I’m about three weeks overdue for a New Rap Language post, but the deadlines keep piling up, so we’ll all have to deal and instead focus our attention on the hypnotic quality of Freeway’s beard. Stare at that motherfucker. There are lost civilizations embedded in there: Mu, Atlantis, Lemuria, the ruins of Roc-A-Fella, all co-existing in a charcoal clump affixed to the chin of the Philadelphia freezer. Stimulus Package hasn’t leaked yet (to my knowledge), but the latest Raekwon-aided single has my interest piqued. Pairing with Jake One and signing to Rhymesayers was the wisest move that the bearded one could’ve done. Instead of dropping with minimal promotion on Koch, he’s got the Biz 3 machine, actual A&Ring, a slot at the Paid Dues Festival, and a promotional packaging video slicker than anything the Obama campaign has released in months.
More importantly, he sounds revitalized after the unfocused drift of his daily freestyle sessions. Jake One might not be Just Blaze, but he’s the ideal recession budget equivalent, one of the few producers left who understands how a flip a soul sample and keep it fresh. The pair flash a natural chemistry and it’s a reminder why the one-producer, one-MC formula was once the standard arrangement. Freeway’s always been slightly one-dimensional and his winded wheeze has often felt more suited to a sprint than a marathon, so it’s nice to see him fall back in the pocket and rap about drugs, snitches, and uh, The King of the Prussia mall.
Below the jump, a few recent videos that further illustrate why even though Beanie Sigel was last seen aimlessly wandering around 50 Cent’s still unsold Connecticut mansion, there is life after the Roc.
Download:
MP3: Freeway & Jake One ft. Raekwon – “One Time”
MP3: Freeway & Jake One – “My Time”
ZIP: Freeway & Jake One – Beat Made Me Do It Mixtape (Left-Click)
4 comments
Zilla Rocca says:
February 1, 2010 at 1:16 pm (UTC -7)
Don’t knock the King of Prussia mall–it’s the indoor east coast version of Santa Monica and the breeding ground for the finest cougars in the Philly burbs.
Passion of the Weiss says:
February 1, 2010 at 1:29 pm (UTC -7)
I thought the East Coast version of Santa Monica was the Jersey Shore. I never trusted Prussia — it could never figure out whether it wanted to be Poland or Russia. It’s like the Ja Rule of nation-states.
Disco Vietnam says:
February 1, 2010 at 1:56 pm (UTC -7)
The Month of Madness was pretty remarkable I thought. Freeway is really good at achieving things that seem logistically impossible, beards included.
Tray says:
February 3, 2010 at 6:27 pm (UTC -7)
He said something about the King of Prussia Mall?! I spend half of my life in the Lacoste store at the King of Prussia Mall. I don’t care what that makes me. Anyway, I hope these songs are better than what was on the previous mixtape. He’s not very good when he raps about his exciting imaginary sex life, instead of, you know, his Timbs, the cold weather, selling crack so he can pay his heat bills, etc. I’m also not a huge Jake One fan. I used to be (that beat on Grind Date!), but he’s not really doing anything with these samples.