Freddie Gibbs has released a new music video, this time for “Frank Lucas,” featuring Benny The Butcher. The song was originally released on Gibbs’ latest album Alfredo, a collaboration with producer The Alchemist that came out at the end of May this year.
The music video initially shows Gibbs rapping in front of a street mural that depicts himself wearing Frank Lucas’ iconic mink coat and hat outfit. Frank Lucas was the infamous drug trafficker who inspired Ridley Scott’s American Gangster (2007).
Gibbs and Benny rap about the lifestyle of selling drugs and show off the luxury they attribute to their success. Lines about how they handle business follow into lines like “I got richer, shit is funny when you think about it/Rolex too big, I took a link up out it/Frank Lucas I hit the closet, pulled the mink up out it/Livin’ this life, pussy dream about it.” In the video, the two of them go for a boat ride while displaying fancy watches and chains and sharing some champagne with the girl they brought with them.
The Alchemist’s beat mostly sticks to a single synth chord suspended in a loop, making the song suspenseful in turn. Occasionally the tension releases with some different chords and the rapping slows over them, but the slow-paced beat otherwise continues steadily.
This is the third video Gibbs has released from Alfredo after “1985” and “Scottie Beam.” “1985” was the only single released before the album dropped, one day before on May 28. It came with a yellow-tinted music video showing Gibbs rapping over the laid-back guitar beat at a meeting under some power lines. The video for “Scottie Beam” came out mid-July and shows Gibbs killing a cop after being pulled over. The song’s feature Rick Ross helps him and a girl hide out on a boat after seeing Gibbs’ face on the news.
Benny The Butcher has also made a stand against police brutality as one of the many artists who signed an open letter calling for police reform in June.
Photo credit: Stephen Hoffmeister