Freddie Gibbs Shuns His Gangster Rap Persona: “I’m A Family Man”

Freddie Gibbs has expressed his regret over making drug dealing and the criminal element central themes in his music throughout his career.

Gibbs recently spoke with students at the University of California, Berkeley, where he got candid about his desire to change his lyrical content to more lighthearted material.

“I’ma tell you the truth, man, I wish that I could get up and rap about some other sh*t,” the rapper, who hails from Gary, In., said. “I wish that I would’ve made a career of rapping about some funny sh*t or girls or comedic or any f**king thing but this sh*t,” he added.

“Every day I think about that. I wish I had a rap career… that was not gangsta. I don’t want this sh*t for myself. I don’t want this sh*t for my son. I rap about this sh*t because it consumed me, it’s where I’m from, it’s what I was doing on the daily for two decades.”

According to Gibbs, the content of his rhymes no longer accurately reflect his actual life, as he’s now a father of three children and focused on enriching his family, rather than attaining street cred.

“I don’t give a f**k about no street code, I don’t give a f**k about none of these n**as in the street,” the Alfredo creator said. “I don’t want y’all to think that I’m rapping about that sh*t ’cause I’m trying to glorify it; I’m really not.”

“I turn it off because I’m like, ‘F**k, I don’t wanna talk about selling drugs.’ I can have that realization now because three children later, I’m a family man.”

The GRAMMY Award nominated artist’s sentiments come in the wake of his latest album, You Only Die 1nce, which was released in early November.

His sixth solo studio album, You Only Die 1nce debuted at No .16 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart and includes production by Bnyx, DJ Harrison, Andrew “Pops” Papaleo, 454, and more.

See footage of Freddie Gibbs speaking at University of California, Berkely, below.