Hailing from Gary, Indiana, a place whose murder and crime rates have ranked it several times at the top of the "Most Dangerous Cities" list, Freddie Gibbs is the true definition of a street survivor. Raised on Gary's east side, Gibbs lived the hard life firsthand in a run-down industrial community plagued with vice and ignored by the establishment. After playing at Ball State on a football scholarship, Gibbs was kicked out of college. Over the next few years he went through court-ordered boot camp, joined and got discharged from the military, and held down a series of 9 to 5 jobs without success. Feeling like the system had failed him, Gibbs turned to hustling; pimping and selling crack out of a local house. Inspired by rappers like UGK, The Geto Boys, and 2Pac, Gibbs started rhyming about his life and the issues facing urban youth in Gary and the countless other impoverished cities just like it. Gibbs is the first rapper signed to a major label from Gary.
The Steel City's most famous musical residents to date are the Jackson 5, whose name still adorns a marquee on a falling-apart theater in Gary's blighted downtown. His desire to rep the Midwest and his city led Gibbs to start recording mixtapes and pushing them online as well as the streets, where he quickly began garnering fans drawn to his original style, diverse flows, and deeply personal lyrics about his experience as a young black man growing up below the poverty line in a forgotten American city.
Freddie has worked with respected producers like Madlib, Red Spyda, Just Blaze, Buckwild, the Alchemist, Polow Da Don, and Collipark among many others. Gibbs cites Houston rap and Pac as his major influences, and it shows in his ability to alternate between chillingly tense street stories of violence and laid back comedic tales about women and weed. Ultimately Gibbs shows and proves with his rhymes, which demonstrate the promise of a legend in the making. His skills, wit, and street credibility establish Freddie Gibbs as a true artist. He's ready to represent for Gary, the Midwest, and anyone who relates to the struggle of inner city life. As Gibbs tells it: "My music is definitely on some gangsta shit. That's what I was raised on and what I witnessed. How can I speak on anything else?" "Become a fan now, or become one later."
Barely M.A.D.E. It
Freddie Gibbs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I just twist up a sweet
Brain tissue stay gettin' burned
As I cruise up '94, did a robbery night before
He thought I was there to purchase 10, but I robbed him for 90 more
Now I'm 100 solid, 'bout to set up shop in Wisconsin
Grabbed my phone and chirped my plug in Milwaukee, he just responded
Homie told me sex, money and drugs, they rule the earth
So get your own, you know them thangs good as gone when they touch the turf
Destined to pay for my dirt, the resist of temptation was hard
So be a thug from your birth 'til you face to face with your God
And when I'm faced with that moment, I check out chiefin on straight kill
Baptized in a lake of fire, so this how hell feel
And I ain't never snitched or took the stand, bitch I'm a gangsta
Made nigga, bitch Ima make it at all costs
Few of these niggas be testin' me, but they resume all false
Heard his family wept, with my weaponery blew the wall off
Know some Belizean boys that'll bury you with your balls off, castrated
Niggas in yo click cut yo throat just cause you candy painted
Made a little change and they forgot that you barely made it
Fuck it, two tears in a bucket of crabs
I couldn't put food in my budget, I was bustin 'my ass
To make a choice to either eat or have money for gas
Enough to make you break morals for the love of this cash
The devil work and he stay immersed in my idle time
When there ain't shit twerkin', niggas get murked in this life of mine
And I took some hits on some niggas, never knew what they did
Never considered they momma, they family or they kid
Loaded up my sig, got a pint of gin and I took a swig
'Bout to go knock his ass off the map cause I'm on my dick
I'm a made nigga, bitch Ima make it at all costs
If you niggas seen what I saw, you'd roll with a sawed off
Heard he utter words of my murder, but it was all talk
The killers I know don't get caught, but I bet they all walk
I'm a made nigga, bitch Ima make it at all costs
If you niggas seen what I saw, you'd roll with a sawed off
Few of these niggas be testin' me, but they resume all false
This thuggin gon' be the death of me, lord we all lost
Tell me what would you do if you were in my shoes?
Can you tell me?
What would you do if you were in my shoes?
Can you tell me?
Can you tell me what would you do?
What would you do if you were in my shoes?
Can you tell me?
Tell me what would you do if you were in my shoes?
In "Barely M.A.D.E. It," Freddie Gibbs offers a vivid portrayal of life as a gangsta with his frank lyrics about the criminal lifestyle. The song opens with Gibbs admitting that he can't sleep at night and resorts to smoking marijuana to soothe his brain. He then recounts a robbery he carried out the night before and how he is now trying to set up drug distribution in Wisconsin. Gibbs also acknowledges the power of sex, money, and drugs in ruling the world and cautions against temptation. He plans to stay true to his gangsta lifestyle until he meets his maker, confident that he has lived his life on his own terms.
