June 26, 2003 @ 9:00 pm
FREEWAY - PHILADELPHIA FREEWAY (ROC-A-FELLA)
You either love the voice or you hate it.
You either love the voice or you hate it. After stealing the show on Jay-Z’s “1-900-Hustler,” Freeway’s unorthodox flow captured attention—both positive and negative. Now, traveling a path similar to Beanie Sigel’s, Freeway’s debut delivers an abrasive, un-flinching look at life in North Philly. On the radio hit “What We Do,” Freeway cleverly illustrates how desperate times call for desperate measures. Over Just Blaze’s undulating bass line, he warns with ain’t-no-joke intensity, “If the heat stop working then my heat start working / I’ma rob me a person.” That same passion makes the album’s highlight, “Goodbye,” so poignant. Atop a soulful piano loop, Freeway shares a cleverly constructed break-up letter aimed at his “real true love”—the block. On the lighter side of things, Snoop pimp strolls over the Just Blaze club track “We Get Around,” while 7 guarantees radio play with the bouncy, cowbell-driven “Roll With Me.” The only bump in the road is “You Got Me,” a chemistry-devoid collaboration with Mariah Carey. But overall, Philadelphia Freeway creates an open lane—and zooms past the competition.
Article tags: FREEWAY, PHILADELPHIA, FREEWAY, ROC-A-FELLA
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http://www.vibe.com/music/revolutions/2003/06/freeway_philadelphia_freeway_rocafella/
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