When Gangsta Gibbs dropped the “Str8 Killa No Filla” mix tape last year, I was pleasantly surprised. It was the ?rst I had heard of Gibbs, and I de?nitely liked what I heard. Here is a rapper from Gary, Ind., who is part of a dying breed of rappers: true street-hardened up-from-the-slums gangsters.
I was most impressed by his ability to show this through his lightning-fast ?ow and intense lyric delivery. Since the release of the Str8 Killa EP, Gibbs has spent the past year taking guest spots and absolutely murdering the tracks he appears on (see “Scottie Pippens” by Curren$y & the Alchemist), while compiling new material for the “Cold Day In Hell” mix tape released on Halloween. Needless to say, my anticipation for this one was through the roof.
Thankfully, Gibbs and label-mates from Young Jeezy?s Corporate Thugz
Entertainment delivered.
While it spans a daunting 16-track, one-hour runtime, “Cold Day In Hell” is generally solid and often exceptional.
“Cold Day In Hell” might even be the mix tape of the year. Gibbs proves that he can hold an entire tape down by himself, but it doesn’t hurt that he’s got a worthy slew of producers and rappers on board to lay down some high-end beats and guest verses.
Gibbs has a lifetime of hardships to draw on, and when you have a pool of experience like that, artistic output is going to be generally interesting, if not impressive. Gibbs runs the gamut of lyrics about life in poverty: drugs, pimping and violence; however, he does branch out into creative storytelling.
“My Homeboy?s Girlfriend” is a disturbing tale of a man who steals another man’s girlfriend when he’s doing time in jail, and the conclusion hearkens to Eminem?s emotionally hard-hitting “Stan.”
Gibbs also keeps up his tradition of completely destroying any other rapper featured on his tracks. Featured on this mix tape are heavyweights like Juicy J and Jeezy himself, along with up-and-comers like Dom Kennedy, but none of them can hold a candle to Gibbs technical skill. Each guest sounds like a step down in quality, but in the end the diversity is welcome over the course of the album’s hefty length.
Gibbs comes armed on this mix tape with a solid roster of producers in tow. The Grammy-winning J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, growing southern rapper-producer Big K.R.I.T., and the ever-improving DJ Burn One all contribute to the beats along with several lesser-known artists, and even the unknowns put in some surprisingly good work. Most of the beats on this tape are strong southern-style bangers, but the production crew leaves room for some diversity as well.
Overall, I can?t really ?nd much to complain about with this mix tape. It showcases everything that I liked before about Gangsta Gibbs, with the luxury of better production and big-name guest stars. I have a few gripes with the bloated runtime, which doesn?t bother me until the latter-end of the tape when the beats get a little too similar, but that?s a minor complaint.
Regardless, Gibbs has proven himself to be the rapper to watch, and I?ll have to agree with many of Gibbs? fans when they say that he?s keeping legitimate gangsta rap alive, whether it?s on life support or perfectly healthy.
