![]() Two years later, amid numerous supplemental mixtapes, Free issued Diamond in the Ruff through Babygrande, and followed it shortly thereafter with Broken Ankles, an EP made with mash-up specialist Girl Talk. Upon severing ties with his label, Freeway issued the no-frills 2009 album Philadelphia Freeway 2 on the Real Talk label, and the next year offered the 2010 Jake One collaboration The Stimulus Package via Rhymesayers. The LP almost cracked the Top 40 of the Billboard 200, and like the debut went Top Five R&B/hip-hop. "Roc-A-Fella Billionaires," a Dame Grease production featuring Jay-Z, dented Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart. Rotem, Needlz, Don Cannon, and Jake One part of a large cast alternating duties. Only Bink! returned as a producer, with the likes of Cool & Dre, J.R. By the end of that year, Freeway's secondary discography also included appearances on Mark Ronson's "Here Comes the Fuzz," Memphis Bleek's "Just Blaze, Bleek & Free," and Kanye West's "Two Words."Īfter a less prolific period in 20, Freeway released his second album, Free at Last, in 2007. Freeway's next move was with the North Philly group Ice City, whose Welcome to the Hood was independently released in 2004. Strengthened by productions from Just Blaze, Kanye West, and Bink!, it entered the Billboard 200 at number five with the Hot 100-scraping singles "What We Do" and "Flipside" among the standouts. Inevitably signed to the Roc as a solo artist, Freeway released his first album, Philadelphia Freeway, in 2003. For the next couple years, Freeway stacked guest verses, often beside Sigel and Jay-Z, and as part of the group State Property filmed the 2002 crime drama of the same title, promoted with a Roc-A-Fella soundtrack. Freeway debuted as a featured artist on "1-900-Hustler," a track off Jay-Z's 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc la Familia. Sigel signed with Roc-A-Fella, the Def Jam subsidiary co-founded by Jay-Z and Damon Dash, and stayed true to his word. Mutually admiring acquaintances from the same local nightclub, the two fledgling MCs made a pact: the one who first landed a record deal would pull the other along. His ascent can be traced back to an agreement he made with fellow Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel. Named after infamous drug trafficker "Freeway" Rick Ross, Leslie "Freeway" Pridgen made himself known as a valuable member of the Roc-A-Fella family. Think Free (2018), a homecoming of sorts, was licensed exclusively to Jay-Z's Roc Nation. Although he recorded only two more solo albums during the 2000s and broke away from Roc-A-Fella, Free continued to grow with a series of LPs throughout the 2010s, including the Jake One collaboration The Stimulus Package (2010) and the reinvigorated Diamond in the Ruff (2012). The Philadelphian rapper capitalized on subsequently increasing momentum with one of Roc-A-Fella's most thrilling releases, the Top Ten pop hit Philadelphia Freeway (2003), which featured appropriately energizing productions from Just Blaze and the emergent Kanye West. All Good.Distinctively gruff and pugnacious throughout his lengthy career, Freeway staked his spot in the post-millennial hip-hop landscape with an appearance beside Roc-A-Fella brethren Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek on Jay-Z's "1-900-Hustler" (2000). I really dig the 1975-1980 era, at least as far as the official canon goes.Īs much as I dislike the phrase "it's all good" - that is not a bad way to sum up the JB catalog. I was recently revisiting my tapes and that inspired me to fill in some (major) gaps in my collection. Last time I saw Jeff in Concert was in 2009, at the Fox in Oakland. Another great show, for sure, though a little shorter than the '99 Concord show. Next time was in 1999 - Concord Pavilion, 9/24 to be exact, and that was epic!Ī year and half later, saw him at the Warfield in San Francisco. I saw 2 shows on the 1995 tour with Santana - and was stoked that he was doing Freeway Jam at that time! I got a lot of mileage out of those 2 albums - great driving music!! And perhaps an odd pairing, I had "With the Jan Hammer Group - Live" on the other side of that tape. Truth, of course, has been in my collection since the beginning - "the beginning" being when I graduated from Top 40 to good old Rock n Roll, around my freshman year in high school. I've been a "casual fan" for years, more recently I have been doing more "research" and filling in substantial gaps in my collection.
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