If you’re a resident of backpack rap Twitter, you’ve undoubtedly seen the strange feud between JPEGMAFIA and Freddie Gibbs unfolding on your timeline over the past few days.
Both rappers were in Italy on Saturday for Kanye West’s Vultures 1 album listening event after both of them contributed to the project, and JPEG made it clear that he still has problems with Gibbs from a beef that seemingly dates back to a subliminal diss from nearly half a decade ago.
JPEGMAFIA went on a Twitter tirade over the weekend and Gibbs responded indirectly by posting playful videos of himself acting as unbothered as possible.
Even after JPEG left Italy, he was still posting videos from his flight to the timeline, pointing out differences between the two of them and explaining how he believes Gibbs is not a gangster. Before long, all of his previous tweets were deleted. It’s been an odd weekend, so if you’re confused, here’s a breakdown of the beef between Freddie Gibbs and JPEGMAFIA.
If you’re a resident of backpack rap Twitter, you’ve undoubtedly seen the strange feud between JPEGMAFIA and Freddie Gibbs unfolding on your timeline over the past few days.
Both rappers were in Italy on Saturday for Kanye West’s Vultures 1 album listening event after both of them contributed to the project, and JPEG made it clear that he still has problems with Gibbs from a beef that seemingly dates back to a subliminal diss from nearly half a decade ago.
JPEGMAFIA went on a Twitter tirade over the weekend and Gibbs responded indirectly by posting playful videos of himself acting as unbothered as possible.
Even after JPEG left Italy, he was still posting videos from his flight to the timeline, pointing out differences between the two of them and explaining how he believes Gibbs is not a gangster. Before long, all of his previous tweets were deleted. It’s been an odd weekend, so if you’re confused, here’s a breakdown of the beef between Freddie Gibbs and JPEGMAFIA.
How did this start?
When JPEGMAFIA started throwing shots at Freddie Gibbs over the weekend, a lot of people were confused, because it wasn’t immediately clear why he’d become this upset with Gibbs and held onto a beef for so long.
Well, back in January, JPEG responded to a fan on Twitter who asked why he had so much energy for Gibbs, explaining that the Indiana rapper has been sending subliminals his way since his 2021 album LP!.
“Naw he lame af being a deadbeat dad is only kool to little kids,” JPEG wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “And he was shading me years ago during lp. His fake gangsta ass deserves it. He don’t do shit but [get] shot at, beat up and embarrassed. Fuck him and fuck anybody who respects him letting your girl get jumped cuz u cant handle beef is not gangsta AT ALL. Draw your weapon thug.”
Fans are speculating that the shade JPEG is referencing must have been on Gibbs’ album Alfredo, because it came out just before LP! in 2020. But no one has been able to cite a specific bar from Gibbs about JPEG, so it must have been very subliminal.
JPEG had another tweet in October 2023 that may have also been subbing Gibbs. “I love my weirdo fanbase. These rappers get shot at and beat up at they shows then go cry to Akademiks,” he tweeted and deleted, a year after Gibbs’ violent altercation with Benny The Butcher. “Don’t nobody want that but clout chasers, I love that my fans appreciate my work for the time I put in.”
During an interview on the No Jumper podcast in 2022, JPEG brought up his name again, telling Adam22 that he believed Gibbs’ social media beef with DJ Akademiks was fake, arguing, “The reason I thought it was fake was when I saw Freddie Gibbs [say], ‘I could have smoked you.’ I was like, ‘Oh, this is not real.’ Why would you do that?” Clearly, something has been bothering JPEGMAFIA about Gibbs for years.
What reignited the beef?
Only JPEGMAFIA and Freddie Gibbs know the answer to this question for sure, but what might have set JPEG off again has to do with Kanye. Back in January, he went on a Twitter rant, being critical of Kanye for working with artists who “have less to offer u than me.” He went on to tweet, “Im a scientist in the lab a surgeon bruh u and u skip over me for niggas thats getting they baby mommas fucked on camera.” Freddie Gibbs’ previous partner was an OnlyFans model, and he was notably featured on Vultures 1, which is why many believe these tweets were directed towards him.
JPEGMAFIA connected with Kanye after the Twitter rant, ultimately collaborating on Vultures 1, which put him in close proximity with Gibbs. It’s unclear what happened behind closed doors, but it’s possible that words were exchanged (or the close proximity raised tensions) which caused the beef to escalate.