Listening Party – “Gang Signs” Freddie Gibbs feat. Schoolboy Q

So, I had been dreading this article this week. I had so much damn trouble finding some piping hot music for this week that I was really excited to write about. I had resigned to one of two options, write an article about a song that came out two weeks ago (gasp) or write an article about a song I wasn’t crazy about (gasp again).

Luckily, tonight was the indiepong happy hour. A night that is revered in the indie music blogs circles as a time of great enlightenment and lava hot takes. After a night of me definitely NOT making absolute ludicrous assertions, I confided in Mates:

“Mates, my article is going to be bad this week. There’s just not any new music released this week that’s speaking to me. I’m concerned.”

“Freddie Gibbs and Q are dropping a song at midnight you NARB.”

“Damn that felt rude, but ok.”

Mates then took a sip of his kombucha, because he chose the shortest month of the year to take a dry month. Good for you Mates! I believe in you.

So, this week I am writing my most steaming hot, fresh out of the oven article of all time. Throw on some mits. Turn on the kitchen fan. It’s gonna get hot in here. 

Schoolboy Q and Freddie are my two favorite rappers right now, bar none. So, you can all imagine my excitement when I heard they were coming out with a song together literally 12 hours ago. These two have never done a collab together, which honestly is somewhat surprising. They both have pretty similar aesthetics as word play gangster rappers who rap over somewhat unconventional beats. 

This is no different. This has to go down as the most uplifting and calming backing tracks to a gangland track. I love it, it’s like a love song for Freddie and Schoolboy’s former lives. I think my favorite part of this instrumental is the trumpets, or as I call them: Sega Genesis SpottieOttieDopaliscious. 

I think deep down inside I always knew I needed a Freddie and Schoolboy track. I have so many ways I could describe this pairing:

Batman and Robin’ you and your family. 

A cheese-burner and fries meal with coke on the side.

Chicken soup for the dark soul.

I could go on…

I could talk about the bars, and cadence in this song for hours, but that would be so boring and would defeat the purpose of me writing these shorter weekly articles. So I’ll give you one sentence: Freddie gangster croons, while Schoolboy emphatically punches each line at the start of his verse like a brick over your head just to throw it in double time right as you start to get settled.