Freeway returned with Free at Last in 2007, and Jadakiss released Top 5 Dead or Alive on November 20, 2015.
2007 – Freeway releases Free at Last
Four years separated Freeway’s first solo album from Free at Last, his second Roc-A-Fella release. The Philadelphia rapper’s voice still sounded urgent enough to cut through almost any production. What changed was the company it kept. The new record put his delivery against several different kinds of beats and asked how much of the original chemistry could travel with him.
“Roc-A-Fella Billionaires” with Jay-Z is one answer. The booming arrangement gives Freeway room to push the syllables, then leave space for Jay’s more conversational timing. “Take It to the Top” with 50 Cent aims for a different pocket. Heard together, the two tracks show a rapper making room for radio without losing the grain that makes his verses recognizable.
Billboard’s contemporary review and release listing
2015 – Jadakiss releases Top 5 Dead or Alive
Eight years later, Jadakiss made a familiar barbershop argument the title of his fourth solo album. Top 5 Dead or Alive has plenty of room for the kind of close-quarters rapping people expect from him. “Synergy,” with fellow LOX member Styles P, is the cleanest example of two rappers who know when to leave each other a little room and when to press.
“You Can See,” with Future, puts that same voice over a different set of drums. What links it to “Synergy” is the bite of Jadakiss’s phrasing. Like Freeway, he can change the production around him and still sound like the person who made listeners seek out the record in the first place.
Def Jam album listing and listening preview
Browse the Today in Rap History calendar or keep reading with November 17 in Rap History.
Support Raptology and help keep our hip-hop history archive growing.
Jason Soto is a HipHop enthusiast with love for everything generated by the culture. He fell in love with music during the first decade of his life and spent most of his teenage years as a DJ. He began to dabble in writing and rapping after being introduced to battle rap and found the art form to be extremely exciting and innovative. As an adult, his own personal interest has lead him to become a freelance columnist, a HipHop ghostwriter, and a cover art designer.
Leave a Reply