It was fate. Freddie Gibbs was walking his dogs in Los Angeles when his phone started blowing up. The Gary, Indiana, rapper had just won his first Grammy for the song “Mutt Remix.”
“I was just like, oh, man, we got it,” Gibbs said in a FOX 32 Chicago interview.
The 41-year-old rapper won the Grammy for Best R&B Album as a featured artist on Leon Thomas‘ “Mutt.” His 54-second verse on the “Mutt (Remix)” helped secure the victory.
Gibbs becomes the first rapper from Gary to win a Grammy. He joins Michael and Janet Jackson as Grammy winners from the Steel City.
“It was an honor and a pleasure to, you know, be on that song with Leon. I’ve been working with Leon since, I want to say, like the better part of like 2014,” Gibbs explained.
The track was already climbing the Billboard Hot 100 when Gibbs jumped on the remix. His contribution pushed it even higher.
Leon Thomas’ Mutt made history as the first sophomore album by a solo male artist to win Best R&B Album since D’Angelo’s Voodoo. The project also earned Thomas five other Grammy nominations.
The rapper has been grinding for 15 years. He received previous Grammy nominations but never won until now. Gibbs plans to donate his Grammy trophy to Gary’s Hard Rock Casino.
Mayor Eddie Melton says details for the display are still being worked out. Despite his fame and rising status, Gibbs wants to build a farm right in his hometown.
“It’s a real blue collar, family knit town, you know what I mean?” Gibbs explained. “A lot of us, a lot of our families came from like, you know, Mississippi, Alabama, like down south…I think, you know, if anything, you know, Gary gave me a definitely a blue collar mentality that, you know, that’s carried me through the industry.”
The Grammy win caps off a busy period for the rapper and actor. He’s been balancing music with his growing film career while maintaining his connection to Gary.
Gibbs says his Grammy trophy will have a permanent home at Gary’s Hard Rock Casino, giving the city another piece of music history to celebrate.
