Brace yourselves people. Freddie Gibbs has revealed details for his first official release, due on August 3rd 2010. The EP, titled Str8 Killa, will be unveiled on Decon Records and follows two mixtapes, with a third Str8 Killa No Filla due for a Summer 2010 release. The third mixtape will be hosted on the XXL website and will be offered free.
The Gary, Indiana based rapper, who has already been hailed as one of the best voices in rap today, delivers matter-of-fact accounts of hustling, smuggling weed, jacking trains and violent gunplay inherent in his hometown. Basically, Gibbs has lived a life each of us would cower from. This tough upbringing fuels the growling, rasping rapper – giving his lyrics and flows an edge that comes from personal experience. He’s been quoted as saying “I learned how easy it was to kill. I developed the instinct that if someone fucked with me, I’d take care of them”. You don’t get that living in the Hamptons.
He’s not found wanting in the confidence stakes either, stating that he’s “trying to be one of the greatest”. A claim his management seem to be firmly behind with them holding out for the right deal while they set about building a solid foundation. “We’re about building a fan base. If you have fans that follow you, you have all the power”.
There’s certainly enough buzz being generated. LA Weekly featured Freddie Gibbs on their cover recently. This in itself doesn’t seem much to write about it’s fair to say, until you realize that the last hip hop/rap act they featured was back in 1989 when N.W.A. graced the cover. It’s pretty significant that they choose to acknowledge the genre with Freddie Gibbs.
Pitchfork described his first two mixtapes as amongst “the best rap albums we’ve heard this year”, while The New Yorker called him “the one rapper I would put money on right now”. He even managed to be a breakout act at SXSW. No mean feat for a rapper. It’s fair to say his stock is on the rise with mainstream attention coming thick and fast.
The new EP will feature previously unheard tracks, produced by The Alchemist. An album The Devil’s Palace is also in the works with Freddie Gibbs himself quoted as saying “every day I’m workin’ on my album Devil’s Palace, I’m about a 1/4 of the way done with it”. The album is expected to be released around “back-to-school time”.