Kendrick Lamar has become somewhat of an ambassador of Hip Hop. His message transcends race, genre, class and creed. He is brutally honest, yet optimistic and uplifting. Thus, the public has generally agreed that he is the current King of Hip Hop and an important voice in American society. J. Cole, too, has earned substantial critical respect and public admiration for his socially conscious lyrics and musically enticing production. The two are considered among the most talented, conscious, and serious rappers in the game right now. However, Gary, Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs believes he deserves a spot on the top of the Hip Hop totem pole. His realistic lyrics and tough messages are both honest and visceral. He has wowed critics with his collaboration with producer Madlib on Pinata and on his recently released solo effort, Shadow of a Doubt. However, Gibbs still remains an "underground" rapper with scant mainstream recognition. This clearly rubs the rapper the wrong way, and he feels he should receive the same plaudits of his more famous peers.
"I don't feel like I get the recognition for being as innovative that I am musically, you know what I mean? I don't think that I get put up there with the J. Coles and the Kendrick Lamars and guys of that nature when I definitely think that I'm rapping on their level and definitely higher," said Gibbs according to AllHipHop.
He continued, "It's just a matter of just me sticking to my guns and doing it the way I want to do it. And I'm at that point now where I can put out music when I want to, shoot a video when I want to, just basically have total control, so it's like, I can sway more people in my direction than ever now. But I still don't think that I get the credit that I deserve, like I said, for being an innovator."
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