Freddie Gibbs is shedding light on unexpected tension with Kanye West during the Vultures sessions. In a new episode of The Butcher Block Podcast released on September 25, Gibbs revealed that West reacted negatively when his verse on the track “Back To Me” was singled out by Complex as one of the best verses of 2024.
According to Gibbs, he originally saw the recognition as a moment of celebration. “Complex had did some kind of thing… how Freddie Gibbs verse is the best verse this year,” he explained.
Expecting encouragement, Gibbs said he forwarded the article to West, thinking the hip-hop mogul would share in the accomplishment. “Because I look up to you. I rapped on your album. And people talking about it like this, you would think… you’d be proud of me.”
Instead, Gibbs claims West was irritated by the coverage. “That pissed him off. [He was like], ‘How the fuck this nigga think he got better verses than me?’” Gibbs recounted.
He expressed frustration at the irony, noting that he was also ghostwriting for West at the time. “Nigga, I’m writing your verse. Of course I got better verses than you. I’m not an icon like you. You Kanye. But I got one of the sharpest pens of all time.”
MORE: Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist Distill Two Masterpieces Into "Alfredo: The Tour": Concert Review
Freddie Gibbs Rips Kanye West Over Vultures
Gibbs went on to describe the sacrifices he made to be part of Vultures, halting progress on Alfredo 2 and spending a month in Italy with West and Ty Dolla $ign. He admitted feeling disrespected when his contributions were minimized.
“I put a lot of shit on hold to come… and then for you to shit on some of my best work because you mad people saying it’s better? That was a slap in the face.”
Despite the tension, Gibbs said he doesn’t regret the experience. He emphasized that working on Vultures strengthened his bond with Ty Dolla $ign and opened the door to future collaborations.
“It made me and Ty closer, so that’s good. Now we got a good working relationship and new music coming.”
For Gibbs, the episode underscored the complexities of working with a superstar like West—balancing creative pride with ego clashes—while still valuing the opportunity to contribute to one of hip-hop’s most discussed projects.
