It’s nearly 3 p.m. on the East Coast, which means that I’m roughly 12 hours late posting this tape. It’s probably pretty passe by know. I think there’s a preview of a preview of Kanye releasing a snippet of his new single at Friendster. He’s bringing old-skool social networking back in 2010, y’all. XXL is hosting the tape and if you peruse their comment section you’ll note two things: the relative ubiquity that Gibbs has achieved online, and the fierce allegiance of his small but growing fan base. If Gibbs does Slaughterhouse numbers next week, it’ll be an achievement. That’s not a diss. Without radio play, massive major label push, or appeal to 14-year old females, there’s a glass ceiling in hip-hop if you’re not willing to play the game.
Let’s face it, Big Boi, 1/2 of the greatest group of all time, will be lucky to sell 300,000 copies, and “Shutterbug” is as nakedly commercial as it is great. The good thing is that Gibbs is creating enough noise to hopefully break him out of online purgatory one day. He’s playing festivals, headlining shows, earning a living making music. If you haven’t checked him out prior, Str8 Killa is as good an introduction as any. It lives up to its title, and there’s no need to add any hyperbole beyond that.
ZIP: Freddie Gibbs-Str8 Killa No Filla Mixtape
