MadGibbs

MadGibbs
Freddie Gibbs (left) and Madlib (right) performing live
Background information
Also known as	Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Madlib Invazion
Members	Freddie Gibbs Madlib

MadGibbs is an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles, California that consists of rapper Freddie Gibbs and producer Madlib. They have released four extended plays and one studio album.

On November 18, 2011, at the Madlib Medicine Show live event at Mighty in San Francisco, California, the producer brought out Freddie Gibbs and announced their debut collaborative EP titled Thuggin'. The project has been concealed for at least six months until it was made available for sale at the event.

Gibbs also debuted the title track and "Deep" off his collaborative set with Madlib. Following the surprise performance, five hundred copies of the limited-edition EP were sold out at the venue. The EP was exclusively on sale at Madlib's shows, but was made available for retail purchase on November 21, 2011 through Madlib's Madlib Invazion imprint. The EP contains two main vocal tracks, instrumentals and two bonus beats. On January 16, 2012, the single's video, directed by Jonah Schwartz, premiered online.

Speaking with Jay Z's Life + Times, Freddie Gibbs decoded a few lines from "Thuggin'", explaining how he extracted from personal experiences in Gary, Indiana for the track: "The song is 'Thuggin'. First line, I say, 'We're not against rap, but we're against those thugs.' Speaking about how society wasn't against rap music but against the thug element of it. I felt like that's what I represent," he said. "What I'm rapping is what I'm living. I'm using rap as a vehicle to get me away from that type of living."

"You may get to that level, selling drugs and engaging in certain activities in the street," he continued. "You might end up selling drugs to one of your family members, hell, you might end up shooting one of your family members. The drug and the crime shit really deteriorated our community - my community, at least. And then I say something about my uncle was addicted to drugs in the verse. That's real shit. That's a true example of a king to a fiend, someone who was a prominent and hard-working guy in the community that went from not having work and being addicted to crack cocaine."