Freddie Gibbs Interview

[Lunatic]

http://raptalk.net/website/content/view/2438/54/

Raptalk.Net spoke to Gary, Indiana native Freddie Gibbs who recently appeared on the cover of the XXL as apart of the freshman class for 2010. We talk about that experience and shooting a magazine cover with so many big up and coming artists in the room and the possibility of working with them all.

Of course when such an event takes place, drama finds you. That was the case for Freddie Gibbs when Young Money artist Jae Millz publically discussed his disapproval of the cover, and his issue with five artists (including Freddie Gibbs) being involved, calling them "garbage" - Freddie had a few choice words for Jae Millz in this interview.

With a slew of projects on the table, we break it down with Freddie on his upcoming projects, including separate projects with The Alchemist and Bun B - more on that below.

Enjoy.

Read Full Interview:
http://raptalk.net/website/content/view/2438/54/

[Lunatic]

Raptalk.Net: We're here with XXL freshman cover artist Freddie Gibbs. How you doing Freddie?

Freddie Gibbs: I've been grinding, it's the same old shit.

Raptalk.Net: I hear you.

Freddie Gibbs: Hell ye, www.raptalk.net, what it do baby?

Rapralk.Net: We're chilling here with you! The first thing we want to know about Freddie Gibbs is, what was it like growing up in Gary, Indiana?

Freddie Gibbs: Gary, Indiana is all love. It's a cool place man. It's a small town though, 100,000 people or less. We're right next to Chicago. We get it in in Gary though. It's a rough town. You gotta' be a tough nigga to grow up in Gary, Indiana.

Raptalk.Net: Gary is a small town but is right next to Chicago as you said. Do you get that balance of the big city being close by, but you're still in a close knit, small town?

Freddie Gibbs: Gary, Indiana isn't a small hick town though. Don't think it's a farm town. It's the bricks; it's the city, but it is run down - it's like a ghost town. We're right there by Chicago though. We get it in all kinds of ways in the G [Gary]. We grind here like anywhere else. That's what it is. It's the same thing like the shit in your average inner city areas.

Raptalk.Net: With it being inner city and run down, you still rep Gary very hard. Do you think because of the circumstances that you were surrounded by, did that make repping the hometown that much more important to you?

Freddie Gibbs: Yeah, definitely. Repping my hometown due to all those circumstances is definitely important to me. That's where I'm from so that's all I can rep. I can't do nothing but keep it 100. I was born and raised in the G so that's all I'm gonna' rep, the G.

Raptalk.Net: Born and raised in the G. Small town, but the birth place of Michael Jackson. Do you feel any pressure to help the Gary scene recover since his passing?

Freddie Gibbs: Definitely. I want to start the Gary music scene because we don't really have a music scene. We have the Jacksons but I don't really think we have an established music scene. That's what I want to help build. I want to establish a music scene in my area.

Raptalk.Net: I think when people hear you're from Gary, Indiana; rarely do people recall that is the birth place of the Jacksons. Have you noticed that?

Freddie Gibbs: Some people do, some people don't. Some people know Gary for certain reasons such as the crime rate. Some people know Gary because of the Jacksons. Some people think because Michael Jackson is from here that Gary is a sweet place. But you know, sometimes you have to check motherfuckers and let them know that the G is the G for a reason. Yeah the Jacksons come from here but we're form two different areas anyways. The Jacksons lived in a different area of Gary.

Raptalk.Net: You eventually made a relocation to Southern California. Why the move?

Freddie Gibbs: I'm just out here for business. I wouldn't call it a relocation. I'm just handling my business out here. I'm still in Gary every month.

Raptalk.Net: I'm sure it makes sense to handle your business out in California. I imagine you're able to get a lot more done.

Freddie Gibbs: Yeah, definitely. I'm getting a lot more done out here. A lot of the producers I work with are here too. I like to move around. Wherever I gotta' get to get it done, I could be on the fuckin' moon [and get work done] - I'm still gonna' rep Gary.

Raptalk.Net: Who are some of the producers from California you're working with right now?

Freddie Gibbs: My homeboy Josh the Goon. Him and my homeboy Speakerbomb have a production duo called L.A. Riot. I've been working with them and they're producing my new joint off "Str8 Killa No Filla" project, a track called "National Anthem" aka "Fuck the World." That shit is gonna' be real hard. We're just getting it all together. They're like my brothers and I talk to them on the daily.