In the second verse, Gibbs reflects on the moral ambiguities of his life. He has made it as a gangsta, but at what cost? He acknowledges the price he has paid for success, including the danger of enemies and the potential for betrayal by friends. He also admits to having taken some hits on other people without considering the impact on their families. However, he remains unrepentant, and the song ends with him asking the listener what they would do if they were in his shoes.
Line by Line Meaning
At night I can't sleep, I toss and turn
I have trouble sleeping and am restless.
So I just twist up a sweet
I smoke marijuana to help me relax and calm down.
Brain tissue stay gettin' burned
My brain cells are being damaged by the marijuana I smoke.
As I cruise up '94, did a robbery night before
I committed a robbery recently and now I'm driving down a nearby highway.
He thought I was there to purchase 10, but I robbed him for 90 more
I pretended to be a buyer and stole more money than he expected.
Now I'm 100 solid, 'bout to set up shop in Wisconsin
I now have a lot of money and am planning to start selling drugs in Wisconsin.
Grabbed my phone and chirped my plug in Milwaukee, he just responded
I contacted my drug supplier in Milwaukee and he responded quickly.
Homie told me sex, money and drugs, they rule the earth
My friend told me that sex, money, and drugs are the most powerful things in the world.
So get your own, you know them thangs good as gone when they touch the turf
Therefore, you should get as much of those things as you can because they are easily stolen or taken away.
Destined to pay for my dirt, the resist of temptation was hard
I know that I will eventually have to pay the price for my criminal activities, but it's hard to resist the temptation to continue doing it.
So be a thug from your birth 'til you face to face with your God
It's better to embrace a life of crime from the beginning and continue with it until you die.
And when I'm faced with that moment, I check out chiefin on straight kill
If I am faced with death, I will go out smoking marijuana and killing my enemies.
Baptized in a lake of fire, so this how hell feel
I will face judgment and punishment for my crimes, and it will feel like being baptized in a lake of fire.
And I ain't never snitched or took the stand, bitch I'm a gangsta
I have never cooperated with the police or testified against anyone, which is a sign of being a true gangster.
Made nigga, bitch Ima make it at all costs
I am a successful criminal who is willing to do anything to maintain my status.
Few of these niggas be testin' me, but they resume all false
Some people try to challenge me, but their attempts are futile and weak.
Heard his family wept, with my weaponery blew the wall off
I hurt someone so badly that their family members were really upset and I had to use a lot of force to do it.
Know some Belizean boys that'll bury you with your balls off, castrated
I have connections to violent criminals in Belize who will kill people in a particularly brutal manner.
Niggas in yo click cut yo throat just cause you candy painted
People from your own gang might betray you and kill you for superficial reasons like owning a flashy car.
Made a little change and they forgot that you barely made it
Even if you become successful in a life of crime, people will forget how hard you worked to get there.
Fuck it, two tears in a bucket of crabs
I don't care about anyone else's problems or issues.
I couldn't put food in my budget, I was bustin 'my ass
I had to work really hard just to be able to buy food and survive.
To make a choice to either eat or have money for gas
I had to choose between being able to buy food or being able to afford gas for my car.
Enough to make you break morals for the love of this cash
Having to constantly choose between basic needs and money can make you compromise your morals and ethics.
The devil work and he stay immersed in my idle time
When I have nothing to do, I am often tempted to do bad things because those temptations are always around me.
When there ain't shit twerkin', niggas get murked in this life of mine
When there are no opportunities for making money in a criminal way, people often get killed instead.
And I took some hits on some niggas, never knew what they did
I attacked and hurt some people even though I didn't know what they did to me.
Never considered they momma, they family or they kid
I never thought about the potential impact on the innocent family members of the people I hurt.
Loaded up my sig, got a pint of gin and I took a swig
I armed myself with a gun and drank some alcohol before preparing to hurt someone else.
'Bout to go knock his ass off the map cause I'm on my dick
I am going to kill someone because I am feeling powerful and confident in myself.
If you niggas seen what I saw, you'd roll with a sawed off
If you had seen everything that I have seen and had to do everything I've had to do, you would arm yourself with a gun too.
Heard he utter words of my murder, but it was all talk
Someone threatened to kill me, but it turned out to be just empty words.
The killers I know don't get caught, but I bet they all walk
The murderers I know are never caught by the police, but they don't live a free and happy life either.
This thuggin gon' be the death of me, lord we all lost
Being a criminal will eventually lead to my own death and ruin, and it's a tragedy that all of us are involved in it.
Tell me what would you do if you were in my shoes?
If you were in my situation, what choices would you make?
Can you tell me?
I want to know if other people can understand and relate to my experiences.
What would you do if you were in my shoes?
Would you make the same decisions as me if you were in my position?
Can you tell me?
I want to hear other people's perspectives and opinions on my life and choices.
Tell me what would you do if you were in my shoes?
If you knew what I know and experienced what I have, how would you live your life?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Tipton Fredrick Jamel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind