Customer Reviews

Free at Last

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was introduced to Freeway when I heard him on a track entitled "1-900-Hustler" that was featured on Jay-Z's The Dynasty: Roc La Familia 2000. The CD wasn't really a Jay-Z solo CD. It was a format for Jay-Z to try to make Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel to be the forefront of Rocafella. "1-900-Hustler" had Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek and Freeway on the verses and Beanie Sigel talking on the hook. Freeway ended up stealing the show on the Bink produced track. I wouldn't hear Freeway again until I heard him on the track "Think It's A Game" which featured Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Freeway and Young Chris from the Young Gunz. The track appeared on Beanie Sigel's 2nd CD entitled The Reason. Freeway's big break came on the track "Roc The Mic" which was featured on State Property. The CD served as a soundtrack to the movie of the same name but the main purpose was to spotlight the crew of Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Young Gunz and Oschino & Sparks. "Roc The Mic" was a popular track for most of the year and Freeway would soon start to work on his 1st solo CD. Philadelphia Freeway was released in February of 2003. The first track that I heard from this release was the scorcher "Line 'Em Up" which featured Young Chris and was produced by Just Blaze. Once I heard this track, there wasn't any question whether I would purchase Freeway's solo debut. Freeway's 1st video, "What We Do" featured Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel on another Just Blaze production. 'Til this day, that is one of my favorite Jay-Z collaborations of all time. My other favorites from "Philadelphia Freeway" included "All My Life" w/Nate Dogg, "Life" w/Beanie Sigel, "Don't Cross The Line" w/Faith Evans and the other 2 singles "Alright" with Allen Anthony and "Flipside" w/Peedi Crakk. Out of the 16 tracks, Just Blaze produced 10 tracks and Kanye West produced 2, so even if you were a fan of Freeway lyrically, the production was clearly the strength of the CD.

Over 4 and a half years later, Freeway returns with "Free At Last". I went to see Jay-Z at Club Love in Washington DC and Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek and Young Chris kept saying "Free At Last" by Freeway is being released on 11/20/07. That was the only way that I found out that this Freeway CD was being released, which is the 1st thing that I didn't understand about Freeway's 2nd disc. You would think that if a Rocafella artist hadn't released a CD in 4 and a half years, that his CD would have got better promotion than it did. The first song that I heard from "Free At Last" was "Roc-A-Fella Billionaires" which featured Jay-Z. This song is definitely a nice track for the clubs and I like how Dame Grease used the same "Big Spender" sample that Missy and Tweet used for a bonus track of the same name on Tweet's "Southern Hummingbird" CD. The official 1st single from what I understand is "Still Got Love" which was produced by Bink. The song does its best to reintroduce Freeway to anyone who may have enjoyed his 1st CD and his past Rocafella collaborations. "Roc-A-Fella Billionaires" and "Still Got Love" are the only tracks that you could probably make singles from on "Free At Last". The majority of the rest of "Free At Last" has Freeway back on the grind and in the streets. "This Can't Be Real" is a nice, soulful number that is produced by Ivan Barias and Carvin Haggins, who have done a lot of work with Musiq Soulchild. Marsha Ambrosius, better known as the Songstress from Floetry, lends some nice vocals to this track as Freeway lets you know how he was discovered while he was still doing his thing in the streets. He also does a good job of letting us know how he felt during the time when all the drama was going on between Jay-Z, Dame Dash and Biggs, who were the co-owners of Rocafella Records. Jake One uses a "sick" sample with "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" on the track "It's Over". Freeway explains how he had to keep making the "Free At Last" project with no help from Just Blaze and Kanye West. Lyrically, Freeway is on point on this track as he lets you know what he's been up to since his last release. Dangerous LLC show up to produce "Spit That S***" as they produce a track that would sound like 50 Cent would want to get on but Freeway does a good job on it. Although, he needs to do away with "Freezer" as a nickname. Chad "Wes" Hamilton, who did some production work on Beanie Sigel's last CD, "The B. Coming", shows up to produce "Reppin' The Streets" and one of my favorite tracks on "Free At Last", "Baby Don't Do It", which features Scarface. "Baby Don't Do It" starts off with an old school sample, "The Overture Of Foxy Brown" and Freeway and Scarface take care of the rest as it seems that the 2 rappers are freestyling about the way that things can go down in the streets. Free At Last's highlight is a track that matches Freeway with Busta Rhymes and Jadakiss, Def Jam's newest signee, on "Walk Wit Me". Don Cannon is on the boards and the three rappers take care of the rest as Freeway is able to keep up with Busta and Jada.

