Where there is smoke, there is fire. And where there was fire, there used to be the Arsonists, a group of five fiery emcees, all hungrily switching between topics of social issues and braggadocios punch-lines with the flick of the DJ’s wrist.

       From the ashes of the Arsonists arrives Freestyle on his debut solo venture, Etched in Stone, which quickly becomes just as schizophrenically-paced. With a fickle arrangement of producers serving as the back-drop for his unevenly-paced lyrics, it evolves and migrates to the tunes played by the beat-makers. And, not unlike the Arsonists, Freestyle manages to single-handedly still achieve positive results, wrapping a hectic schedule of beats around his listeners while rapping his way through everything from love to social empowerment to straight-up “I’m better than you” lyrics to create a stellar first attempt in the solo world of hip-hop.

       From the sped-up soul samples of “Carry On,” which features Freestyle “caught in a groove with something to prove” to “Method of Madness,” with DJ Noize providing a simply addictive ivory-piano keyed-out beat, Freestyle commands the microphone with immeasurable presence, style, and grace. Other tracks, such as “It’s A Beautiful Thang” and “See No, Hear No,” view Freestyle in all-out attack mode against those harming his pleasant world with the evils inflicting many other areas of hip-hop.

       As the disc works on, it also becomes quite clear that Freestyle must have been good as a child - he plays well with others. His back-and-forth effort with Eternia on “Understand If I” earns the title as the lovey-dovey song of the summer of 2004 (mainstream or underground). Eternia and Freestyle amply cover the struggles of a relationship over a beat equipped with an applicable sped-up sample, chorus, and short interlude that only add to the realness of the track that should (key word: should, not will) serve as Freestyle’s welcome into the hip-hop mainstream.

     “Understand If I” only takes a backseat to the very next track, “Can’t Let You Go,” with Freestyle taking his shot at a track that parallels Common’s “I Used To Love H.E.R.,” minus Com’s bitterness and littered with lines like, “We had it in the beginnin’ winnin’, Makin’ love on those turntables with them records spinnin’.” All this backed by another useful soul sample that only adds to the mystique of the topic at hand (Fear not though, those getting tired of the sped-up soul samples can take relief in the fact that DJ Noize produces three tracks that are dead-ringers for Premier production).
 Eventually, Freestyle does hit several snares that just do not equal up with his lyrics resulting in a temporary extinguishing of flames that cool Free down. “Me VS. 2 DJs” (featuring DJ Hype and DJ Static) starts off as an interesting battle concept before fizzling as a cheap showcase of the three sans any of the hyped-up battling. “Card Sharks” and “Can I Get A Yes?” are both unnecessary Freestyle-produced tracks that teach old lessons in less-than-fresh ways. And “Outta Control (Blaze Pt. II)” simply cannot even begin to equal the original Arsonists sizzle with a less energetic effort that obviously cannot capitalize on the previous group success (although this may have been Freestyle’s opportunity to give his former mates a shout to mend the group for one track).

     On “See No, Hear No,” Freestyle boasts, “No Arsonists…still I’m blazing,” a tall order for most solo emcees branching away from their group from the first time. Freestyle, despite several shortcomings, does not stray far from the group’s original mentality. Where there is smoke, there is fire. And it does not seem that the smoke has drifted very far from the fire here…