Depending upon who you ask, sans 50 Cent, Freeway’s debut, Philadelphia Freeway, is the second most anticipated release of 2003.  Though his debut has undergone a slew of delays (is Jay-Z the only member of the R.O.C. who can put out an LP on schedule) Freeway stayed busy and furthered his buzz by guest appearing on R&B remixes (Faith Evans) and the State Property soundtrack where he authored the runaway smash “Roc The Mic”.

As Guru once lamented “It’s mostly the voice that gets ya up” and though Free’s voice is as hyper and extreme as his grizzly beard, he’s fortunate to receive the best beats the R.O.C. has to offer in the form of Just Blaze, Kanye West, Bink, and Black Key who are not only at the top of there game here, but transform themselves into NY’s version of the Neptunes, crafting up-tempo synth grooves into microwaveable club tracks that are simply too slick to resist.  While Just Blaze churns out one notable track after another; “Flipside” “What We Do” f/Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, “Full Effect” feat. Young Guns and the dynamic “Line Em Up” feat. Young Chris.  At a time when sample based production is on the decline, the emotional vocal’s Black Key lifts from Minnie Ripperton “Inside My Love” fuels “You Don’t Know (In The Ghetto)” and Bink chips in two sample enriched tracks, implementing the Spinners “Inside My Love” to augment Freeway’s testimonial on “Victim Of The Ghetto” feat. Rell, as well as the LP’s defining moment “All My Life”, with Nate Dogg riding shotgun adding a layer of congos to Curtis Mayfield’s “I Want To Go Back”.

Though the real stars on Philadelphia Freeway, offer nary a spoken word, Freeway’s voice is an instrument of its own, as his high-pitched bravado takes corners on a dime. The mere aggression Free attacks the mic with and his highly emotive intonation is ofttimes alluring (“Line Em Up” & “Turn Out The Lights”) but is harder to digest on sappy mismatches with Mariah Carey (“You Got Me”) and Snoop Dogg (“We Get Around”) who delivers another listless guest appearance. 

For a man of Muslim faith, Freeway often contradicts those beliefs by rehashing his own personalized sermons of coke trafficking and hustling; but hey this is hip-hop and not chicken soup for the soul.  On “Free”, the rapper laments “the best things in life are free.”  Just as long as Just Blaze, Kanye West and Bink are included in the package, as they craft a nearly flawless exhibition of “street-pop” that not only made Philadelphia Freeway worth the wait, but should generate plenty of urban radio spins for the better part of 2003.