Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzic

I've been away from the blog for a while. Instead of documenting my cross country trip, meal by meal, I must discuss a new mixtape I've heard by Freddie Gibbs.

I had not heard of this guy, or anything by him. He's great. I've tried writing about how great he is for the last thirty minutes, deleting what I wrote over and over again cause it's so good I can't find a way to explain it's virtues. The best thing I can say is it blindsided me. Came out of nowhere and hit me and left me blindsided. I mean blindsided like when I bought Sweetheart of the Rodeo four years ago and could not believe there was music that good out there that I didn't know about for so long. This is new, so I have less of an excuse, but the same feeling of discovery.

Details: Freddie Gibbs is from Gary. And if Gibbs is a good representative of his city's sound, then there is a strong sonic similarity between Gary and Houston. Screwed hooks, soulfully sung choruses that aren't distracting at all, trunk rattling bass, down-south organ vamps, a flow that switches from syrupy slow to double time and then back again, and amazing lyrics that have you rewinding before the verse is even over on some "did dude really just say that" type disbelief. At times Gibbs sounds like a one man, Midwestern U.G.K. He doesn't have Pimp C's nasal or Bun B's baritone, but the feel you get, the vibe he puts across is the same as halfway through Ridin' Dirty.

And he's not just a great rapper, he knows how to craft a song. Too many rappers seem to be one or the other, they either rap their ass off, but have no idea bow to build a great song, or vice versa. Gibbs does it both. For exhibit A, I submit the chorus of County Bounce. He doesn't just spit his verse and let the chorus take him to the verse two, he divides up the chorus, splicing the hook in half, rapping four short lines in between, which instantly stays in your head because it just sounds so cool.

Alright, Freddie Gibbs, Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION