IT'S THE WORLD!

Dope artwork.

I actually intended to review Lupe's album before anything else, but this project was so much better (to me) that I decided to review this and postpone the Lupe review, and I love Lupe as an artist.  Cold game.

So if you follow my dude Big GhostFASE's blog (which you should), then you pretty much know how I feel about Freddie Gibbs.  In case you don't know, Gibbs is part of Young Jeezy's CTE clique, and he's dropped multiple quality releases, including Cold Day In Hell, one of the best mixtapes of last year, and Shame, an EP with Madlib, one of the most underrated producers in hip-hop.  Gibbs' delivery, flow, and lyrics are at home on any track, whether it's a laid-back number with Dom Kennedy, an underground-sounding track with Madlib, or a street banger with M-80.  Since I've been following and putting people on to Gibbs since I heard Cold Day In Hell, I felt it was only right to review his mixtape.  Once again, we have DJ Drama linking up with CTE to give us "quality street music."  Drama's really been on his deen lately, being a part of lots of dope releases.

But really though. Support good artists.

Side note: while he did release a mixtape that you can get for free, there was also an alternate version released on iTunes for purchase.  Support dope artists, the work this brother produced is certainly worth the $9.99 that they're charging for it, plus you get some different tracks.  I'll be reviewing the mixtape, but again, I encourage you to cop the album.

1. BFK - We jump right into it with this.  A great intro track, it lets you know the sound that you'll be treated to throughout the tape.  Listening to Gibbs call into Elliot Wilson's Keep It Thoro on EVR.com, he noted that he doesn't really give a fuck about making radio music or catering to what the labels want.  Despite that, Gibbs excels at making tracks that really could work anywhere.  This is gutter shit, fam..."Send him to God tryin to rob the Godfather//And if you scared of catchin a murder, then why bother" - DOPE.  Really, out of all the newer rap guys out, I think Gibbs is one of the more complete artists.  I've been hearing a lot of hype for Kendrick Lamar, but honestly, I like Gibbs more.  This shit is cold - 5/5


2. Still Livin' - Now this sounds like something you might hear from Rick Ross, which makes sense considering Ross basically jumped into Jeezy's lane and got his success from dropping similar content.  This bumps, but if I'm honest about it, I've heard better from Gibbs.  I feel like Gibbs can really be a star...like supplant Rick Ross, Jeezy, and T.I. for that style of rap.  So, accordingly, I expect greatness from dude.  This track works, but again, I want more from Gibbs - 3/5


3. The Diet (Ft. Pharrell) - This is a track not present on the album, but it's on the mixtape.  Cylla really crafted a dope beat for Gibbs to float on here.  It's got that Curren$y feel, but again, Gibbs is a very versatile artist, so he sounds quite comfortable here.  Usually I'm not partial to the tracks for the ladies, but when done right (like "That Way" by Wale and Jeremih), the shit works.  Also, Gibbs doesn't drag the track out or try to sing or do anything that these other rappers have been trying to do with these sorts of tracks.  This is the favorite track of the females that I've asked about this tape, but I like it as well.  Kinda surprising hearing Pharrell on this though - 3.5/5


4. Money, Clothes, Hoes (MCH) - Yo Feb. 9 is one of the winners on this tape.  He crafted some nice beats, and I swear I had never heard of dude before this project.  This is one of those tracks you just ride to, or smoke to, or chill to.  Real laid-back shit here, this could actually work as one of those tracks you hear in the club near the end of the night, you know?  Nothing really special here, but it really rides well into the next track - 3.5/5

5. The Hard (Ft. Dana Williams) - This is another joint produced by Feb. 9...again, this is a dope beat.  The difference between this and "MCH" though is that this is also a dope track.  Keep it real...how many rappers could drop a line like "Mob of hungry niggas like we came straight out of Mogadishu"?  How many rappers (excluding K'Naan or maybe Wale) even know where Mogadishu is?  Real shit, I doubt that some of these "socially aware" rappers even know where that is, hahaha.  The sound is real relaxed on this as well, which strikes a contrast with the content, with Gibbs speaking on his (presumably past?) life dealing, which is far from relaxed.  This is one of my favorites tracks on this project...lines like "Guess I'll slang until my grave or take that federal vacation" really relate how...nihilistic or just damn hopeless the hood seems at times - 4.5/5


6. Kush Cloud (Ft. Krayzie Bone and SpaceGhostPurrp) - Last I heard, SpaceGhostPurrp was in some sort of no man's land, being ostracized from the A$AP Mob, and I could have sworn Krayzie Bone was in out of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony or some shit.  Bone Thugs-n-Harmony is a Midwest group, so it's not surprising that Krayzie Bone worked with Gibbs, a Gary, Indiana native.  This actually sounds like some shit that you'd hear A$AP Rocky on, which makes me disappointed that that dispute hasn't gotten ironed out.  While Gibbs' typical subject matter trends more toward street tales and hard shit, it's not like he can't rap on weed tracks.  Obviously, I'm partial toward those types of tracks...I dislike Wiz Khalifa as an artist, but I'll still bump some of his shit simply because I can relate to the shit.  Plus, you have to be a real hater to not fuck with Krayzie Bone's style.  Shit is dope. - 4/5


