“And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to kill again.

And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.

And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:

Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.”

- Carl Sandburg; “Chicago”

Derrick Rose and Freddie Gibbs tell stories of America. Children of poverty and disadvantage, each expound the classic conditions of the American city, particularly the decay of that thereof. Rose, the youngest son of a single mother born on the Southside of Chicago was lucky to have older brothers to watch over him in the midst of a crime ridden community. Gibbs, born Frederick Tipton, was the first born of an east side Gary, Indiana family who “jumped off the porch out the gate”, slang for entering a life of crime on the streets (Talk To Me). More than 40 million Americans are subjected to the economic disadvantages of impoverished communities. Outside of basketball superstardom and rap fame, opportunities can seem slim and hope often out of reach as gangs, drugs and addiction have led many disillusioned youth to envision a premature passing in the presence of a world that appears to be growing ever smaller. These facts of economic depression are no truer in any area of the nation than the Midwest where the flight of industry has left considerable room for drug trafficking and crime through skyrocketing unemployment rates and idle time. In spite of this, however, the Midwest blue collar spirit of sincerity and hard work has persevered, as is evidenced in the blooming careers of basketball player Derrick Rose and rapper Freddie Gibbs.

Gary, Indiana lies just minutes outside of Chicago. As Freddie Gibbs recently told SLAM Magazine, “if people know the history on Gary, we 10 minutes from Chicago. So we get all Chicago news, radio, everything”. A self-proclaimed die hard Bulls fan, Gibbs often raps about criminal dealings in Rose’s hometown of Chicago: “new to your hood, but GI to the Chi them niggas know me (Born 2 Roll)” contributes to the general sense one gets from listening to his music that Gibbs considers Chicago part of his home. One could even go as far as to compare the styles of the two as Freddie Gibbs’ astounding and unwavering technical proficiency is reminiscent of Derrick Rose’s remarkably explosive techniques on the court. Freddie Gibbs seamless lapses into double time flow quickly bring to mind Derrick Rose crossing over defenders and driving to the hoop in a split second. Superficial comparisons aside, however, the most striking similarities between the two rise to the surface during discussion of character and personality, which are particularly notable given the contrary nature of the majority of their counterparts and contemporaries.

Rose is well renowned throughout the NBA for his endearingly diffident yet straightforward personality. Always quick to accept responsibility for failure and deflect it for success, he has become something of a curiosity in regard to his simple and kind nature. This was widely noted during Rose’s heartfelt acceptance speech when he offered his mother his teary eyed appreciation for her life of devotion, declaring her to be “my heart”. But, labeling Derrick Rose as simply humble would be a mistake. In addition to openly acknowledging his undeniable skill (“why can’t I be the MVP?”), what is truly remarkable about the 23 year old is his sincerity. One has no choice but to believe that Derrick Rose truly believes everything he says. There are no adjectives and no excuses in his speech.

He believes everything he says and says everything he believes. The same can be said of Freddie Gibbs, who is notorious in rap circles for refusing to hold his tongue or apologize for any of the controversial statements he has made throughout his career, which has led to many whispers regarding his being blackballed in the industry. Some, however, see this as a refreshing change of pace in an industry where “beef” consists entirely of a diss track followed immediately by an apology by one of the parties involved. Gibbs sees no reason to say anything but how he feels, rendering none safe from his ire, as was made clear in a recent interview he did with Complex Magazine, which saw Gibbs sharing his less than flattering thoughts on rappers from Lil Wayne to Big Sean.

Aside from a Midwest bred honesty, Rose and Gibbs both perpetuate the spirit of their birthplace through an uncompromising individuality and tireless work ethic. Rose’s refusal to help in the recruitment process of other players during free agency periods speaks volumes to his character. Rose has no interest in buying a championship or begging others to join his team in pursuit of one: “That’s just not me. My whole life, I’ve never been the type of player where I’ve recruited people like that.” Rose has the utmost faith in himself and what he has and will not cave to the pressures of the onslaught of alleged “superteams” that has seen so many others jumping from organization to organization in desperation and perhaps fear. In the same vein, Freddie Gibbs rode the underground circuit following being dropped from Interscope records with no interest in signing despite being courted by a host of labels. Freddie Gibbs may have best captured the sentiment when he told Vladtv.com “You got niggas that’s like Bill Cartwright on the 93 Bulls that bench ride the hottest team. You could be the 8th man on Lil Waynes team, but you ain’t shit”. Neither Rose nor Gibbs are willing to settle for second best, a drive which has led both to strive for greatness based on their own merits. And it is this determination which infuses their work with such unparalleled quality. Few in the NBA or the rap game have the work ethic of Derrick Rose and Freddie Gibbs. Rose’s devotion to his craft is apparent in every aspect of his game. Whether it’s his drastically improved perimeter shot, or his astounding mid-season free throw percentage improvement following missing a potentially game tying free throw against the Clippers, Rose is constantly working on the quality of his game. Rose was once famously praised for his work ethic by perhaps the only harder working player in the league: Kobe Bryant.

Similarly, Freddie Gibbs takes an enormous amount of pride in his work; “I’m from Gary, Indiana and most of the people got a strong work ethic. And I think I’m definitely a product of that. You gotta hustle to get yours”. Well noted for the fact that literally every verse Gibbs lays down, whether it be on his own album or an unknown artists mixtape, his flow is impeccable and lyrical content compelling in some way. His obsession with quality is well documented in interviews where he continuously expounds his emphasis on quality over quantity: “I ain’t about to rush a whole bunch of bullshit out there and flood the market with bullshit material”. By merely listening to a Freddie Gibbs song one immediately gets the impression that each line and each word is meticulously chosen and placed in such a way to perfectly complement the beat, drawing out emotion from the instrumental and highlighting its strengths in much the same way a point guard strengthens his teammates and underlines their skill.

Derrick Rose and Freddie Gibbs find themselves in the Midwest. It is their home and the genesis of their impassioned and uncompromising careers. Derrick Rose is home in Chicago and always will be. The 1.7% likelihood that kept him here at times seems like the work of divine intervention; “There’s no other team I think I would rather be on than the Chicago Bulls. Me living in another city, no”. Freddie Gibbs’ birth in the streets of Gary, Indiana gave birth to his gangster persona. He knows nothing else, and has no interest in anything else: “I wouldn’t wanna be from nowhere else. My whole family migrated into that rust belt, that Gary, Detroit, Chicago area. If you from there you can feel exactly what the fuck I’m talking about”. They no know retreat and they know no surrender. Whether it is a ring or prominence, neither will stop until their goals have met fruition. Hailing from a land of corruption, violence and starvation, they will never forget where they’re from and will never lose sight of where they’re going. Too strong to be contained. Too cunning to be ignored. The Midwest’s native sons will not stop until the rest of the world turns its head to look upon them and sees them sneering back, heads lifted.