Pusha-T vs. Freddie Gibbs. Rap Kumite 8.

The ‘Cain Train rolls into Daytona for a showdown between yayo kingpins.

I took my 20 favorite rappers and put them in head-to-head matchups to battle for their rank in Rap Kumite. This is the battle for Rap Kumite 8.

In the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War, the audience finally gets their proper introduction to Thanos and the Black Order, and years of cryptic post-credit scenes and speculation ended in five minutes. The bad guys had arrived, and they were indeed bad. We immediately knew Earth’s mightiest heroes were in for some shit. Unlike that blockbuster superhero, Rap Kumite 8 features two titans squaring off, and there aren’t any heroes mighty enough to step to these rap villains.

Pusha-T and Freddie Gibbs have spent the past decade and change crafting impeccable solo careers as two of hip-hops greatest antagonists. Their rhymes are focused narratives about the highs and lows of the drug game—the struggle to rise to the top and then stay there, dominating. They are comfortable in these personas, “chopping up this block white top” in Yohji Yamamotos, “between God and where the Devil’s at”. We, the people, have a long history of rooting for villains. Maybe it’s because we can relate to them, or maybe it’s because they are (in some ways) who we aspire to be, like rich and powerful. Or maybe they just sound slick when they rap about the same shit we’ve seen Tony Montana or the Barksdale Organization pull off.

That’s what it is, and that’s what Pusha-T and Freddie Gibbs do.

Pusha-T

“Look, real bars are the ill bars. These scars are the only real proof they couldn’t kill gods.”

King of the coke raps, or perhaps more like the Night King, you’d think Pusha-T was climate change. His theatrical lyrics exist in a timeless era of Vice City neon lights and South Beach snowstorms. He’s a luxury brand of rapper for connoisseurs of innovative wordplay.

Do you ever get tired of listening to him rap about the same shit?

Nope. When I’m in the mood for a gangster flick, I’ll throw on Goodfellas. Settle for nothing but the best. You put the music on that you want to fit the mood, and Pusha-T is my hip-hop equivalent to heavy-metal for the gym. Rap music to listening to while you slam iron, and also rap music to listen to as you sip champagne. Pusha-T knows what his audience wants to hear, and he delivers it every time.

Favorite Track

“Drug Dealers Anonymous”, “If You Know You Know”, “The Games We Play”, “Santeria”, and “Brambleton” are fish scale, and that’s just a sniff. Check the playlist I curated for you at the end of the article for the full line, my 10 favorite Pusha-T tracks.

I can give you my favorite, though.

“Hard Piano”

Is “hard piano” slang for moving a ludicrous amount of cocaine, or is it a reference to the piano chords that play throughout the song? Is it both? On this track, King Push and Rick Ross lament the problems that come with success but then raise their glasses to toast their accomplishments.

Ye’s production is menacing, and Pusha-T is up to his usual rap acrobatics. This is one of the less-heralded tracks on the outstanding Daytona, but it slaps.

Freddie Gibbs

“Hook shot a ho like Kareem. But I’d never leave the bucks.”

Seems like the space for gangster rap these days has shrunk down to a single street occupied by the few rappers out there who are still committed to the hardcore aspects of the genre. With his unrelenting flow that can ride any beat, Freddie Gibbs must own half the block on Gangster Rap Lane. For those of us outside of Gary, Indiana—and only tangentially familiar with this town because it happens to be where the “King of Pop” was from—Freddie Gibbs raps like he’s from a much larger, much more violent place. Think Detroit circa RoboCop.

Gibbs creates a lot of graphic imagery in his verses, appropriate for his hardcore content. His smooth gangster flow adapts to any beat effortlessly, regardless of the track’s tempo. Big Boss Rabbit can slow down his flow or upshift into a higher gear, never compromising his delivery or lyrics, and he’s never limited himself to a certain sound. My opinion is that he sounds best on tracks that thump, like the bangers that he and Kenny Beats produced on Freddie, but Gibbs isn’t afraid to make albums with Madlib and The Alchemist—some of his best work to date.

No matter who makes the beat, Freddie Gibbs never loses his edge.

Favorite Track

“God Is Perfect", “Giannis”, “Black Illuminati”, “2 Legit” and the other tracks I included in the “Rap Kumite 8” playlist are bangers, but I reserve my top spot for...

“Gang Sign”

It’s a chilled out max, relaxing all cool, smoke-friendly production by FaxOnly and Pilgrim, and Freddie kills it. For a little extra seasoning, ScHoolboy Q is sprinkled on the track. This slaps morning, noon, or night, back in the day up to this day.

There can only be ONE!

This is Rap Kumite 8, reserved for the 8th spot in my “Top 10”. Styles matter in fighting and in hip-hop, and I usually keep my criteria simple for Rap Kumite victory: I choose the rapper whose style I like the best. But this contest is too close to call. If you need a bar-for-bar measure, check out “Palmolive”. You tell me who got who?

My gut tells me it’s

Pusha-T

Both MCs step to the mic with impeccable flows, wholly committed to their kingpin personas, like the Daniel Day Lewis and Joaquin Phoenix of rap. Both have delivered some of the best rap albums of the last five years, but King Push is an executive-level rapper who imbues the spirit of the streets in every bar. He’s recording booth don still pulling strings in the game because he can’t stay away, no matter how far he’s come. He’s Gandalf the White of coke raps.

Congratulations! The prize is a special place in my heart.

RAP KUMITE CHAMPS

10. Evidence
09. GZA
08. Pusha-T

Next: In Rap Kumite 7, an almighty force of nature from Yonkers clashes with a Bay Area Slurricane.
Previously on Rap Kumite 9...