Freddie Gibbs

After almost a decade in the game, Midwestern rap heavyweight Freddie Gibbs finally presents his first studio album. There’s a reason you’d be hard pushed to find a single dissenting review about Gibbs’ rapping style, and that’s because of his ability to totally dominate any beat thrown his way with a hefty but flexible flow. While last year’s Baby Face Killa scooped up favourable reviews, the mixtape felt stylistically erratic and a little cluttered with A&R orchestrated guest verses. After walking away from Young Jeezy’s record label with his middle finger raised high, Freddie Gibbs has dropped ESGN via his own imprint, and the album – 70 minutes of uncompromising, testosterone-fuelled gangsta rap – radiates the adrenaline of the maverick’s attitude. With so much profanity, machismo and violent imagery, this is Gibbs at his fiercest, and sensitive listeners might struggle to digest the record whole. But we strongly recommend sticking around for the second half where highlights like Certified Live, Paper and Dope In My Styrofoam pop up. And let’s not forget finale track Freddie Soprano, where the appeal of Gibbs’ lyricism is summed up with one rhyme: “I ain’t one for slacking on my habits/I brush my teeth with Hennessy, sleep with my automatic.”