Back when I was a teenager Roc-A-Fella records not only ruled the airwaves but was regarded as one of the illest stables of emcees in the game. Many a cypher was spent with friends in smoky rooms debating who was sickest lyricist on the Roc. Of course Jigga got top billing, but who was next on that prestigious list? Freeway? and his hype, high-octane delivery? Beans with his pitbull vicious flow? Peedi? One of the Young Gunz? While a consensus was never reached in those days, Freeway was always somewhere at the top of the list. Ten years since his first appearance on Roc-A-Fella’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia made the Rap game stand up and take notice of the Philly native—and barely two years removed from the breakup of the Roc-A-Fella fam—Freeway is still deeply entrenched in the game pumping your block and your speakers with plenty of future classic street material. Newly signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and backed by the prolific production stylings of Dr. Dre-affiliated West Coast beatsmith Jake One, Freeway’s fourth studio album, Stimulus Package, hit the streets this past February and has once again made fans take notice. Free recently spoke to REAX by phone about the new album, working with Jake One, and life after the Roc…


REAX: Quite a bit has happened since the glory days of the Roc, but Stimulus Package is quite possibly the sharpest we’ve heard you since Philadelphia Freeway. The rhymes and punchlines are on point, the flow is refined, and the beats are straight heat. How did you get focused for this album?
FREEWAY: Man I just been working. After the breakup and everything I figured it was time for me to turn it up and let the fans know I could do it on my own. That was my mindframe going into the project.

REAX: How have your experiences since we last heard from you—your Hajj, the release from Def Jam, etc.—shaped the music on Stimulus Package and your current outlook as an artist?
FREEWAY: Just experiences… As you grow as a person, you see more things, you go more places, your music is definitely going to mature. Especially the type of rapper that I am—I’m a reality rapper, so I rap about the things that go on, the things I see, so the music is definitely going to mature as I do.

REAX: Does your faith influence your music as well? Would you care to elaborate on your experience on your Hajj.
FREEWAY: As far as the pilgrimage to Mecca and everything it was beautiful. As far as music and religion, I’m not even really supposed to be doing the music. But, you know what I’m sayin’, it’s something that I gotta deal with my God. So I just try to stay positive and do as many positive things as I can as far as that aspect of it. As far as influencing the music, like I told you I’m a reality rapper and Islam is part of my life so you might hear things here and there in the music.

REAX: Compared to your early work, it sounds like you’ve really polished up your style on this album. Whereas before your flow had a lot of the classic Freeway high pitched punctuation. You’ve still got that, but it seems as if that wild element has been toned down and you’ve really sharpened up lyrically. How has your style evolved, and how would you compare this album lyrically to your previous work?
FREEWAY: If you’re an artist you’re supposed to get better. If you’re getting worse you’re not doing something right. As I go in and I sharpen my craft, naturally it gets better. Just like Kobe when he train, LeBron when he train, the more you work the better you get.

REAX: You never stop growing as an artist. The learning process never ends, you’re always polishing and always building…
FREEWAY: Exactly.

REAX: I know you worked with Jake One on White Van Music. Being that he’s from the West Coast, Seattle no less, how did y’all initially click up and what made you decide to work together on a full length album?
FREEWAY: Like you said we did work on White Van Music. He did work on my Free At Last album on Roc-A-Fella. He just kept sending me beats and I kept knocking out joints and the chemistry was there. When you got a case of crazy chemistry you gotta take advantage of it. So I was like, “We might as well do a whole album together the way these joints came out,” and we made it happen.

REAX: Did you sit down with him in the studio and help shape the beats to your style, or did he throw you a beat tape and let you pick the joints you wanted from his catalog?
FREEWAY: He was sending me files, he was sending me sessions of beats. A bunch of beats. And I was knockin em out. Then at some point I went out to Seattle and we sat down and did a couple records out there.

REAX: Oh word? You went out to Seattle?
FREEWAY: Yeah, we did like 15 records in the studio out there.

REAX: They show you love out in Seattle?
FREEWAY: Yeah!

