As far as unlikely collaborations go, Freeway’s team up with DJ Girl Talk is as surprising as they come. It began some months ago when an iPhone quality video surfaced of a the duo performing a bouncy new track called “Tolerated”, with a lively crew of on-stage hipsters bouncing in tow. Both artists’ reputations precede them; Free as a no-nonsense Philly street-hop emcee, and Girl Talk as pre-EDM, crowd-surfing, mash-up DJ that lived life to the fullest. The release of their EP, Broken Ankles, is intriguing, to say the least.
The EP opens with the infectious aforementioned lead single, “Tolerated”, which finally bangs through the speakers with reckless abandon, now boasting an additional verse from Waka Flocka. This leads into the chipmunk-soul driven “Tell Me Yeah”, a refreshing reminder of the lost Roc-A-Fella Records sound, accompanied by Young Chris. “I Can Hear Sweat” finds Freeway playing with his flow over Girl Talk’s bouncy vibes, while a Biggie sample propels the hook, leading to a spotlit Jadakiss verse. Before you know it, we’re at “Lived It”, a barber shop soul confessional that closes the album out, true to Freeway’s core sound. And then, it’s over…
An EP should leave the listener screaming for more, yet many of these kind of mid-length projects are instead made up of leftovers that weren’t good enough for the album. Not so for Broken Ankles, which packs incredible consistency, right up there with The Beatnuts’ Intoxicated Demons, or more recently in the house world, Galantis’ self-titled release. Brilliantly sewn together like a DJ set, with each track blending into the next, Broken Ankles has a cohesive flow to it that leaves the crowd on a high note, rather than having them slowly fizzle out. Whether or not they can replicate this consistency for a full-length album remains to be seen, but either way, this EP will certainly create the demand for one.
Ish is Dope
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April 30th, 2014 at 6:46 pm
22 April, 2014@8:22 am
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