Freeway

Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Best known for his tenure on Roc-A-Fella Records and his affiliation with Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, he is recognized by his high-pitched delivery and for the long beard he keeps due to his Muslim faith. His moniker is not derived from the name of the infamous drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross. He was a member of the rap group Ice City, is a member of the rap group State Property and recently signed to Cash Money Records.



Born Leslie Pridgen, Freeway began his career by participating in freestyle battles in his high school and met fellow Philadelphia native Beanie Sigel while rapping on stage at a hometown nightclub. Not long after being signed to Roc-A-Fella Records, Sigel put in a word for Freeway, who made his first appearance on The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, on the track "1-900-Hustler" with Beanie, Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek. After the appearance, Jay-Z signed him to a deal; he was featured on "Think it's a Game," also alongside Jay-Z, on Beanie's sophomore album The Reason.

In 2001, he underwent a notorious freestyle battle with then-unsigned rapper Cassidy, hosted by Swizz Beatz and lost with a unanimous judges descision.


On February 25, 2003, Freeway released his debut album, Philadelphia Freeway. The album was produced primarily by Roc-A-Fella-affiliated beatsmiths Just Blaze, Bink!, and Kanye West and featured a large number of Roc-A-Fella rappers. Many of them also hailed from Philadelphia, and were soon compiled into the group State Property led by Freeway and Beanie Sigel. The album had two singles, the biggest hits of Freeway's career thus far: "What We Do," Featuring Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, for which a video was released showcasing most of the Roc's roster at the time, and "Flipside," featuring State Property member Peedi Crakk; both records were produced by Just Blaze. The album achieved Gold status, selling around 500,000 units.

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