Freddie gibbs ski beatz world is my ashtray
Photo by Gretchen Villaluna for Okayplayer
Freddie Gibbs was born June 12th, 1982. If you didn't already know that factoid, you will as soon as you press play on "The World Is My Ashtray," the Gary, Indiana's MC's new Ski Beatz-produced new single. Gibbs has always championed his versatility as a rap artist and has been a history of pushing out from his comfort zone while the red recording light is on (just check out his half-sung hook on "My Dope House" if you want to hear evidence for yourself), but opening a track by describing his own birth in pretty exacting detail. The phrase "tunnel of life" gets used. Yes, we're aware that it's part of a mini-story, one that lets us know Gibbs's momma kicked him right out of the house at a young age for selling dope, but damn, Fred. Hell of a way to start a verse.
But from there on out, "The World is My Ashtray" is nothing but straight fire. Ski Beatz's searing guitar licks and colossal cymbal crashes accent Freddie's flow at just the right moments, and (as always) the rapper puts on a damn clinic in how to rap about hard hood shit without dumbing down a single line. Okayplayer got word that the track was actually cut years ago, and has only just recently been shared with the world courtesy of Ski. Freddie has reportedly wrapped an entire new project, so fingers crossed that we get word on that business real soon. Listen to "The World is My Ashtray" below and pre-order yourself a copy on iTunes before it drops tomorrow.
