Freddie Gibbs has become a borderline rap superstar by sheer force of will, longevity, and his charismatic personality. The latter is mostly displayed through his irreverent social media presence, but soon fans will be able to see it on the big screen. Complex reports that the Gary, Indiana supreme rhyme technician has just wrapped principal photography on his feature film debut, the independently-produced Down With The King.
According to Complex, the film follows Gibbs’ Mercury Maxwell, a rapper who wants to leave hip-hop behind to become… a farmer. After being sent to the rural Berkshires of Massachusetts, Mercury decides to drop his Money Merc persona and announces his retirement. However, his manager isn’t ready to let his client walk away so easily. While those ingredients have all the hallmarks of a comedy — and Gibbs’ certainly has the chops for one — Complex reports the film’s a drama.
Produced by Breaker Studios, written and directed by Diego Ongaro, and co-starring Bob Tarasuk, David Krumholtz, Jamie Neumann, and Sharon Washington, Complex notes that Down With The King will appear at festivals later this year, where the creators hope to pick up a distributor. Gibbs, who wrote and performed original music for the film, “worked intimately together” with Ongaro “to craft Mercury’s character and backstory” according to the director, who wanted to combine two of his seemingly opposing passions.
“Many films that feature the hip-hop community tell underdog ‘success stories,’ whereas Down with the King does the contrary,” he says. “Mercury is at the top of the hip-hop world but desperately seeks a simpler life… It was an absolute thrill working with someone as sharp and multi-talented as Freddie in this collaborative way.”
Freddie Gibbs is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.