08.01.16
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The most common adjective you’ll see by Freddie Gibbs’ name is ‘unapologetic’.

Whether he’s recalling grizzly street anecdotes, baiting haters, beefing with elder trap statesman or raising a middle finger to music industry execs; the Indiana rapper has given very few fucks over the course of his 12 year career. But despite the toughness of his alpha male persona, in interviews he usually comes across as quite a nice bloke. So following the recent release of his Shadow of a Doubt album, we thought we’d call Freddie up to get a little insight into the everyday world of Gangsta Gibbs.

What was your favourite cartoon when you were a kid?
Tom and Jerry.

What was the last book you read?
Sweet Jones: Pimp C’s Trill Life Story by Julia Beverly.

Who are your favourite sports team?
The Chicago Bulls.

Who’s your favourite person to follow on Instagram?
Amber Rose.

Favourite character from The Wire?
Marlo. I named my dog after him.

Do you have a number one fan?
That’s a good question. I know a couple of guys out there who really ride for me, but it’s kinda tough to think of a number one fan.

What about your mum?
My mom’s definitely not a Freddie Gibbs fan!

If you could pick a surrogate grandparent, who would it be?
Stevie Wonder, so he could pass me down some of that musical knowledge.

What’s your signature recipe?
I can’t really cook that good. I got a recipe for crack, but I don’t think I can give it to you.

What’s the worst hotel you’ve ever stayed in?
Back when I first started to tour, I had to put all my homies in the [budget motel chain] Knights Inn because we were broke.

"I named my dog after Marlo from The Wire"

Do you have any nicknames?
They call me ‘Kane’.

Have you taken acid?
Yeah, it’s not an everyday drug, but I liked it.

If you were trying to seduce a potential lover, what music would you play?
It depends on the girl. Might put on some slow jams, maybe throw on that new Jeremih CD. But, you know, if the bitch wanna twerk you could throw on some Future.

Is there a piece of advice you could give yourself ten years ago?
I’d tell myself to be more open to new things, because ten years ago I was quick to shut a lot of things down.

What’s your worst habit?
Probably smoking a whole lotta Backwoods, I need to slow down on that. I smoke like three or four packs a day by myself, if I’m around my homies I smoke ten.

Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?
Will Smith.

What’s he like?
From the couple minutes I was with him, he’s a nice guy. Real humble, real smart. You got to look up to a guy like Will Smith.

Do you have any tattoos that you regret?
I don’t regret them, they represent a time in my life. I just wish somebody else could have done a couple of them.

What would you like written on your tombstone?
“Born in this world of tears, but died laughing”

What’s the first thing you’re going to do after this interview?
Finish eating this chicken and cornbread I got right here.

Shadow of a Doubt is out now via ESGN / Empire Distribution