Freeway — Philadelphia Freeway 2

Following his mentor Jay-Z's departure from Def Jam, Freeway also exited Def Jam in 2009 and left Roc-A-Fella, label with which the release of this album was scheduled, the rapper's third and sequel to his debut. The Philadelphia-based MC quickly records the project and releases it on independent label Real Talk Entertainment, finding himself economizing with no supporting guests — just Sheek Louch of The LOX — and without top producers, having to call on Real Talk's in-house team of Cozmo, Hollis and Vince V. to make the tape, with the few remaining beats being credited vaguely to "Real Talk Ent.".

This effort, closer to a illegitimate mixtape than an album, is mostly mediocre and has some flashes, but thanks to the antiquated and poor production of Cozmo (that wants to emulate Just Blaze) and Vince V. those flashes are rare. Hollis made a good job in production, with beats guessed tailored for Freeway's rough, tough, heavy, fast delivery, the others seem not to have understood nothing. And it's a big shame, here Free was at the debut level, instead the reference to that record remains only in the name.

Vince V. sampled "Hip Hop Saved My Life" by Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool" for "Around the World", but his production is weak, it doesn't hold the sample. In "Street's Won't Miss'em", Hollis realized a beat that wants to be dark and ends up being disturbing, it seems that he has stolen it from a 3rd-class b-movie; the hardcore delivery and jazzy/R&B hook here are useless. Hollis redeems himself in the last song, providing a decent hardcore boom bap that Free needs like oxygen to get ahead, the Philly rapper puts this outro to dunk and sends everyone home.

Among the few positive exceptions of the project stands out "It's a Good Day", maybe the only decent thing in Cozmo's career, light sunny beat that somehow succeeds, where Free doesn't deliver so hardcore as before in this kind of tribute to Ice Cube. The rest is average between cheap and low-level beats and generic lyrics limited around gangsta rap, thug rap and bravado with street and drug topics. Overall, the record is forgettable, even if the public hasn't totally forgotten the artist and the tape manages to make its way through the charts, entering the top hundred places of the pop chart and the top 20 of both rap and independent records.

Rating: 6.5/10.