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His attention to realism rendered commercial flash secondary, yet his inclusion in State Property and a Roc-A-Fella tenure paved the road to a critically decorated career. His 2003 gold-certified debut, Philadelphia Freeway, featured an early-aughts who’s-who of stars — including label boss Jay-Z and Philly-raised labelmate Beanie Sigel — and production handled by Just Blaze and a young Kanye West. While the Peedi Crakk collab “Flipside” had a modest Billboard climb, the record “What We Do” lives on as a standard in Roc canon and an embodiment of all Freeway does well: immersive street suave, incisive wit, and a voice so urgent you feel the detectives creep and the landlord’s knock.

The four years between Philadelphia Freeway and 2007’s Free At Last were marred by a now-legendary sequence of regime changes and dissolution. The year 2004 brought a myriad of complications; most notably, the Roc/Def Jam acquisition marked Jay’s split from Dame Dash and Biggs Burke, setting off a stream of in-fighting amid overall uncertainty of the future of the label’s artists. In the wake of Beanie Sigel’s October 2004 sentencing to a year in prison for gun and drug possession — while fighting another attempted murder charge he’d later beat — questions of loyalty quickly arose in the fallout of the Roc’s split, causing State Property to dissolve as well. When a dynasty falls, no one leaves unscathed. The spoils of yesteryear run dry, the earth arid with much room to scorch should one feel it called for. There’s pain not even a case of Armadale could aid in waning. Thankfully, Freeway’s no stranger to droughts, or fights, or loyalty. As the high-profile drama unfolded, Freeway fell back and took his first Hajj to Mecca.

Once Free At Last arrived in 2007, the writing was on the wall: Despite Jay stepping in to executive produce, and another slew of notable names attached, Freeway’s return was substantially dampened by minimal label support and whittled-away momentum. The album underperformed, and Jay stepped down from the Def Jam presidency by the year’s end. Freeway was, simply, caught — in his own waves of frustration, in the crossfire of his friends, even in divine questions of purpose. The year before Freeway signed to the Roc, he was on house arrest after getting caught in the streets trying to hustle for his two seeds. Now, he’s a certified emcee, but not a superstar that everyone’s rushing to save from the sunken ship’s wreckage. How does a Sunni Muslim, trying his hardest to walk righteously, reconcile making dollars off tales of the dirt he’s done? When the spotlight dims, what saves a man from backsliding into the mud? 

When presented with the divergent road, Freeway doubled down on himself, electing to take it independent right as digital downloads and the burgeoning blog era started shifting the entire music industry. He soon found a proper co-conspirator: the Seattle-raised powerhouse Jake One, a mainstay producer behind everything from John Cena’s walkout music to several records with Jay-Z and Rick Ross. The duo already collaborated via album and mixtape cuts; Jake One did “It’s Over” on Free At Last, and Freeway shows up twice on Jake One’s 2008 Rhymesayers debut, White Van Music. Thus, their 2010 album The Stimulus Package served as a natural convergence of styles, and a symbolic and spiritual dialogue with a country (and a music industry) deep in the perils of recession. Surrounded by sea changes, the mission was simple: provide what the rap game was missing, what the fans were missing. Streetwise grown-man music from proven veterans with so much more to offer. Furthermore… what’s life like for Freeway after untangling the mess of a fallen dynasty?

At its core, The Stimulus Package finds Freeway and Jake One deeply rooted in the traditionalist boom-bap framework without the extra Golden Era appeals peppered in. This isn’t an album about saving hip-hop, but it brashly reconfirms why Freeway’s lauded as a top-tier technician who embodies and empathizes with the hustler’s spirit. For the majority, Jake One leaves Freeway plenty of space to paint; the pair dazzle even more whenever they switch the cruise control off. The producer plays his versatility up by honing in on the many ways to flip a soul sample, granting this album a charming palette with a crime flick score consistency. The off-kilter flourishes accentuate themselves well: the way Jake One thrashes the digital drums like he’s playing a kit, his signature dimmed bassline twang gliding along the samples. This music’s raucous and evocative, curated for the best versions of Freeway to lock further in.

The Stimulus Package is a self-celebration, an impassioned return to form after years of perseverance. Times is hard, and Freeway ain’t come out the multi-millionaire, but this record eschews gossip and drama for a commitment to high-quality street raps. A removal from the spotlight, paired with a deeper connection to God, grants Freeway the leeway to appreciate — and appropriately assess — his position in the world. The Freeway we hear laments his past deeds but smiles as he recalls the honest ways he learned to make a living; that said, the pathways back to the street continue to stare him down. Consider: Just before signing to Roc-A-Fella, Freeway was on house arrest for being one foot in while trying to provide. Any threats on The Stimulus Package are mere reminders that Freeway will send it back there should you threaten his honest living. We’re really here to reminisce over the good times, and plot on better ones.