I think that with me and Madlib, I was never afraid to really experiment with his tracks and things.
— Freddie Gibbs
I never took a dollar from Young Jeezy. No advance, nothing.
I ain't on no major. Everything independent. Either way it goes, I am doing me, and I am doing Freddie Gibbs.
I remember I used to go school with guys who couldn't afford notebooks, pens, paper: the necessary tools needed in order to survive in school. It's a lot of kids in Gary who are at a disadvantage without that.
Tupac is definitely an icon. There'll never be another Tupac, so I'm not gonna ever, ever try to fill those shoes. I'm just gonna stay in my lane and be the best me that I can be.
Ain't nothin' changed with me. I'm Eastside Gary til I die.
I ain't never detached myself from Gary.
Drake makes some dope songs.
I still bump 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' I used to listen to it before all my football games.
The neck is not something you should have surgery on that much.
I'm a loyal dude.
Probably dancing to Cassie's 'Me & U' - That's my guilty pleasure.
He's been my number one influence. If you say Tupac didn't influence you, then you don't really need to be rapping because nobody evokes that kind of emotion on a track like Tupac does.
I'm not a big video game dude though, but I like 'Madden.'
I wasn't fully aware of the things that Madlib did musically, but my manager put me up on game. I'm not gonna act like I was a Madlib head when I wasn't. I didn't understand a lot of it at first. But it opened my mind to some things, and it's me bringing that gangster element to things that he does. It's like a perfect marriage.
Ninety percent of the general public aren't gangstas, so all of the rappers aren't going to be gangstas.
'Pinata' is a great rap record for jazz fans.
I'm not really comfortable with being on songs with cats I don't really know.
I had a nightmare that I was mopping floors and that this Freddie Gibbs thing was all a dream.
I don't really know what a debut album is no more. As long as you got music on the streets, you've debuted.
Nobody else was saying what he said on air, and sometimes he pushed the envelope when he said the newest Jay Z line with a Michael Jordan highlight. But Stuart Scott was an artist.
I don't mind travelling. I'm independent, so I gotta get on the grind.
We have good, neighborly people in Gary.
When you go to places like Gary and Detroit, you see the economic problem in this country and who it's really affecting.
I love Lil Wayne. I grew up on the Hot Boyz.
When everybody goes left, I'm gonna go right most of the time.
I went to a Bulls game when it was still in Chicago Stadium before they built the United Center.
I always knew that I would be some type of public figure, but I never knew that it would be rapping, 'cause my dad sang: I saw him deal with the ills of the music industry, just on the outside looking in.
I like A$AP Rocky and his stuff - Kendrick too.
I've been known not to bite my tongue.
I tried to watch 'Inception,' but I fell asleep.
There's some dudes that did Gangsta Grillz tapes who probably weren't worthy of it - their label just put up the bread, or they did a favor.
A lot of improvisation and freedom went into 'Pinata.'
'Kind of Blue' is one of the best records of all time. Miles' use of space is something rap fans can definitely appreciate. Sometimes you have to let the track breathe and throw a melody in here and there. He never did too much on 'Kind of Blue.' It's the perfect vibe.
I have a respect for Young Jeezy. But the reason things didn't work out for me and Young Jeezy was because our approach to the industry... My approach to the industry was a tad bit different than his. I wanted to approach my career a different way; he wanted to go a different way.
I am the evil seed.
Me separating from CTE - I'm extremely happy about that because a lot of guys wrote me off, Jeezy included. He really wrote me off.
Coming up in America in the '80s and '90s, we were not too far removed from slavery. People forget that.
When I first came in the game, I had a bunch of homies that rapped that was hanging around me just because I was getting the rap attention, and they felt they could feed off of that.
I've always played that role in my family: the breadwinner.
I don't like rap that doesn't have a story behind it.
Lil Wayne makes good music. He's one of the best rappers.
The Bears need to let me be GM.
Eminem heard my music, and he didn't wanna take a meeting with me.
I played wide receiver in high school; then I went to college at Ball State and played safety.
You've got a lot of Tupac clones, but I don't think I'm one of them. I just think I give people a little piece of the feeling he gave them.
My TV stays locked at 'SportsCenter.' That and 'Pardon the Interruption.'
Scarface is my favorite rapper.
I study my competition for at least an hour a day. I get on the Internet, I look at what they doing, and then I look at ways to defeat them. I know their mixtapes track-by-track. I know some of their lyrics.
Madlib isn't a beatmaker, he's a producer.
