Free at Last

Saturday, November 17, 2007

This sophomore disc from Philadelphia's Freeway hits stores four years after the release of the gruff-voiced MC's much-admired debut. That's an eternity in rap years, but if anyone's in a position to capitalize on the frustration produced by music-industry politics, it's Freeway, whose music depicts the struggle of a good man caught in a bad situation. On "Free at Last," he demonstrates that being forced to cool his heels since 2003 hasn't dulled the rough edges of his appealingly hectic flow; check out "Roc-a-Fella Billionaires," a brash Broadway banger in which he compares stacks of cash with mentor Jay-Z. But the album also suggests that Freeway wouldn't mind having a hit on hip-hop radio: On "Take It to the Top," he trades goofy come-ons with 50 Cent over a synthed-up J.R. Rotem beat. Consider it insurance against another four-year lean stretch.—Mikael Wood

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