Hailing from the thugged-out Midwestern burg of Gary, Ind., Freddie Gibbs hit the scene in 2004 with Full Metal Jackit, the first of many mixtapes. Two years later he scored a deal with Interscope, but was dropped before his album was released. Undaunted, he continued to record independently and flood the streets with a gang of new material, most notably The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik. Over the last few years, he's collaborated with artists from commercial staples like Young Jeezy and DJ Drama to underground icons Madlib and Statik Selektah. And his reputation has kept growing. With a gruff yet smooth flow and vivid storytelling verses, he rhymes mostly about various hood scenarios, sharing mic time with guests like Z-Ro, Curren$y, Krayzie Bone, Jadakiss, Dom Kennedy, SpaceGistPurp, and more. While this isn't his greatest album, there's no shortage of epic music. Don't miss "On Me," "Breaking Bad," or the femme-fatale anthem "Walk in Wit the M.O."
- Boldy James
- Curren$y & The Alchemist
- Smoke DZA
- Vince Staples