Cold Day In Hell

Stepping out of Gary, Ind., Freddie Gibbs has been making moves for nearly a decade now. In the late '00s, he had the Internet goin' nuts. Rocking a compelling mix of thugged-out street tales and sensitive/intellectual musings, he was briefly signed to Interscope and has since dropped a gang of impressive mixtapes (such as The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and Full Metal Jackit). He's also collaborated on EPs with Madlib and Statik Selektah; another one with Ski Beatz is in the works. On Cold Day in Hell, he joins forces with a diverse crew of fellow emcees, including big names like Young Jeezy ("Twos and Fews"), 2 Chainz ("Neighborhood Hoez"), and Memphis O.G. Juicy J ("Str8 Slammin'"), as well as more obscure cats like B.J. the Chicago Kid, Alley Boy, and Polyester. The production is fantastic and surprisingly varied, with tons of soulful samples and more straightforward synth bangers. Vocally, Gibbs combines the raspiness of a young Ja Rule crossed with the deep thinking of Scarface or Big K.R.I.T. Check out "Anything to Survive," "Natural High," and "Barely M.A.D.E. It."