Gary's Freddie Gibbs joins Michael and Janet Jackson as Grammy winner

Gary's Freddie Gibbs wins a Grammy

Gary just made music history! Freddie Gibbs becomes the city’s first rapper to win a Grammy.

CHICAGO - Hip-hop artist Freddie Gibbs has made history as the first rapper from Gary, Indiana to win a Grammy.

What we know:

Gibbs is joining the ranks of Gary’s most legendary musical exports, Michael and Janet Jackson, as a Grammy winner. Gibbs was featured for 54 seconds on the track "MUTT (The Remix)", part of Leon Thomas’ critically acclaimed album that won Best R&B Album of the Year at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

The album, consisting of 14 tracks, marked a milestone not only for Thomas but for Gibbs himself. He was first nominated at the 63rd Grammys in 2021, making this win a long-awaited personal achievement. Significantly, MUTT is the first sophomore album by a solo male artist to win Best R&B Album since D’Angelo’s Voodoo in 2001, and only the second in the award category’s 31-year history.

Gibbs, whose father was a member of the R&B group The Chi-Lites, says music is in his blood.

"For my dad to see me win a Grammy, that was something special," Gibbs told reporters. "Everybody wants to make their parents proud, and that was definitely the most special text I got."

He recalls the moment he learned of the win.

"I was out here on the West Coast, just walking my dogs, and then my phone started blowing up. I was like, ‘Oh man, we got it!’ It was an honor and a pleasure to be on that song with Leon. I’ve been working with him since, I want to say, the better part of 2014. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come together," Gibbs said.

The Gary native also emphasized the city’s musical legacy.

"We’re on the rise," he said. "It all really started from the Jacksons, creating that spark. I feel like I’m carrying the torch that Michael, Janet, and the rest set forth."

Gibbs describes his hometown as "a real blue-collar, family-knit town. A lot of us, our families came from Mississippi, Alabama, down south. We migrated here to work in the steel mills. Most of my family members are steel mill workers, and my mother worked in the post office for 30 years. Gary gave me a blue-collar mentality that’s carried me through this industry."

Gibbs’ career continues to expand beyond music. He can currently be seen in the horror film Night Patrol, playing the character Bornealius. He is also preparing for an overseas tour and several U.S. festival appearances, including Bonnaroo and the Governor’s Ball.

What's next:

Looking ahead, Gibbs hopes to combine his artistic endeavors with community projects in Gary.

"I’m building a farm, bringing more opportunities to the city, and using whatever influence I have to elevate Gary and the Chicagoland area," he said.

Gibbs also revealed that his Grammy trophy will have a home at Gary’s Hard Rock Casino, a tribute to the city that raised him.