The only downside to "Free At Last" has to be "Take It To The Top" which ends up being a candy coated JR Rotem beat and a singing 50 Cent on the hook, as well as, "Lights Get Low" which was an uninspiring collaboration between Freeway and Rick Ross and a C- beat from Cool& Dre. I have heard much better from Cool& Dre when it comes to production.

I am pretty sure that Freeway wanted to release another CD with Just Blaze and Kanye West producing the majority of the CD, but Bink, Chad Hamilton, Ivan Barias, Carvin Haggins, Don Cannon, etc. do their best to provide Freeway the best production possible. The majority of the tracks use old school soul samples and you can tell that Freeway is determined by the way that the majority of the songs sound. The problem is, in these days and times, if you don't make a CD with staying power, you end up being just another rapper, regardless of the crew that you represent.

If you were a fan of "Philadelphia Freeway" and Freeway's earlier collaborations with Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel and others, then I think that you will enjoy "Free At Last". However, if you didn't like Freeway's earlier work, then you might just want to leave this one on the shelves. I rate this CD 3 and a half stars, because the production, while it's nice doesn't match up to his debut CD. However, Freeway's determination, with the production and promotion that he does have, should be enough to maintain any fan base that he does have.

James' Top 5

1) Walk Wit Me w/Busta Rhymes & Jadakiss
2) Baby Don't Do It w/Scarface
3) This Can't Be Real w/Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry
4) Roc-A-Fella Billionaires w/Jay-Z
5) It's Over

Honorable Mention:

Spit That S_____
Free At Last
Reppin' The Streets
When They Remember
I Cry

Following some guests and contributions to the State Property projects, Freeway burst on the scene in early 2003 with his classic debut Philadelphia Freeway, one of the best albums of the new millennium. Backed by the incredible production of Just Blaze and Kanye West, Freeway spoke passionately about his urban experience and Muslim spirit with wonderful conviction. His gruff delivery and trademark beard made him instantly recognizable both vocally and visually, and it appeared that Roc-A-Fella had another game-changing star in the making.

Unfortunately, it's been nearly five years since Philadelphia Freeway, and his fans have been patiently awaiting his follow-up. The entire State Property crew, once dubbed "the future of the Roc" has been notably quiet lately, with Freeway, Beanie Sigel, Young Gunz, and Oschino & Sparks notably MIA. Even after all this time, this album somehow feels rushed, with very little promotion behind it and a release date sandwiched between blockbuster albums by labelmates Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel. Only one guest verse comes from a Roc-A-Fella member on the whole LP, a rarity in Roc releases. Despite these factors working against it, "Free at Last" is structurally very similar to his debut, with no skits, high quality production, and a similar rhyme style. However, neither Just Blaze nor Kanye show up, and Free addresses this. The project is overseen by 50 Cent, among others, and there are numerous producers. Even without the two production heavyweights of his debut, the production is excellent throughout and really fits his style. Musically, it's not as jaw dropping as his first album, but it lets the listener focus on what a true talent Freeway really is. He always keeps your full attention with his raw passion, and I love how his hood tales are always balanced with a moral undertone. Free has so much to talk about, and he's a joy to listen to. He brings great energy to any track, and his flow and delivery are among the best in hip hop. "Free at Last" is fourteen tracks deep of mostly great songs. Collaborations are frequent, but not so much as on Philadelphia Freeway. I think that Freeway really is a special rapper, and it's easy to see after just a few listens on "Free at Last." It's not on the same level as his debut, but for any of his fans that have been waiting for his follow-up, this is it.

