Freddie Gibbs: rise of an underground 👑
hip hop's new daily operation | 5.28.20
TheMotto No. 25. Our focus is on Gary, Indiana’s Freddie Gibbs. Along with acclaimed producer The Alchemist, Gibbs is treating us to a surprise feast tonight, with Alfredo (ESGN/ALC/Empire).
I can’t say that I’m truly surprised, though, as Gibbs’ long-time manager, Ben “Lambo” Lambert dropped me a Dropbox link of the project ten days ago. Looks like Brian “B. Dot” Miller received his, too.
Charisma. Authoritative lyricism. Underground ethos. A li’l chip on his shoulder. Work ethic. These are reasons for Freddie Gibbs’ success. But another piece of it is Gibbs’ consistent visibility, which is largely due to his ability to create and maintain authentic relationships in our business. After disastrous early beginnings at Interscope, Gibbs went from “blackballed” to blog era champ. There’s a mutual respect between Gibbs and people who built influential empires from the ground up. Among them: eskay’s Nah Right, Shake and Meka’s 2 Dope Boyz, and John Gotty’s The Smoking Section. Gotty champions Gibbs to this day ⏬
Gangsta Gibbs and I go back to those peak SXSW days in Austin, Texas. I was running around in an ESGN Records white t-shirt, and Rap Radar posted mad content about his independent endeavor. Gibbs even had a ESGN sports column on Rap Radar in 2011. The black Bill Simmons!
Gibbs remains in high demand. The two projects with producer Madlib have solidified his highly respected space in the culture. In 2014, I spoke to Gibbs about that year’s Piñata.
Last year, it was a Car Test, taped April 3, for he and Madlib’s Bandana. It was a tragic week — Nipsey had been killed on March 31. Gibbs and I were both less upbeat than we look in this shot. Numb really, and trying to be “strong.” ⤵️
This Alfredo project with Alchemist will help keep Gibbs on top of the game. He hinted to me two months ago, that he was up to something.
The song’s called “Scottie Beam.” Named after, you guessed it.
top billin’:
it was not a good day ⏬
⤴️ Hi, Rihanna: Ms. Fenty’s “Pon De Replay” breakthrough turns 15. An oral history by Bianca En Rouge.
⤴️ trap back jumpin’: T.I.’s The Trap Museum will be back open for business on June 5. Of course, COVID-19 safety measures will be in place. For more on the popular spot and how it came to be, click here.
🎤⤵️ hold up, wait a minute: Meek Mill goin’ hard in the booth. New tunes soon?
allow me to introduce myself:
🎶 like many, I first thought Sampha was singing the hook of Drake’s recent “Chicago Freestyle.” But nope: it’s Giveon ↕️ read up about the moment that altered his career. The Long Beach native’s EP Take Time should be in your rotation. Lead single below.
but only on camera:
now this is rare: a Complex profile of Drake’s documentarian, Theo Skudra. I witnessed his directing genius at our Rap Radar podcast, and I’m glad the world is getting to get to know him.
what more can I say:
I’m often reminded, especially on Throwback Thursdays, that this interview I did with longtime colleague and friend Noah Callahan-Bever is where you get a full view of my career journey —1992-2017 ⏬. Noah and I were actually in a common area of a New York City apartment building the wife and I lived in for a short time. Still fairly new at TIDAL, I was apprehensive abut doing this. I knew we might get into sensitive subjects. I thought I’d handle things well, but was somewhat worried about slipping up. But of course I got my shit together and pulled through.
I need to do an update, though, because the last three years have been wild. But the below gems still apply. And you can add: Stay Mentally Tough. Us doing TheMotto daily has my creativity going, and is reminder that if you put the work in, the breaks are gonna go your way. Not gonna let the police or a pandemic break my spirit.
Live your life.
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