Freddie Gibbs performs at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on April 14, 2022. Matt Pang/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Following the announcement of his fifth album,  Soul Sold Separately, Freddie Gibbs kicked off his Space Rabbit Tour at the Regency Ballroom Thursday to an excited crowd chanting his name.

The rapper, who’s recently been feeding the flames of rivalry with the likes of Benny the Butcher, has built a passionate following for his hard-hitting lyrics and exceptional beat selection, crafting a number of masterful records over the years. His performance exemplified his influence on hip-hop and he delivered a stage presence few artists can match even with the most complex show gimmicks money can buy.

Gibbs kicked the show off with “1985” and an a cappella intro to “God Is Perfect.” He’d go on to open and close several songs throughout the night in this manner, alongside rapping the verses over their original instrumentals.

The Madlib-produced “Thuggin'” led to another rapturous cheer of “Freddie!” Gibbs took a moment to reflect on how long it had been since he’d last performed in front of fans—or visiting the Bay Area. The pause of only temporary and the pace picked up again with another Madlib-produced track, “Harold’s,” which Gibbs followed with “Deeper,” “Babies & Fools” and “Baby $hit.”

Freddie Gibbs performs at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on April 14, 2022.

“Something to Rap About” got both the a cappella and rewind treatment. Here, Gibbs stopped and restarted the song several times, seemingly unsatisfied. The crowd’s enthusiasm appeared to start waning right around this time, but Gibbs managed to pick things right back up however as he led the audience in chants of “Fuck Police,” to kick off Madlib joint “Crime Pays” and “Palmolive.”

“Gat Damn” and “Fake Names” fed into the aggressive gangsta rap fervor Gibbs was feeding. After “Scottie Beam,” he once again reflected on the past two years, with the pandemic limiting peoples’ abilities to interact, and in turn, his ability to perform live shows—and how much he missed it all.

Following “Fucking Up The Count,” and a jab at hip-hop’s favorite punching bag, DJ Akademiks, Gibbs served up “Ice Cream” and “Gang Signs,” two songs from his forthcoming album.

Duo Ronski & Show Banga opened the show by rolling out bangers “That Filthy” and “A & Back.” They were followed by rapper MIKE (Michael Jordan Bonema), who performed an extended set with songs like “Evil Eye,” “Hunger” and “no, no.”

— Tim Hoffman

Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.