Local hip-hopper climbs mainstream ladder

Freddie Gibbs is climbing up the Chicago hip hop ladder with his new mix tape "Cold Day in Hell." Gibbs, originally from Gary, Indiana is best known for his verse in the Kanye West track "Spaceship" off the album "College Dropout." Since then,  Gibbs has made himself known around Chicago and has been working on his craft, dropping tapes left and right for the last couple years.

After listening to most of his work, "Cold Day in Hell" is his best yet. The mix tape itself came out on Halloween, and has received applause from various magazines covering Chicago's music scene (Pitchfork Media gave the tape an 8.2./10). Gibbs intertwines the album's tracks with a variety of rappers, many of which are unknown to mainstream listeners. Young Jeezy and Dom Kennedy are some of the better known artists featured on "Cold Day and Hell," but rapper B.J. the Chicago Kid, who is relatively unknown, makes a name for himself as one of the strongest young MCs in the game. After hearing "Barely Made It," I look forward to hearing more from him.

Freddie Gibbs does a good job talking about uncomfortable topics. On the track "My Homeboy's Girlfriend," the subject matter is self-explanatory, but what makes it unique is that Gibbs personalizes the story without giving graphic, Lil Wayne-like detail. This is what separates Gibbs from the majority. Gibbs' team of newcomers shares his same passion for storytelling, making the entire tape worth listening. The mix tape is produced by the "unstoppable" J.U.S.T.I.C.E. league, which is coming off production of Jay Rock's debut album "Follow Me Home," Some notable tracks off this tape are "187 Proof",  "Two and Fews ft. Young Jeezy," and "So Amazing."  These tracks stick out to me as being the strongest lyrically.

Check it out free of charge at datpiff.com.