Freeway got the hood on smash
Pop in tape, step on gas, and get ghost nigga!
When me and my girl were first dating, there was one moment that
always stood out as a clear indication that she was the shit: We were
rolling in her truck, and she popped in Freeway‘s classic first
album. I knew then—this one’s a keeper. EARLY!
Free is simply one of the most original MCs in the big
leagues—a testament to Roc-A-Fella‘s ear for talent as
well as to Philadelphia’s long tradition of producing the finest in
hardcore MCing. He pops that greasy shit so well, but what it’s really
about is that high, nasal voice that sticks in your skull, and of
course that swing, that crazy, pop-clutch delivery that he
switches on like a boxer going southpaw. Since his first
scenery-chewing appearance on “1-900-Hustler” off of
Jay-Z‘s layup-to-greatness Roc La Familia album, the
rapper named Leslie Pridgen has worked hard to prove himself as one of
the best. Written off as an annoying novelty by a few at first,
Freeway’s instincts have brought quality-starved hardcore rap fans two
brilliant albums and a wealth of killer cameos.
Freeway’s essential 2003 debut, Philadelphia Freeway, has
exactly two songs I won’t listen to—the one with Snoop and the
one with Nelly—but the rest are just crack with country gravy.
Some of Just Blaze‘s best production ever (“Free,” “Flipside”)
sets off one of the most underrated gems in the Roc crown, if not some
of the best East Coast hiphop to come out in the last decade. Free’s
got him a touch of that ol’ Biggie magic. That is to say, he’s
equally adept at Mariah Carey commercial duets as he is at
introspective ghetto-prisoner insight as he is at brutal
murder-rap.
Last year’s Free at Last was every bit the comeback fans
wanted—Philly Freezer emerged from the acrimonious Roc-A-Fella
implosion older, wiser, and with a wealth of frustrations to get off
his chest; just check “It’s Over,” where Jake One‘s triumphant
horns and Vitamin D‘s strident cuts had Free sounding like the
Last Samurai out this bitch! My personal fave off of FAL is
“When They Remember,” which gets the award for the hardest shit to ever
involve Barbra Streisand (no Yentl).
I say all that to say this: Freeway is coming to Chop Suey on
Saturday, July 12 with openers D.Black, Jay Barz, and
Cancer Rising. That’s correct, my crew is opening for this show.
But haters need to understand, even if we weren’t—hell, even if
Sportn’ Life banned me from Chop Suey for the evening—I’d
still be all about this show, yo; Freeway is that dope to me, and he’s
coming to Seattle for the first time. My indie-rock bros should come
through, too; there’s gonna be more beards there than a Cave
Singers gig!