Towards the end of the ‘00s, Freddie Gibbs was cast as gangsta rap's new poster boy. Having grown up in Gary, Indiana, the deep-voiced rapper's The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs mixtape pitched him as an emcee who raps about the ups and downs of the drug game with intelligence and emotion. After forging a reputation for dropping street-certified tracks with his ESGN crew, 2014 saw Gibbs becoming a critics' favorite as he teamed up with Madlib to release the soulful Piñata. Always uncompromising when it comes to his lyrics, Gibbs is keeping the spirit of gangsta rap alive.