Interview: Freddie Gibbs (10/26/09)

Freddie Gibbs came to NYC last week to rock the stage at CMJ, talk to record labels, and meet up with various media outlets.

It may seem like Freddie blew up overnight, but his path has been a long one as our feature article will tell you!

This fan of 90’s gangsta rap is on a mission to bring back the sound he grew up on, and so far so good, as he has already released two of 2009’s best mixtapes in The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs, and Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmusik.

While on stage at SOB’s last Thursday, Freddie read a quick excerpt from the most recent issue of The New Yorker Magazine, where journalist Sasha Frere-Jones names Freddie as “the one rapper I would put money on right now.”

Such a powerful co-sign will put Freddie’s name in front of a lot of people who probably haven’t even heard his music. Additionally, he was one of three rappers in the article that also touched on Jay-z and Raekwon!

While Freddie was in NYC, HipHopAtLunch.com stopped by his hotel room to catch up on his recent work with Pill, talk about his love of the Chicago Bears and Bulls, and to touch on his altercation with SOB’s security that kicked him off stage, mid-set, for smoking marijuana.

If you follow Freddie’s tweets, then you already know he’s a sports fanatic who enjoys smoking that kill.  He uses Twitter to give fans a glimpse into his personality and let them know what’s on his mind.

If you’re gonna be at the Bears game on November 12th, hit up Freddie Gibbs on Twitter:@FreddieGibbs, as he has already stated that the Bears will beat the 49′ers!

One of the biggest controversies of this past CMJ festival was SOB’s security kicking Freddie Gibbs off stage for smoking a blunt in the middle of his set.  This came as somewhat of a shock since Freddie smokes at all of his shows.

Here is the video of Freddie smoking on stage while performing “Boxframe Cadillac.”

Freddie put on a great performance, trying his best to get the crowd hyped by sharing his blunt with one of the fans in the front row, and taking his shirt off.  At the end of the video, you can see the security guard walk through the crowd and scream “cut it.”

Freddie returned to the stage due to popular demand, as Pill brought him back out to finish his set, which included a performance of the Pimp C tribute, “Iodine Poison.”

Freddie Gibbs is a huge fan of Houston rap, and stated in our interview that Pimp C, Bun B, and Scarface raised him, as he was around their music more than he was with his parents.

In the late Pimp C’s honor, Freddie recorded “Iodine Posion,” which is full of Pimp C references such as:

“Bitch I’m too hard to swallow, a son of super tight,
Was raised on riding dirty, dirty money off the white,
Kept a couple side hustles, the rappin was just a dream,
Laid that snap on the track, like I was an Underground King.”

All Pimp C fans will enjoy “Iodine Poison.”

Before Freddie left the stage, Pill came out and the duo performed “Womb 2 The Tomb.”

DJ Skee and Skee.TV just shot the video for “Womb 2 the Tomb,” and after seeing part of the finished project, I can say that it’s gonna be a movie!   This video could make the type of buzz we saw off of Pill’s “Trap Goin Ham.”

Both artists spit authentic street gangsta lyrics in a time where “internet gangstas” are running wild.  Hopefully Pill and Freddie ride out their buzz to the top of the rap game.

Keep an eye out for Freddie’s upcoming mixtape, The Labels Tryin to Kill Me, which bring people up to speed on his career.

As Naledge of Kidz In The Hall recently tweeted, “on the real tho…freddie gibbs and pill should be your new favorite rappers…besides me. lol”