If you ask Freddie Gibbs, rap just isn't what it used to be. With a style influenced by acts like the [artist id="8068"]Geto Boys[/artist], [artist id="734"]N.W.A.[/artist] and [artist id="860639"]50 Cent[/artist], Gangsta Gibbs paints vivid street tales, but these days, that brand of rap seems to have taken a back seat to a softer, less menacing sound.

"Rap lost its edge man. I don't wanna be a part of what's been goin' on in the past five years," Gibbs told Sway when he appeared as a guest on this week's "RapFix Live."

"I wanna be taboo. I want your parents to not want my music in your iPod. I want your mom to be scared of what I'm talking about because it's so real," he said.

Originally signed by Interscope in 2005, Gibbs struggled to get the label to see his vision and was eventually released from his deal in October 2007. But in '09, Freddie proved that there was room for his brand of music. With the release of his The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs and midwestgangstaboxframecadillacmuzik mixtapes, Gibbs made fans take notice. His grind paid off. By 2010, Freddie had earned himself a spot on XXL magazine's Freshmen cover. He went on to drop the independent release, Str8 Killa No Filla on Decon Records.

In April, the Midwest MC made his biggest move yet when he [article id="1661767"]inked with Young Jeezy's CTE[/article] (Corporate Thugz Entertainment). Since the signing, Jeezy and Gibbs have released quite a few songs together, including their [article id="1662953"]hustle ode "Run DMC,"[/article] "Do It for You" and "Rough," a song off of the Snowman's latest mixtape, The Real Is Back 2.

These days -- maybe more than ever before -- hip-hop is diverse with a broad pop appeal. But rough-around-the-edges Gibbs finds inspiration in groups like Houston's Geto Boys, who rapped unabashedly about street life in the '90s. "That's how it was when I was getting my first Geto Boys tape, my mom ain't want that in my tape deck. So I want your parents to be afraid of what I'm doing."

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