Robin Fernando in association with ASTRAL PEOPLE & FLAVA presents the uncompromising and fearless Freddie Gibbs.
As an uncut distillation of his surrounds, Gibbs will set foot in New Zealand for two shows in February 2015.
After a colourful career beginning on the streets of Gary, Indiana and soaring into the bright lights of Los Angeles, Gibbs’ work has gone from strength to strength. In his early days, he was quickly regarded as a gifted writer who stood out amongst his peers with his reserved wit and command of language. Freddie rapped about the things he saw. A rapper notorious for his beef with some of hip-hop’s heavyweights and for undercutting the glorification of rap, Gibbs has carved a solid career spitting rhymes to make your hair stand on end.
As word of his skills spread to the coasts, he aligned himself with notable producers like The Alchemist, Red Spyda, Just Blaze, and Buckwild to create a discography that illustrates his experiences as a struggling denizen of a blighted community. In 2010, XXL Magazine caught wind of Freddie’s unique approach and nominated Gibbs to their Freshman Top 10. Subsequently, Freddie Gibbs’ previous mix-tapes, which capture the forsaken instrumental aesthetic of 90’s boom-bap and juxtapose it with his distinctly Midwestern double-time flow, began to garner widespread critical acclaim and industry attention.
Through a raft of mix-tapes (featuring the likes of Young Jeezy and Juicy-J) and the 2013 album ESGN, Gibbs has established himself as one of the most stylistically diverse and thematically cutting rappers in the business. A 2014 collab with Madlib, Piñata (Freddie Gibbs and Madlib album), scored an impressive 8.0 on Pitchfork, the reviewer singing Gibbs' praises as ‘an anti-bullshit activist… intricately tight-knit verses and simple, to-the-point hooks highlights just how skilled he is at both’. This album also got awarded Album of the Year for 2014 from LA Weekly.
The announcement comes just weeks after gunfire broke out on Gibbs and his entourage after a performance at a Brooklyn record store. With a contribution to the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack and tipped to release his next solo album at any second, make sure you catch Freddie Gibbs while the heat’s on. His willingness to both function in the world of gangster rap and to step outside the strict confines of hip hop to form unexpected collaborations with artists from a broad musical spectrum highlights a truly versatile musician. And Gibbs is only going to get hotter.
Freddie Gibbs
Friday 20th February 2015, Studio The Venue Limited, Auckland
Saturday 21st February 2015, James Cabaret, Wellington
Tickets on sale now through Dash Tickets (New Zealand).
Auckland Ticket Link - https://www.dashtickets.co.nz/event/txcd09pyf
Wellington Ticket Link - https://www.dashtickets.co.nz/event/4m6pbsw2r
Auckland Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/1529053670694438/
Wellington Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/808020852591402/
