straight-off-the-streets mix-tape rapper from Gary, Ind., is one of the biggest anomalies in the rap game. He's not for people who enjoy pop/rap stuff, even though his production can sound similarly over-the-top at times. The beats evoke constant swagger as a foundation, and his flows, though raw and crude in subject matter, are even more crisp, polished and ambitious. In spite of his delivery, which ranges from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to Lil' Wayne in pace, fans of classic gangster rap will have a hard time looking past such ornamented production and hard-knock content.
Freddie places himself in the middle of nowhere; let's say Gary, Ind. And the only way people can hear him is if: a) he allows free mix tapes to matriculate online and b) people give him enough listens to see through the raw, ignorant production and content. But once you see through the bullshit, he is as talented as it gets and delivers in every way possible.
