Words by Thomas Frick
Photos by Andrew Olanoff

Last Thursday a number of talented rappers from across the country performed at Rhino’s, Bloomington’s youth center and all-ages music venue. The performances included Jackie Chain from Alabama, Mookie Jonesfrom Houston, Texas, Smoke DZA from straight out of Harlem, Gary, Indiana’s own Freddie Gibbs (who does a hell of a job representing Indiana) and the headliner, Big K.R.I.T., who is (as he openly states) one of the few big name rappers to come from his home state of Mississippi. Just as diverse as their hometowns, the show’s varied lineup delivered an equally diverse set of performances. From Jackie Chain’s straight up, dirty South club rap to Smoke DZA’s Indo-centric set to Freddie Gibbs’ gangsta rap revival, the event’s cohesion was provided mainly by the pervasive feeling of togetherness and community: everybody was there to see some hip-hop.

Between sets, I was lucky enough to catch up with Indiana’s own Freddie Gibbs and chat for a quick minute. The MC, who seemed just as at home in the all-ages venue as he has been in prior bar and festival settings, talked about coming up in the scene of Gary, Indiana, a city and state equally unrecognized in the national hip-hop scene. Freddie described the previous anonymity of his home as a bit of a double- edged sword: the lack of hip industry infrastructure made it hard to make contacts in Gary, but the lack of notable competition made him stand out on his own in the city and state alike. With the rapidly changing hip-hop landscape, the emphasis is becoming less on a rapper’s home and more on the unique style that they can bring to the game. While originally sparse in his hometown, Freddie’s industry contacts have grown proportionately to his buzz and are the reason he landed the gig touring with K.R.I.T. While he did not personally know the MC prior to the tour, Gibbs related how enjoyable it has been to tour with the Mississippi native as opposed to some of the prim donnas he’s run into in the game previously. Given the positive response Freddie’s always received in Bloomington (and his entire home state), manager Archie Bonkers said the rapper and his crew were likely to return by the end of the summer. While the Indiana response has always been favorable, Freddie said he’s been getting a good response everywhere he’s gone. Well on his way to hip-hop stardom, it’s good to know Gangsta Gibbs is still representing his humble, Midwest roots.

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