REAX: After the release of your second project, Free At Last, there were some rumblings over the absence of Kanye West and Just Blaze beats on that album. On Stimulus Package it seems you touch on that subject again. The track “Freekin’ the Beat” makes a reference to how you “used to be in love with Just Blaze beats.” The beats on this album were all produced by Jake One, but they still got that Freeway? sound. Was there any adjustment necessary in working with Jake’s style?
FREEWAY: Basically just keep it movin. Just keep working. The beats are hot and there was good chemistry. Keep it movin!

REAX: Definitely. If you were to sit down and listen to all of your albums, all Freeway’s work, there really is that continuity with Stimulus Package and your previous work. You didn’t lose nothin’ moving from a major label to Rhymesayers. It’s still classic Freeway shit.
FREEWAY: Yeah! Thank you!

REAX: It’s good to see some of the old Roc fam make appearances on this album: Beans, Omilio Sparks, Young Chris. Can we expect more collabs with the fam in the future?
FREEWAY: Oh, definitely! Everything is still good with everybody so definitely look forward to more collabs in the future. I’m always going to try to keep my boys involved with everything I do.

REAX: Any upcoming collaborations in the works that our readers should be on the lookout for?
FREEWAY: Man, we just gunnin’ right now! My main focus is Stimulus Package at the moment. Just work and record records and try and figure out what’s the next step, where we’re going to take it from there.

REAX: By now most fans have seen the YouTube promo clip of the Stimulus Package album “Packaging,” with Freeway? and Jake One bills that fit into a fold out wallet-shaped sleeve. Tell us about the thought process behind you and Jake collaborating with designer Brent Rollins to put together such a unique product.
FREEWAY: We came up with the Stimulus Package idea and Brent did the rest, you know! When great minds come together you get a beautiful project and that’s what happened.

REAX: The industry is so digitally oriented nowadays. Did the shift from buying CDs or vinyl to downloading MP3s through sites like iTunes influence the thought process behind coming up with a solid product that consumers would want to buy in hardcopy format? Cause you can’t download the special packaging, you gotta actually buy the CD.
FREEWAY: Yeah definitely. We definitely wanted to take it back to where the packaging and everything—the whole project—is interesting. Everything, all the components. And we thought making the packaging like that will make people want to actually buy it.

REAX: I’m sitting in a room right now full of about 5,000 vinyl LPs. I come from the era of vinyl, cassettes, CDs… It’s one thing to have music on MP3, but it’s another thing to have that package, that sleeve, that record cover in your hand to look at and read the liner notes and lyrics and everything.
FREEWAY: I come from that same era!

REAX: What’s next for Freeway? now that Stimulus Package'' has hit the streets? Will you and Jake come together again like Congress and pass a second “stimulus package?”
FREEWAY: That’s definitely a possibility. We just tryin’ to figure out the next move. We’ll definitely keep you posted!

REAX: The streets are bubbling with talk of a deal with Cash Money… Is that legit? What’s up with Freeway and Cash Money?
FREEWAY: That’s something that’s also in the air too. It’s definitely a possibility. Once we get that situated I’ll definitely let you know, we’ll do another interview.

REAX: I saw Birdman on this album so I thought that might be a little bit of a tip off, you know, “Birdman is on the Stimulus Package'', we might can expect something poppin’ off in the future!”
FREEWAY: Definitely.

REAX: A light hearted question to end the interview off… Very few Rap artists are as well known for their facial hair as Freeway?. One of them is Rick Ross, whom you worked with on “Lights Get Low.” I know your beard has spiritual significance, but let everybody know who got the most serious beard in the rap game!
FREEWAY: Oh, you already know! I get the best beard in the business! I’m sure Rick Ross feel the same way too (laughter)… I’m sure he feel like he got the best beard too. It’s all love!

REAX: When I interview him I’ll let him know you said you got the best beard, see what he has to say about it!

FREEWAY: (Laughter) That’s my man! It’s all love!

REAX: Lastly, the big news in Hip Hop the past couple weeks has been the condition of Guru from Gangstarr?. Any words for a fellow legendary MC?
FREEWAY: I definitely hope he gets better soon. My prayers are with him and his family.

REAX: Any last words for you fans here in Tampa?
FREEWAY: Stay focused, Tampa. I’ll probably be through there soon. If you ain’t got the Stimulus Package yet, go get it! I’ll rock with y’all!