I work the Block Beaters out of Alabama. I'm working with DJ Burn One. I've just been getting it in with a lot of different producers. And I'm doing a whole project with The Alchemist. And a project with Bun B, Chuck English and Chip Tha Ripper - we're doing a little group thing. We're getting that out there too. We just shot the first video in Texas. I'm just grinding man.

Raptalk.Net: Ok. We're going to touch on all those projects. "The Devil's Palace" EP being produced by The Alchemist, you just touched on that a bit. Go ahead and give the fans a little more detail on that one.

Freddie Gibbs: Me and Alchemist, we pretty much just started on it. It's gonna' be an EP, 7-10 songs. It's a little project, really whatever the fuck you wanna' call it man. People can label my projects whatever they want to - mixtapes, EP's, or whatever. It's that raw shit. It's a whole project entirely produced by Alchemist. I'm about to get in that lab real heavy with him.

Raptalk.Net: You mentioned something interesting - A project with Bun B. Let's hear about what that consists of.

Freddie Gibbs: We did a joint together. It was Chuck English of the Cool Kids, and Chip Tha Ripper - we're all from the Midwest and that Midwest love is why we did a joint. And then Bun B got on it. We went down to south by southwest and we shot a video for it. We were smoking and chilling, doing our thing. We were like fuck it; let's do a couple more songs. We're just gonna' formulate it off like a little EP project. It'll be a very special project we're putting out for the people. It's going down. The video is off the chain too.

Raptalk.Net: You were signed to Interscope Records but things didn't go as planned. Talk to us about that.

Freddie Gibbs: I signed to Interscope in 2006. It was a good experience for me. Recording wise, I got to get a lot of things and learn in the studio. I got to grow as an artist. They just didn't do anything to promote Freddie Gibbs. I guess they didn't like the music I was bringing to them with my project. It's like that sometimes. You sign somewhere and they don't see the same vision that you have. The guy who signed me to Interscope, once he decided he was going to leave the label, he just left me and Interscope didn't work well with me. For the most part, I don't regret it because it taught me a lot. I just moved on forward from it. This time around, I have a better situation.

Raptalk.Net: Tell the readers about that situation.

Freddie Gibbs: I'm signed to Gibbs (laughs). There is no current label. I'm a free agent, completely unsigned. I'll tell you like LeBron [James], free agent.

Raptalk.Net: You being on the cover of the XXL with the whole freshman class thing, I'm sure the majors are running and knocking on your door with their bid.

Freddie Gibbs: Yeah, they're doing their thing. But nobody has come with something proper enough for me. I need that Drake money. If they can drop that kind of bread for Drake and what he represents, they need to drop that kind of bread for this gangsta shit I got because I feel I fill a void. They gotta' do what they gotta' do. And if not, I'm just gonna' keep getting it like I get it. It's still gonna' be all good. I'm gonna' keep staying in the magazines, stay up in ya' face and stay up in ya' bitch. It is what it is.

Raptalk.Net: Would you dub yourself as a gangster rapper?

Freddie Gibbs: Hell yeah. Nothing other than that. Gangsta rap is all I do.

Raptalk.Net: The labels are doing their bid with you on the cover of the XXL. Something that helped that become possible is you put out a lot of free mixtapes. Are you personally a fan of releasing free music online? How do you think it helps up and coming artists?

Freddie Gibbs: I think it helps get the name out there to a certain point. You still need to promote yourself. You gotta' graduate in order to be taken serious and sell your shit. Once you get to a certain point in the game, you garner fans in different fan bases and you gotta' give something first in order to build that.

Raptalk.Net: The mixtape that really did it big for you [Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik] was awfully close to that of OutKast's first album [Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik]. Any influence there?

Freddie Gibbs: Definitely man. OutKast has probably influenced my whole career. Not just me, any motherfucking that is rapping with a career right now was influenced by OutKast. I came up listening to that shit. I did my twist on that title and opened people's ears up a little bit, as well as to pay homage to OutKast.

Raptalk.Net: How is the "Str8 Killa No Filla" mixtape coming along?

Freddie Gibbs: "Str8 Killa No Filla", DJ Burn One, Block Beaters, L.A. Riot - shouts out to Goon and Speakerbomb. I got some heat on that project. I'm not even worrying about shit that these rappers are talking about. Anything they're putting out isn't really affecting this right here. I think that I got my own lane and there aren't too many motherfuckers that can step in it. I'm trying to bring back that Midwest gangsta rap.

Raptalk.Net: Ok. We're talking about a lot of projects you have on deck. Which one of them is gonna' be released first?

Freddie Gibbs: "Str8 Killa No Filla" is coming first. That should drop around the end of May.

