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The man is full of contradictions and lyrics that demand deciphering, so Str8 Killa becomes an excellent entry point, maybe by default and maybe by design. Either way, it's a necessary purchase for gangsta rap fans and a gateway drug that will send you straight to the mixtape underground.
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"Murder," "skimask," and "gangsta," all appended with the word "shit," are the terms in which Gibbs characterizes his oeuvre. Str8 Killa is all of those things. It is also breathtaking in its execution.
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Oct 22, 2010Expect talk of his crossover potential, the way he weds a mighty, funny, fresher-than-hell stage presence to the tried-and-true gangsta tropes of stunts and blunts. Expect 2Pac comparisons. Expect, based off this EP, great albums.
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As this accomplished one-two punch attests, Gibbs boasts the rare ability to be both crude and refined.
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Even without the heavy emotional resonance of those mixtapes, Str8 Killa works as a showcase for a ridiculously solid rapper. Gibbs knows his craft inside and out.
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Dec 23, 2010Gibbs continues to build momentum towards his official debut, and this EP/mixtape combination is certainly very good.
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His mixtapes still might be better (especially Midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik), but Str8 Killa is the first step toward Gibbs regaining the label contract that is so rightfully his.
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If not here, then on the EP as a whole, Freddie Gibbs is clearly in command, fully aware of his own potential and self-assured that if we don't get it now...we'll catch up eventually.
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Gibbs is a technically gifted MC with a baritone voice and steely flow that suggests a more nimble 50 Cent, and on Str8 Killa he maintains his iron-man mien so thoroughly it's sometimes tough to tell if he's having any fun.
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Gibbs elevates this eight-song EP above '90s-gangsta-rap homage with his baritone-deep hauteur and studious lyricism.
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Sadly, though, the appeal is only in the details when the subject matter is so familiar and the production nondescript.
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More than anything, his style betrays a fealty to the West Coast gangsta agenda of 15 years ago, and the EP's production (by Block Beataz, B-Flat Trax and others) riffs on a similar ideal.
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While Str8 Killa is every bit as consistent as his first two tapes, there's a sense that Gibbs has hit his ceiling, both artistically and in what he can hope to accomplish without a record deal.