7. Walk In Wit the M.O. (Ft. Dom Kennedy) - I don't know if any of you fuckers read my Yellow Album review, but if you did, you know that I didn't really like that project in its entirety.  I can recognize the appeal of Dom, it's just not something I can listen to straight through...must be a Cali thing.  Cookin' Soul is a dope producer, and he put together a low-key track that caters to Dom's sound more than Gibbs', in my opinion.  Seeing as how Gibbs was on one of the better tracks on the Yellow Album, it's not surprising that Dom returned the favor by spitting a verse on Gibbs' shit.  Being completely honest about it...this shit is dope.  Dom is REALLY at home on this, and drops a pretty nice verse.  Gibbs kinda stays in the cut and lets Dom rock this track, and it works.  It's hard to keep calling tracks "standout" tracks on this project, since he really hasn't dropped a bad one, but this is one of the more entertaining ones - Dom's "Found out I was fuckin, he was bothered a bit" makes me laugh every fucking time I hear it. - 4.5/5


8. Bout It Bout It (Ft. Kirko Bangz) - I actually heard this track a bit ago...I guess this was the first track released from this project.  I don't know if this is supposed to be on his actual debut, but it's got all the makings of a single, including a feature that you probably wouldn't expect from a rapper like Gibbs.  I agree with Gibbs' feelings on singles and radio tracks...fuck that.  If you make good music, people will listen.  It's ridiculous to me to have great rappers releasing shit worse than their average shit, just to cater to some casual listeners...of course, if people who listened to the shit actually bought albums, then this wouldn't be an issue, but I digress.  This is one of my least favorite tracks on the mixtape, but even then, it's not a bad track.  It's just...completely against everything I expect from Gibbs.  It's sorta like when you heard L.A.S.E.R.S. by Lupe...this isn't anywhere near as bad as the majority of the shit on that album, but the idea is the same.  After two great albums, Lupe dropped some bullshit.  With this, we still haven't gotten Gibbs' debut, so I'm just really hoping he's able to stick to his thoughts on singles and ride out, making his own style of shit.  I can deal with the joints like Jeezy used to drop, but I really don't want to ever hear Kirko Bangz on a Gibbs track again. - 3/5


9. Krazy (Ft. Jadakiss and Jay Rock) - Yo!  Statik Selektah on this shit?  Dope!  Real shit, Jadakiss will always be appreciated for his shit in the late 90s and early 2000s.  An underrated artist.  Jay Rock is probably...the artist out of Black Hippy that I'm most partial to.  I've been listening to dude since he popped up on Game's mixtapes and was dropping shit with Wayne.  Again, another underappreciated dude.  That being said...Gibbs eats both of them on this; "Look at me, I'm the definition of detrimental//Out the driver's side of this rental bustin up out the window//Sendin witnesses to the hospital for my acquittal//And my bullets blind, you ridin wit him, he dyin wit you" is FUCKING DOPE.  Maybe it's because Gibbs is older (30) than most new artists, but dude is really complete as an artist.  Tracks like this really showcase that...his strengths are pretty evident on this.  He's just polished, there's not a sense of staleness like you get from a J. Cole, and he's really flexible, which is one of my knocks against Kendrick.  Also, he's good at getting quality beats to rap on, so he doesn't get drowned out by bullshit background music.  Even though Jadakiss' verse isn't great (although he's got a nice little joint - "Get this income is the outcome"), this is probably a top 5 track to me.  Statik really gave Gibbs a great beat to work with, and he delivered in the fullest.  - 4.5/5


10. Stay Down - When you get past the laid-back beat on this, you get a solid introspective track from the Baby-Faced Killer.  Going from his grandmother's death to how the music game is, Gibbs really lays down how life has been.  It's kinda depressing hearing another new rapper speak on how fucked up the industry is; "Livin in this industry enemies come with smilin faces//but I feel like fuck all these rappers, they don't want no altercation" is basically how every new rapper has spoken about it.  In light of the death of Chris Lighty's death, it's just really important that prospective rappers are aware of how the game is.  Lots of shady brothers, lots of bullshit beef, and lots of pressure to perform and such.  Thankfully, it doesn't seem like Gibbs is letting the shit get to him; this track is an example of just how consistent Gibbs is as an artist.  I don't think I've ever listened to a project of his and heard back-to-back bad tracks.  It really just doesn't happen.  Now when's that debut coming out?  - 4.5/5


