#TBT: Mixtape Freddie Gibbs

Somewhere around 2009, Freddie Gibbs unsheathed every blade on his rap Swiss army knife and fully realized his potential as the greatest artist out of Gary, Indiana since Michael Jackson. Gibbs' explosive, self-conscious, unapologetic street tales have captivated the imaginations of hip hop fans across the globe ever since.

While we impatiently wait for Bandana, let us explore Gibbs’ mixtapes released from 2009-2012. Our journey begins with The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs…

The Miseducation Of Freddie Gibbs is about the hardships afflicting Gary. In many ways, Gibbs carries the torch of Tupac -- the gangster angry by systemic injustices that have led him to live in the presence of and participate in criminal activity. "I'm just caught up in the cycle, when will I ever wake up?"

On "Black THougHTs," ScHoolboy Q raps the words "Real nigga shit, all lives matter, both sides" from the vantage paint of gangbanging retirement. Gibbs concludes "What It Be Like" by saying, "We all the same gang, nigga." The song was released in 2007. Even when he was still in the thick of it, he saw the bigger picture. 

"World So Cold" is the story of Gibbs and woman he got pregnant. Initially, he hopes she aborts the baby, then realizes he loves this woman and wants to retire his "sideline hoes" and settle down with her and "my little Freddie." But then, tragedy strikes...

midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik is the mixtape that put Gibbs on the map. On its opening track "Midwest Malcolm," he disses Interscope, to whom he briefly signed in the mid-'00s. In the end, Gibbs rejected the "fast food pop flow" they desired in favor of something deeper and declares himself "greasy as a Church's Chicken 20-piece."

"I woke up this morning with murder on my mind," Gibbs begins, before immersing the listener in a tornado of paranoia and black anger that has only been articulated as well by a handful of rappers since. Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples come to mind.

"I'm fresh up out a city where most niggas broke/ 60% unemployment, why you think we sellin dope?"

“Boxframe Cadillac” is a portrait of a man with nothing to lose, and nothing to do but roll up and peel off into the night. J.R. Rotem’s beat has the feeling of an alarm clock and Gibbs raps with an incredible urgency, though he insists that he feels like he’s driving in slow motion.

"Womb 2 The Tomb" showcases the incredible chemistry between Gibbs and his Southern counterpart Pill. They both graced the 2010 XXL Freshman cover. A Gibbs-Pill album still has the potential to wreck the game. But Pill hasn't released any music in nearly five years.

The life manifesto, according to Freddie Gibbs: Two extended middle fingers. It is a heartwarming sight (and sound) indeed.

Gibbs’ raw energy often overshadows his storytelling chops – not so on “Rob Me a Nigga.” At the beginning of this particular tale, Gibbs notices a “fly” man out of the corner of his eye and Is overcome with the urge to rob him -- of his flyness. Gibbs peppers in details that thicken the plot and make the listener wonder what sort of sick acts he is capable of. “I’mma be up in his crib waiting,” he promises.

"niggas wanna know why I ride
With semi automatic by my side
Cause I got niggas comin at my head
But I won’t let them bitches stop my bread"

Freddie Gibbs raps these lines over a beat equal parts grime and glitter. His words are prophetic: two years later, his car was the object of a drive-by shooting after a show at Brooklyn's Rough Trade. Two members of his entourage were shot, but Gangsta Gibbs somehow emerged unscathed.