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."
Homesick
Freddie Gibbs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, man, let me tell you something, man
I ain't gotta leave no motherfuckin' message
Yeah, yeah yeah
This Big Time motherfuckin' Watts man
When I call you answer the goddamn phone motherfucker
Freddie motherfuckin' Gibbs
I ain't no groupie, I'm your motherfuckin' uncle
Or I'ma come down there and beat your ass
Since I came home, police across the street takin' pictures right when I came home
Nigga get a watch, and a couple chains, think he harder than you
Drop the jewelry, grow some dreads, think he smarter than you
Please yourself or please your homies, man, what's harder to do?
Did some things in life I know I don't want my daughter to do
Shit, got a list of things I don't want my daughter to do
On the blade, tryna get paid, choppin' hard with the crew
Type of shit I did to make me feel a part of the crew
'Til I cut my niggas off, now I'm apart from the crew
I'm playin' my own so I cannot play y'all positions for my niggas
They hate me pocket watchin', they got me distant from my niggas
Shit's so fake this days, I got's to keep a pistol around my niggas
Got me on some Grayson Allen shit, I'm trippin' on my niggas, Lord
Chevy dookie blue on them 22's
Cali pack will send them bitches through, let them bitches move
Everyday I toke a couple Qs, serve that after school
Momma take my money, yeah, that's cool but she don't approve
Birds take a bath, dip them in the pool
'Bout to hit them bitches with the soda, watch them do the fool
Everyday I toke a couple Qs, serve that after school
Momma take my money yeah that's cool but she don't approve
Since I came home, right when I came home
Since I came home, police across the street takin' pictures right when I came home
Since I came home, right when I came home
Since I came home, police across the street takin' pictures right when I came home
I ain't seen my nigga since I came home
Thought it'd be bottles and bitches right when I came home
Found out my problems was bigger right when I came home
Police across the street takin' pictures right when I came home
I can't keep a bitch 'cause I can't feel the love
They always say there was somethin' there when there never was
I donate money to children but I'm still sellin' drugs
Yeah, I get that yol' for the low-low but was I really plug?
Life was off my mental, wasn't plugged in
Every day I pray the Lord the lotto scratch my plug out
Stay off the phone, ain't no service up in this drug house
Smell too strong to hit Sunday service, I'm shippin' drugs out
I ain't seen my nigga since I came home
Guess he somewhere gettin' that paper, he can't pick up the phone
Wish him the best, leave him alone and let him stay in his zone
And once he fall the fuck off then fuck him, he on his own
Since I came home, right when I came home
Since I came home, police across the street takin' pictures right when I came home
Since I came home, right when I came home
Since I came home, police across the street takin' pictures right when I came home
I just almost lost it all, for my niggas
Just sat in the cell, ten thousand miles away from my child, for my niggas
It's when I realized I gotta start livin' for my child, and not my niggas, know what I'm sayin'?
I remember not havin' nothin' to read in the cell for a whole month you know what I mean?
The fuckin' guards took me to the library and all the books was in German and shit
You know what I'm sayin', nigga?
That almost broke me down you know
Erica flew all the way over there
Brought a nigga some books, know what I'm sayin'?
She held me down, know what I mean?
Through all the bullshit, all my bullshit she held me down
I love her for that, yeah
I'm back
And I ain't goin' nowhere this time, yeah, amen
In Freddie Gibbs's song Homesick, the rapper uses his flow to discuss the challenges that come with returning home after doing time in jail. Gibbs expresses frustration at the police who are taking pictures of him, and his uneasiness with old friends who have changed and behave as if they are better than him. His mentions of these old friends serve as a warning for his fans not to lose sight of what is important to them. Gibbs urges listeners to prioritize their well-being and not make decisions based on external influences. Later on, Gibbs reflects on his incarceration and how he almost lost everything, including his daughter. In the end, Gibbs declares that he won't be going anywhere and that he is more focused on building a stable life for himself and his family.
