Freddie Gibbs Blasts Young Jeezy, Says “Anything He Tells You, It’s Going To Be Fake

Over the weekend, Freddie Gibbs was in New York City to perform at Governors Ball in Randalls Island. The 2010 XXL Freshmen became a free agent in December after splitting with Young Jeezy’s CTE label. Since then, Gibbs has spoke on the situation with Chicago’s The Morning Riot, pointing out that the relationship wasn’t amicable and he was better off making moves on his own. A few months later, Gibbs still has some things to get off his chest.

After his set, XXL caught up with Gibbs to speak on his new album ESGN, Cocaine Pinata’s tentative October release, and why he no longer respects Young Jeezy.—Eric Diep (@E_Diep)

XXL: You got this album coming out soon, ESGN. Can you tell me the backstory behind the title?
Freddie Gibbs: I am the evil seed. I am the bad guy—you know what I am saying? I just think everything I am doing in this game is a natural process. Nothing [is] forced. Nothing at all. I think when it comes to credibility in this game, you gotta think about me. sh-t, ain’t nobody realer than me in this game. Definitely not Jeezy, so I am about to show you all that.

What’s the difference between ESGN and The Neck Tie Party that you announced a year ago?
That was something that I was experimenting with. Madlib and me, it’s called Cocaine Pinata. That’s the new album. I was gonna call it the Madlib album that but I changed my mind.

Is ESGN your debut album?
It’s a street album. My debut was probably five years ago, man. I don’t really know what a debut album is no more. As long as you got music on the streets, you’ve debuted. I ain’t on no major. Everything independent. Either way it goes, I am doing me and I am doing Freddie Gibbs.

When the tracklist hit, the Internet went nuts. It seems like a big album.
I think it’s going to be a big deal too. It’s going to be my first solo sh-t. Me separating from CTE. I’m extremely happy about that. Because a lot of guys wrote me off, Jeezy included. He really wrote me off. I am about to show that nigga what it really is. I am about to open that nigga’s eyes up and show that nigga that I mean motherfu-king business. He wrote a nigga off, but I am definitely about to show that nigga that I mean business. And show that nigga who the realest nigga in it. That’s what I am on now.

Has life after CTE been good for you?
Life after CTE…life been good. Before CTE and after CTE. I never took a dollar from cus anyway. It ain’t never been about life being good. My life been the same. I’ve been the same nigga. I’ve been doing my thing. Still been feeding my niggas. Still been feeding my family. Like I said, I never took a dollar ever from Jeezy in my life. Everything been on my grind and my hustle. I put BFK (Baby Face Killa) out myself with no support from Jeezy. I shot and did videos myself with no support from Jeezy. Like that it matters. Like I said, I got my own core, my fanbase. At the end of the day, I been my own man.

This album is going to be definitive of that fact. It’s going to show people, ‘Look, I didn’t need cus, cus needed me.’ I was bringing something to the table at CTE. I don’t need CTE. I went to CTE because I fu-ked with CTE. Because I had love for what cus had. It was a genuine love, that’s why I went over there for nothing. ‘Man look, let’s partner up. Let’s do this.’ I fu-ked with you. I respect you. Now, that respect is gone.

Was Jeezy supportive of you doing your own thing?
fu-k no. Anything he tells you, it’s going to be fake. I am going to give you the real. He gonna give you the sugarcoated version. That’s the difference between me and him. He gonna give you the sugarcoated sh-t, I am going to give you the real. At first, when that whole split happened, I was being political about it. I was thinking, ‘Man, I don’t want to fu-k up my relationship.’ But fu-k that sh-t my nigga. I’m feeding the whole city. That nigga don’t do sh-t for me. I am going to point a nigga out when he bogus and he was bogus for not owing up to his business relationship and doing what he was supposed to do business-wise. Like I said, I never needed the nigga to do nothing for me, but do what you said what you were gonna do. You don’t hold true to your word, I don’t respect you. So I don’t respect no nigga that don’t hold true to his word. All that sh-t you rapping; I don’t respect none of that sh-t.

To wrap up, is Cocaine Pinata coming this year?
Yeah, that’s coming this year. October. It’s done. We got ESGN, my new album, July 9. Str8 Killa Pt. 2, that’s coming. That’s gonna be an EP. That’s coming around back to school time around the same time as the Madlib album.