Raptalk.Net: Taking it back to the freshman cover and the whole XXL thing, what was it like, and what was your reaction when they reached out to you?

Freddie Gibbs: I was surprised. I didn't believe it. I thought they were gonna' put me in that Show & Prove thing they do. I was cool with that. They hit me up and said they wanted me to be apart of the freshman cover. I was like hell yeah, that's what's up. It was all good. I appreciate them having me there. It was definitely a blessing.

Raptalk.Net: How was the shoot? Were all the artists always together? There were a whole lot of big up and coming rappers in one room.

Freddie Gibbs: It was a together shoot for the most part. Everybody was there.

Raptalk.Net: Any talks about collaborating with some of the other artists who shared the cover?

Freddie Gibbs: Yeah. Me and Pill have already done shit. The week after the shoot, me and Jay Rock made a song. Me and Fashawn are cool. I know all those dudes. I'm definitely down to do shit. I don't have any problems with anyone on the cover. I think everyone on the cover is dope and talented artists.

Raptalk.Net: Did you feel Jae Millz was personally speaking to you?

Freddie Gibbs: At first, I didn't think he was talking about me. And then when he made his comments about how he named the five people that he thought was the best artists on the cover, he basically singled out five people and said the other five was garbage. I didn't agree with that. Since he decided to say names, I said his name. I feel that motherfuckers always feel the need to put each other down. That shit is stupid man. He said he spoke out of anger, well he shouldn't have said shit about it.

He doesn't know me or where I come from. Don't speak on me. And if you decide you're gonna' speak on me, have the nuts to man up and stand by your statement. Don't be a bitch about it. If you feel I'm garbage, tell me to my face that I'm garbage. Motherfuckers are haters in the game man. You're gonna' get that a lot. I don't really worry about that shit. I see motherfuckers like that and it really doesn't mean anything.

Raptalk.Net: So you didn't really have a problem with it until he started singling people out?

Freddie Gibbs: I really don't give a fuck at the end of the day. He said five of them motherfuckers are garbage. At first I was like OK, he isn't talking about me. And then when he named names, I understand you not knowing my music and I don't have a problem with you saying that because I'm fairly new to the game. But don't call me garbage though. That's what I had a problem with. Your opinion is your opinion. I don't mind niggas having opinions. But once you put your opinion in the air and in the public with the media, it becomes way more and deeper than just your opinion.

Raptalk.Net: I can respect that. What's next up for Freddie Gibbs?

Freddie Gibbs: "Str8 Killa No Filla", that's all I'm doing. I'm all in these hoes, trying to be worldwide. That's what the fuck I'm doing man.

Raptalk.Net: I can't hate on that.

Freddie Gibbs: Getting money, that's all I'm doing man. I'm just trying to earn all I can.

Raptalk.Net: And many blessings to you my man.

Freddie Gibbs: I appreciate that.

Raptalk.Net: No doubt. You're live on www.raptalk.net, I really appreciate your time Freddie. Freddie Gibbs has a slew of projects coming up y'all, "Str8 Killa No Filla" is coming first, he's working on "The Devil's Palace" EP with Alchemist, and he even has a project coming with Bun B, Chip Tha Ripper and Chuck English of The Cool Kids. Go ahead and give us your final shout outs - what are your last words for www.raptalk.net?

Freddie Gibbs: Shouts out to the whole Gibbs family. If you ain't down with the Gibbs family, suck a penis, ya' dig? (laughs). We're getting down. Shouts out to the whole Midwest. Shout out to my niggas LEP, all my Chicago niggas. Down south, I fuck with y'all too. Shouts out to Bun B. it's all love, my nigga Pill. It is what it is baby. We're getting it cracking this year. It's all a blessing man. To everybody in the game fuck with, thank you.

[Blood$]

very good interview, touched on mad shit I wanted to know lol

anticipating Str8 Killa No Filla heavy as well as the EP with Alchemist 

that group sounds interesting too

[Lunatic]

very good interview, touched on mad shit I wanted to know lol

anticipating Str8 Killa No Filla heavy as well as the EP with Alchemist 

that group sounds interesting too

Thanks bro!

[stillinrehab]

Cool Interview... Said he was droppin St8 Killa No Filla end of May though...

[MistaNova]

Nice interview. Can't wait for Str8 Killa No Filla.

Hope we get to hear those joints he did with Pill and Jay Rock. I wonder if he did any tracks with J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa or Nipsey Hussle. Fuck Jae Millz BTW.