One interesting fact about the song is that Gibbs prefaces the song with a voicemail from his uncle, introducing himself with his nickname, "Big Time." Another interesting fact about the song is that Gibbs originally intended for it to be a part of his album Shadow of a Doubt, but it did not make the final cut. Additionally, the song samples a speech by Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. In the speech, Hampton reminds his followers to value themselves and their communities above material possessions. The song also features a beat produced by Kaytranada.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, yeah yeah
Introduction or interjection expressing enthusiasm
Hey, man, let me tell you something, man
Addressing someone to say something important
I ain't gotta leave no motherfuckin' message
Expressing annoyance at having to leave a message
This Big Time motherfuckin' Watts man
Identifying himself and where he comes from
When I call you answer the goddamn phone motherfucker
Demanding a response to his call
Freddie motherfuckin' Gibbs
Identifying himself again
I ain't no groupie, I'm your motherfuckin' uncle
Clarifying his relationship with the person he's calling
Now answer the goddamn phone next time I call you, boy
Demanding respect and obedience
Or I'ma come down there and beat your ass
Threatening physical harm
Since I came home, police across the street takin' pictures right when I came home
Noticing police surveillance upon returning home
Nigga get a watch, and a couple chains, think he harder than you
Commenting on someone's ego and material possessions
Drop the jewelry, grow some dreads, think he smarter than you
Suggesting that external appearances don't reflect intelligence
Please yourself or please your homies, man, what's harder to do?
Posing a rhetorical question about peer pressure
Did some things in life I know I don't want my daughter to do
Reflecting on past actions and trying to set a good example for his daughter
Shit, got a list of things I don't want my daughter to do
Reiterating his fatherly concerns
On the blade, tryna get paid, choppin' hard with the crew
Recalling his past involvement in illegal activities
Type of shit I did to make me feel a part of the crew
Explaining why he was involved in illegal activities
'Til I cut my niggas off, now I'm apart from the crew
Describing a rift between him and his former crew
I'm playin' my own so I cannot play y'all positions for my niggas
Choosing to focus on his own life instead of trying to change others'
They hate me pocket watchin', they got me distant from my niggas
Feeling ostracized by his friends for being too focused on money
Shit's so fake this days, I got's to keep a pistol around my niggas
Believing that people aren't genuine and needing protection
Got me on some Grayson Allen shit, I'm trippin' on my niggas, Lord
Comparing his controversial behavior to the basketball player Grayson Allen
Chevy dookie blue on them 22's
Describing his car's color and rims
Cali pack will send them bitches through, let them bitches move
Discussing his drug dealings with California marijuana
Everyday I toke a couple Qs, serve that after school
Describing his drug habits and sales
Momma take my money, yeah, that's cool but she don't approve
Acknowledging his mother's disapproval of his actions
Birds take a bath, dip them in the pool
Mentioning his illicit activities with drugs
'Bout to hit them bitches with the soda, watch them do the fool
Implying that he is creating drugs and will sell them
I just almost lost it all, for my niggas
Risking everything for his friends
Just sat in the cell, ten thousand miles away from my child, for my niggas
Describing a difficult time in jail and being far from his child
It's when I realized I gotta start livin' for my child, and not my niggas, know what I'm sayin'?
Realizing his responsibilities as a father and putting his child first
I remember not havin' nothin' to read in the cell for a whole month you know what I mean?
Recalling a time in jail when he had no reading material
The fuckin' guards took me to the library and all the books was in German and shit
Explaining his frustration at not being able to read the material in a foreign language
Erica flew all the way over there
Mentioning someone who helped him in a difficult time
Brought a nigga some books, know what I'm sayin'?
Grateful for someone's kind gesture
She held me down, know what I mean?
Appreciating someone's unwavering support
Through all the bullshit, all my bullshit she held me down
Acknowledging someone who stuck by him through tough times
I love her for that, yeah
Expressing love and gratitude for someone's support
And I ain't goin' nowhere this time, yeah, amen
Declaring his determination to stick around and succeed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW PAPALEO, FREDDIE GIBBS, LEON THOMAS, RUSSELL SCOTT-WOOD, SIDNEY MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind