Live Review: Freddie Gibbs, Baro, Halfway Crooks

It was a sweaty, ecstatic night of hip hop when Freddie Gibbs descended on The Basement.

‘Hype’ is the word thrown around when someone like Gibbs flies down here and sells out his first Sydney show – with a second added on Thursday – but it’s not just hype; the guy has incredible talent.

Everyone was milling around the outside of the room in anticipation as Halfway Crooks – or a third of it, Captain Franco, technically – took the first slot, mixing hip hop bangers with precision. Don’t pretend you don’t still love singing along to Kendrick Lamar’s Ya Bish or indeed discovering new favourites like Dom Kennedy.

Baro was a truly impressive support, with all the relaxed vibes of the US East Coast and the confident flow of a 30-year-old… but he’s from Melbourne, and he’s just 17. By the end of his set, backed by DJ and fellow rapper Marcus, he had a dedicated crowd waving their hands to tracks like the chilled Cinema and Seasons.

When Freddie Gibbs took the stage a little late it was to huge applause as the room finally packed out, chanting “Gangsta Gibbs!”, “Fuck police,” “ESGN” – the title of his debut record – and probably anything Gibbs told them to throughout the set. Still without a record label, he proclaimed his independence: “Nobody owns Gibbs but Gibbs.”

He had a whole entourage on stage but Gibbs was the star. Every song began and ended with mind-blowing a cappella raps at the blistering pace and unique tumbling flow he is renowned for, and the room was under his spell, roaring the lyrics back at him to favourites like ESGN’s Lay It Down and BFK from his 2012 mixtape Baby Face Killa. Throughout the set he was up the front grabbing fans’ hands and letting them adoringly rub his bald head, and even questioning their loyalty (“You got my face on your t-shirt, but how long you really been fuckin’ with me?”).

He wasn’t afraid to be candid about his progression from dope dealer (a la Still Livin’) to “rich nigga” – but Gibbs would never deny where he came from. “I get to do rich nigga shit now,” he said. “Eat sushi and shit… Shop at that place, Harrod’s… I get to do big shit now.” But he still loves the stuff he grew up eating in Gary, Indiana. Chants of “six wings, mild sauce” filled the room for Harold’s, from Gibbs’ acclaimed collaboration last year with Madlib, Piñata.

Kush Cloud was the appropriate soundtrack as Gibbs sampled weed donated by fervent audience members, before he shouted at “that nigga in the bucket hat and Nike shirt, order me a margarita!” After thanking the crowd and abruptly announcing “I’m out,” he returned to mix it up with the crowd, dancing and sharing sweaty embraces. Watch the margarita become the go-to drink now. Gibbs leaves an impression.