11. Boxframe Cadillac ('83 DeVille Mix) (Ft. Z-Ro) - Even though Gibbs rolls with Jeezy, pretty much the image of a Southern artist, it's still odd to me when I hear him rap with non-Jeezy Southern rappers.  That being said, this actually works, even though it's not a favorite of mine.  I gotta be careful with Z-Ro fans, I don't want that kind of drama, so I'll just say, I like this track, but there are better ones on this tape, hahaha - 3.5/5


12. Middle of the Night (Ft. Wayne Blazed) - Remember when I was saying how I liked how Gibbs did "The Diet"?  Well...this is the only misstep on this mixtape, in my opinion.  I could go without hearing this track again.  Hopefully this isn't one of the joints on his debut album, but I feel like something like this may end up on there.  - 2/5


13. Go For It (Ft. Young Jeezy) - IT'S THE WORLD!  I was waiting for the Jeezy feature, and this didn't disappoint.  Since I haven't been hearing a lot of Jeezy music lately, it's easy to forget that Jeezy really runs the ad-lib game...other dudes have some nice ones (2 Chainz, Big Sean, Rick Ross, and French Montana all have great ones), but man, Jeezy runs that shit.  This is one of those tracks that maybe the first time you hear it, you're kinda "eh" toward, but when you hear it the 5th time, you're like "yo this my shit!"  The more I hear this, the more I want to hear this in a club somewhere (preferably not in Pittsburgh).  The track bangs if you have nice subs, don't listen to this shit without a dope sound system - 4/5


14. On Me (Ft. Problem) - Track sounds a little like a Wiz joint, but thankfully there's no Wiz feature.  I fucks with it.  Really, this brother Problem sounds a little like Dom, and Gibbs and Dom have a good chemistry, so it's no surprise that Gibbs and Problem have a nice camaraderie on this one.  I will say that it sounds weird as hell coming after "Go For It," but that's a sequencing issue rather than a musical issue.  Presumably, the album will be put together better.  On its own, I do like this track though - 3.5/5

15. Tell A Friend (Ft. Curren$y) - Really, this mixtape is full of tracks that you would expect Spitta to be on, so it wasn't surprising to hear him on it.  The Jay-Z sample is both great and surprising...how has that line not been sampled on another track I've heard?  Leaving aside how great "So Ghetto" is as a track, this is a standout on the mixtape.  Spitta and Gibbs have worked together a couple of times in the past, so the work is expectedly cohesive.  I'm always going to be favorable to tracks that sample Jay-Z (especially when the sampled line was spit by B.I.G. in the first place), but really, this is a dope track regardless of the sample.  Another standout - 5/5


16. My Nigga (Ft. G-Wiz, D-Edge, and Hit) - Cookin' Soul is another winner on this...I feel like he's also an underrated producer.  There's been a couple of joints he's laced on this project that are dope as hell.  I've never heard of any of the features on this track, but they all dropped some heat!  I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  Usually when brothers bring their dudes onto a track, the shit ends up wack, but this is dope.  Again, it's hard to keep saying this, but Gibbs drops consistently good-to-great tracks.  I can't really say it better than that.  Consistency is a great trait, and Gibbs has that. - 4.5/5


17. Seventeen (Ft. Young Jeezy and Slick Pulla) - The other Jeezy feature...DOPE.  I've heard some say this is their favorite track off the mixtape...personally, mine is "BFK," but I can see why people like this one.  You can probably tell from the title, but the three trappers reminisce on life at age 17.  The Sinatra sample was unexpected, but I guess after Jay sampled it, I shouldn't be too surprised at what happens in hip-hop.  If you like introspection, if you like hood tales, fuck, if you like CTE, you'll fuck with this track.  - 4.5/5


18. Every City (Ft. YG) - Another surprise here...didn't expect to hear Gibbs spitting over this beat.  He keeps it short here...the track isn't really about shit other than fucking freak heaux, so I'm eh on it.  Could've had a better outro, so I'm disappointed.  Thankfully, as I said earlier, he kept it short (about 2 min) so there's not much for me to be disappointed over.  - 2.5/5



Overall, not many complaints about this mixtape.  The new trend is for rappers to drop album-quality work, and really, just going off of what I heard from the "album" version, he really could have released this as his debut and been good.  Excellent production, some great tracks, and good features as well...my main complaints are the sequencing (I would have arranged it in a different order), the joints toward the females (which I complain about with damn near every release, hahaha), and the LENGTH.  This is a long tape, coming in at 18 tracks.  Even including those issues though, this is a top 5 release for this year in my opinion...I don't know what mixtape was being considered the top of the class this year, but I'd put this up against anything released this year, to be honest.  Overall rating is 4/5, but if you drop like 2 tracks from it (or even make it a 12-14 track album), this is a 4.5/5 album.  Just very dope.  I'm VERY hyped for his debut album.  As much as people complain about the state of hip-hop, there really are rappers who drop quality work.  We just have to make our support known.