Freddie Gibbs doesn’t like the police. That’s a fact he made evident on Wednesday night at Mohawk, leading the crowd in a call and response of “Fuck Po-leece” before and after nearly every song. It was ubiquitous to a humorous extent; when the sound skipped and his DJ blamed the board operator, Gibbs explained it: “Soundman on some police shit.”
Freddie Gibbs is also a phenomenal rapper. That’s another fact he made evident on Wednesday night at Mohawk. His rhymes were tight, his flow steady, and his control of the crowd and the stage complete. Of all of the hip hop I saw during SXSW – a genre that is slowly taking over Austin in March – Gibbs was the most dominant, rolling through tracks primarily from his two Str8 Killa releases of last year. Lighting blunts and riling up the crowd, Gibbs paced the stage, imposing and impressive.
When the beat skipped for the third time on Wednesday night, Gibbs demonstrated his facility; calling for his DJ to cut the track, Gibbs rhymed the majority of “National Anthem (Fuck The World)” a cappella. It was indicative of his skill and utter fearlessness. Gibbs showed his abs, showboated his massive bag of weed, and showcased his flow, and the result was – dare I say it – arrestingly good.