The album opens with its best song, the beautiful "This Can't Be Real." The production is wonderful, anchored by a breezy flute and vocals by Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry. Freeway recalls growing up, beginning rapping, and his entire life in a well-written chronicle. On "It's Over," he addresses his recent problems, such as inactivity and not working with Kanye and Just Blaze. The joyful "Still Got Love" has a great beat and nice performance from Free, followed by the single "Roc-A-Fella Billionaires" with Jay-Z. I thought this was a good, not great, track that was a good choice of a single, lot of mainstream appeal. The beat is a Swizz Beatz-type of frenetic club beat, and the lyrics are pretty basic gangsta flossing. One of my top tracks is "When They Remember," which uses a very dramatic vocal and horn sample to spit some righteous lyricism. "Take It to the Top" is a poppy 50 Cent collabo, it's not great but not bad either. "Spit That S..." recaptures the old Roc-A-Fella sound, street ready with simple, rough production. The thoughtful "Reppin' the Streets" is a little reminiscent of some cuts from his debut, and the title track is nice but doesn't quite stand out. The southern legend Scarface provides a high profile appearance on "Baby Don't Do It," and the hard "Nuttin' on Me" precedes the big-time collabo "Walk Wit Me," with Busta Rhymes and Jadakiss, a highlight for sure. Rick Ross gives a weak guest on the skippable "Lights Get Low," and the album closes with the deep "I Cry," which is presented as a sequel to "Hear the Song" from his debut.

"Free at Last" may come and go quietly due to its lack of promotion and release date, but it's an album that should get some spins for a while from his fans. It's not as memorable as his debut, but once again Freeway has established himself as a true talent and an MC to be reckoned with.

I might be one of the few who like his first album, Philadelphia Freeway. I like his style but I do believe he has topped that album with this one. Lyrically its better than the first plus Freeway was spittin those bars on this album like Kobe was shooting that ball after the trial. Like his life depends on it. Production: dope samples of old school records. You know the type you would hear on a Beanie Sigel album. Now....The review.
The album starts off with a good song called This Cant Be Real(feat Marsha Ambrosius of Floetry) where Freway talks about his life and Rocafella. Freway's hunger is evidenced on tracks like Its Over, Spit That S*** and Nuttin On Me. He has collaborations that work well also. The first single Roc-A-Fella Billionaires, which features Jay-z is a good choice for first single. Scarface makes a great appearance on Baby Dont Do It and Walk Wit Me feat Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes is the best collabo track on here next to Baby Dont Do It feat Scarface.
I Cry is a heartfelt joint where Freeway recalls everybody he knew that passed on. The only tracks Id skip is Take It To The Top(borderline cheesy chick record featuring 50 Cent), Lights Get Low with Rick Ross sounds out of place on this album and When They Remember(lyrically it was alright but the sample was too much). Bottom Line: Free At Last blows Philadelphia Freeway out of the water. Lyrically its a lot better and production wise it was a lot better plus the guest spots do the appearances on this album justice. I'll recommend this one to anybody who felt his first album. Standout Tracks: IT'S OVER, ROC-A-FELLA BILLIONAIRES, SPIT THAT S***, BABY DONT DO IT, NUTTIN ON ME, WALK WIT ME and I CRY(my favorite).

It's been 4 and a half years since Freeway dropped his near-classic debut album.. Since then, he's been a part of a few State Property albums and a group album he released called "Ice City - Welcome to the Hood". Now after a rather long break, Free returns with another good CD, not as good as "Philadelphia Freeway" but still worth the listen. With 14 songs on here, you have 1 classic, 4 are ok, and the other 9 are good songs. Guests are on 4 songs and do the hook on one more, and for the most part are all bigger names and they do very nice on the mic. Production is decent, unlike his first album mostly handled by Just Blaze with Kanye West doing a few songs, neither of those 2 do any here. Chad "Wes" Hamilton and Bink! each do 2 songs, and Don Cannon, Orthodox & Ransum, Jake One, Dame Grease, Jonathan Rotem, Dangerous Prod., Double O, Needlz, Cool & Dre and DJ Noodles all do 1 song. A nice album for his fans to have.

#1 - 9 (about his come up -- nice beat)
#2 - 8
#3 - 7.5
#4 - 6 (f/ Jay-Z)
#5 - 7
#6 - 7 (f/ 50 Cent)
#7 - 8.5
#8 - 9 (good beat)
#9 - 8
#10 - 8 (f/ Scarface -- who kills this track and leaves Free in the dust)
#11 - 8
#12 - 10 (CLASSIC -- f/ Busta Rhymes & Jadakiss -- great beat)
#13 - 8.5 (f/ Rick Ross -- nice beat)
#14 - 8.5 (a deeper song)

Leslie Pridgen -- b. 1979 -- Philadelphia, PA
check all my reviews

2003 was the year Freeway dropped his excellent debut, Philadelphia Freeway. His unique voice, which can be only described as a screeching yell, complimented the soul-drenched beats; because his voice screamed emotion. Finally, he blesses us with Free at Last...a near classic album. It starts off with "This Can't Be Real", with Marshia Ambrosious. This light and airy track which samples Gil-Scott Heron is the perfect set-up for Free to tell what's been going on the past few years."Roc-A-Fella Billionaires"; a standard bragfest with Jay-Z, finds Freeway going toe-to-toe with the nicest MC in the game. The bouncy track is brought to life by Dame Grease, as he samples "Big Spender", from the Sweet Charity Soundtrack. Let's get to the heat on this album. Even with Roc Producers Just Blaze and Kanye West absent from the album, Free enlists some of hip-hop's best soul sampling producers. "When They Remember" is vintage Roc Music. Bink!, one of the masterminds behind Jay-Z's seminal classic, "The Blueprint", drenches Freeway in Gladys Knight & The Pips, "The Way We Were." Gladys's pain is put on full display as Free just tears a hole into the track. Another Roc-A-Fella affiliate, Chad "Wes" Hamilton blessed two tracks, "Reppin' The Streets" and "Baby Don't Do It". Chad loops a sample from The Soul Children, "I'll Be The Other Woman" ever so sweetly. The best track on the album has to be "Baby Don't Do It". It features one of hip-hop's greatest lyricists', Scarface. This track is slathered in hot-buttered soul...Willie Hutch's "Overture of Foxy Brown", gets reworked beautifully by Hamilton. Free frantically warns jealous bystanders to steer clear of him, while Scarface takes a calmer approach, and tells older guys to smarten up and get their finances together. Keep in mind that Hutch's wails are weaving in and out of the track. Hamilton's Philly upbring had a lot to do with his soul-stirring tracks; just mindblowing... Other standout tracks are, "Walk Wit Me", with Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes. By the way, Free just spazzes out on the Don Cannon production. The only weak spots on the album are, "Lights Get Low", with Rick Ross and "Take It To The Top", with 50 Cent. JR Rotem actually does an admirable job on the cut, but 50 does not belong on a Freeway track! As with "Lights Get Low", it's just not that usual Cool & Dre magic. Freeway just sounds bored and Rick Ross's verse sounds phoned in. In all, this is what I expected from Freeway and more...his lyrics are sharper than ever, and the pain in his voice is amplified. He's one of a few artists that show vulnerability, probably only rivaled by Ghostface. Do yourself a favor and buy this album...soul drenched beats over Free's wailing voice is a match made in hip-hop heaven.

Definitely one of those cds you can bump from front to back (the 50 song is the only questionable track) but the cd as a whole is on point! Production and Frees style mesh very well. I recommend it for sure.

This CD is fire from start to finish the only fast forward material is take it to the top, which features the rapidly loosing his street cred rapper 50 cent. It's a love song and Free don't sound right doing love songs. The beats are by mainly lesser known producers like needles and Bink, but they provide more than enough hot fire for free to spit, with Beinie Siegal, Nas, Styles P Ghostface, and Wutang set to drop next month this fourth quater might restore hip hop to it's former glory Holla!

New Title 1 A Walk Through Life by Duane Ashley PooleFree at last is no where near on point as his first release Philadelphia, the production on here is not as good making it harder to listen all the way through. I believe an artist should grow and get better, however this is not the case in free at last it's just an average album.

Free is still toting major skills that make him unique and different from the average rapper. This CD is really good. I just hope it doesn't take long for the next one to come out since we waited so long for this one. I was also hoping that the song FREEWAY, WHERE YOU BEEN would be on here. Nevertheless, beyond listening to slamming beats, with Free you can listen to the lyrics and actually hear plenty of meaning and substance in every line. Free is my favorite "new" rapper along with Young Jeezy and Lil' Wayne.

Freeway's second album is as good, if not better than his debut. The CD is skip-free with one good track after another. Not only is Freeway's flow unique and full of energy, but the beats are full of soul. When he is rapping, you know it's the truth because he's rapping from the heart. It would be hard to pick a top 5 because they're all good tracks. This is a great addition to any hip-hop collection.