OPINION: Freddie Gibbs is the New Tupac Shakur

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the original author, Brittany Gage. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of LoudGenius.com, their staff, and/or any other contributors to the site.

On June 6, 2017 Freddie Gibbs emerged from backstage of Atlanta’s Masquerade to boisterous acclaim from a packed crowd. It was stop number eight on the tour for his new album ‘You Only Live 2wice’. This time last year, Freddie Gibbs was sitting in a French jail cell awaiting extradition to Austria for alleged sexual abuse. Away from his family and his main source of income in a foreign land, the Gary, Indiana native described the experience as “horrible, discouraging, and…the worst thing someone can accuse [him] of.”

As I observed Gibbs’ meticulously energetic performance and reflected on his career up to this point, I couldn’t help but think of the late Tupac Shakur. Both artists went through their fair share of grief with the streets, the legal system, and the music industry collectively. Both artists were also never hesitant to express themselves in regards to matters with these entities. Shootings, false sexual assault accusations, and mishaps amongst musical peers plagued both of their careers in hopes of derailing their successes. Yet and still, both of these men were able to persevere and overcome their obstacles, all while providing the world with extraordinary bodies of work.

Of course with Tupac’s untimely demise at the age of 25, it is extremely difficult to predict what he would have become. Artists like Freddie Gibbs, however, are unmistakable indication of Tupac’s vision to spark the mind(s) that will change the world. On the day of the world premiere of the highly anticipated Tupac biopic ‘All Eyez on Me’, which would have been Tupac’s 46th birthday, I definitely feel like Freddie Gibbs–who’s birthday was June 14th–has the narrative to continue Shakur’s legacy while concurrently creating his own.