As a rapper, Freddie Gibbs remains locked in fifth gear at all times. He never significantly alters his rap style, but that style is such a hyper-technical, gangsta-rap blur that he always sounds impressive, no matter the context. Peers of mine have already written off Gibbs, claiming that it's a problem when he goes in the exact same way every time. I can see what they're saying, but that perpetual sturdiness is, for me, more a strength than a weakness. He just doesn't fuck up, ever. Gibbs recently signed with Young Jeezy's Corporate Thugz label, and that's an awkward pairing on paper. But as it turns out, the two Gibbs collabs on Jeezy's new The Real Is Back mixtape are the two most exciting tracks on the whole tape; without switching up his style at all, Gibbs sounds awesome over the lurching gothic evilness that Jeezy favors. Just by doing what he does, Gibbs fits into Jeezy's universe a lot more naturally than any of Rick Ross' recent Internet-rap protégés sound on the newish Maybach Music Group compilation.
For the Lord Giveth, Lord Taketh Away EP, Gibbs dips a toe into a scene far removed from Jeezy's populist drug-rap, teaming up with DJ and producer Statik Selektah, a pillar of East Coast traditionalist circles and an underrated beatmaker. The two recorded the entire EP in a single day, broadcasting the sessions on Ustream and selling the finished project a couple of days later. It's a quickie EP, just 19 minutes long, and almost every track has a guest appearance or two. But beyond its length, there's little indication that Gibbs cranked this thing out as fast as possible. Every once in a while, there's an awkwardly cryptic line that could've used a rewrite ("I just wanna make dough and fuck bitches like I'm a Latter Day Saint"?), but Gibbs maintains the same quick-moving tough-talk intensity that he's always displayed. If you're not sick of just hearing this guy rap-- and you probably shouldn't be-- there's a lot to like about this one.
Granted, nothing on Lord Giveth has the knife-edge intensity of a great Gibbs track like "Murda on My Mind", and Gibbs doesn't try out anything beyond his most well-traveled subject matter. But he still has a way with an evocative image ("Man, it's so dry out here niggas be cutting they dope with vitamins"), and his syllable-by-syllable flow remains a force of nature. Statik's tracks work as pretty good facsimiles of the classically simple DJ Premier style, and Gibbs sounds just as comfortable on those as he does on Jeezy tracks. (I get the impression that nothing disturbs this guy; he could probably rap over, like, a Deerhoof song without blinking.)
Many of the album's guests come from Statik's usual circle of collaborators, gifted but grumpy East Coast guys like Termanology and Reks (the latter of whom airs out hopes "for real MCs to kill the likes of Lil Bs," which should give you some idea what cultural milieu we're working in). Gibbs sounds coolest alongside guys from other regions, like Houston mainstay Trae, whose muttery nihilistic fast-rap baritone is similar to Gibbs' own, or Dogg Pound veteran Daz, who comes off badass even when he's rotely reciting his career accomplishments. But even the East Coast also-rans have their moments. I especially liked Push! Montana's extended "Home Improvement" riff: "I'm Tim Taylor with the tool, man/ Play Wilson, try to peek over the gate/ Soon as I see your brow, I squeeze it in your face."
That clever ignorance is a small pleasure, like most of the pleasures on Lord Giveth. But even if it's nowhere near his strongest release, Lord Giveth remains a solid showcase for one of our most solid rappers.
