With his deep-voiced delivery, rough-hewn honesty, and laid-back swagger, rapper Freddie Gibbs offers the perfect amalgam of his Midwest roots and latter-day L.A. residence. As Gibbs's recent single, "The Ghetto," declares, he was raised in "the ghetto, the ghetto-ghetto" (in case there was any question) of Gary, Indiana, where corrupt law enforcement, neglected schools, and a horrendous murder rate left few options for the young and impoverished. The rap career came as an afterthought, initiated while Gibbs was supplying drugs to the regulars at an area... More >>>