Interview w/Freeway
By: Justin Weleski

When your first nationally released song just happens to be on a Jay-Z album, you got a successful career on the horizon. But nothing is handed to you even when you’re on a legend’s album; and Freeway’s journey shows just that. A struggle between faith and rap, his bosses splitting ways, an almost break up of his State Property crew, producers not calling him back, and even paper work getting fu*ked up…this has been the road of Freeway from his first album over five years ago until now. So we got a chance to sit down with one of today’s biggest 215 Hip Hop stars and talked about it all. And be sure to check out the man LIVE - Friday, Jan. 4th for WTWB @ The Arts Garage
New album Free At Last in stores NOW. To purchase online Click HERE

215: With State Property, I heard somewhere that all of you guys didn’t know each other until everyone was signed to Def Jam, is that true?

Freeway: I knew Beans a year or two before he was signed. And me and Peedi are from the same neighborhood and knew each other since we were little. Chris and Neef are from a different part of North and I knew Oshino & Sparks from West when I was real little, like the first and second grade and all that.

215: Being in such a huge spotlight in rap do you find it annoying when you go back to your hood and every person comes up to you with a demo expecting to get put on. They don’t…and then that turns into hate?

Freeway: Well you can’t help everybody, especially today where everyone thinks they’re a rapper. So you help the ones that you feel deserve it and sometimes if you don’t; it can turn to hate. It is what it is.

215: Are you still working with Ice City?

Freeway: Yeah I’m still working with them. Just right now I’m concentrating on my new album and getting it to the correct place it needs to be.

215: You mentioned on your new album that especially in Philly, everybody is imitating your flow and even your look. So do you feel that this is flattering or insulting?

Freeway: I mean it’s flattering and all but people need to start being more original and coming up with there own shit.

215: Recently I noticed you’ve been one of the few major label artists that have been working with a lot of indie artists such as Hezekiah and Skillz. Do you plan on keeping this going?

Freeway: I’m a real MC, so I work with people that are hot. So if I come across someone who I’m feelin and that catches my ear, then I might do something with ‘em

215: On this album you really have no big name producers at all and a lot of unknown people. So why didn’t you hire that big name cat for that hit single or for the in the club sound?

Freeway: I was just getting beats from people submitting them and I wasn’t really concerned about getting a big name as much as I was into getting a sound that I wanted.

215: The new album really has a great balance of content; keeping a natural flow to it. So how do you pick and place the songs on the album.

Freeway: I simply go in the studio and bless it, do what I feel, and in the end we just pick the best shit

215: I remember reading somewhere that you were really conflicted between your faith and the content on which you’re known to rap about. So how were able to put that all together into your music?

Freeway: It was definitely the mind state I was in when going to record the album. The whole feel and mind state is what you get. Because I rap about reality how I’m feeling, what’s going on around me, my environment, things I been through, the past. And it’s what I put down

215: It was a very, very long break between the first album to the new one. This has resulted in a record that some are saying is better than the first one. So would you credit that by not rushing it and taking your time?

Freeway: I feel good about the response I’m getting and I’m not too concerned about the timing of it because it is what it is. And you have to go through what you have to go through for it to be life. You got experiences and all that, I felt I put it all down in the record, and now is perfect time for you to hear it. And now people know I can do it again, cause everyone knows about the sophomore jinx, so people can be skeptical. So if people are saying it’s better than the first album, then that feels good.

215: Are we going to have a long wait like this again for the third record?

Freeway: I’m actually working on the next album now.

215: On the album and press leading up to it this record was being stamped as a Roc-a-Fella and G Unit collaboration record, but on the CD there’s no signs or credits to G Unit. So what happened?

Freeway: Something happened at the end where it got fucked up. But the album is official and 50 and Jay mos definitely executive produced the whole album.

215: Is there any tours in the works to support the new album?

Freeway: Were putting together a tour now to start in January with me, Beans and a couple others from State Property

215: Is there a new State Property album in the works?

Freeway: Were definitely going to put that together and come at ya’ll in a year or so.

215: Any last words

Freeway: Thank you for the interview and check out myspace.com/freeway and the official website is freewayatlast.com

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