Philadelphia emcee Freeway returns after 6 years for his 8th full length LP. A longtime friend of Beanie Sigel, he later joined State Property and signed to Roc-A-Fella Records/Def Jam Recordings after appearing on “1-900-Hustler” off The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. His own solo debut Philadelphia Expressway it became a classic in its own right mainly by Just Blaze, Bink & Kanye West and eventually took a 4 year hiatus only to return later on 2007's sophomore effort Finally free departing from the Roc-A-Fella explosion not long after. Philadelphia Highway 2 was a modest follow-up to his debut and Rhymesayers Entertainment The Stimulus Package produced by Jake One saw himself as a return to form. Babygrande Records helped out Diamond in the Ruff & Free Will to soften the reception until Roc Nation Records is interesting enough signing Freeway for Think Freely after a kidney transplant. The Stimulus Package 2 Instead, I expected it to live up to its predecessor and his first 2 major label efforts since I enjoy the original Stimulus package as well as the last pair.
Conway the Machine joins Freeway for jazzy opener “Time” which clearly feels like it's been a while since we last heard Free, while Peedi Crakk's “Philly” serves as a soul sampler so both they can talk about their city. “My Own” featuring Sauce Walka continues to sample soul music by calling themselves different people in a mournful game that leads into “Keep Winning” with Black Thought joining the pair on a dusty instrumental that catches Ws .
“Price of Fame” speaks soulfully about the cost of success to him just before “Lord Forgive Me” begins to stay in his hand and leave the 9 unless someone crosses him or the team. “Freezer” mixes strings with kicks and snares talking about his moniker for being cold for 20 winters at this point in his career, but then the horn-heavy “Ringin'” with Jadakiss talks about illusion of life on the road. and that they got a better way out.
Meanwhile, on “Heartbreaker,” we have Freeway wistfully describing himself as the king of broken hearts, while the summery sample throughout “Nothin' They Can Do” suits him perfectly to deliver Benz music from east coast. “Crystals & Keys” featuring Scholito soulfully portrays the life of chandeliers and grand pianos, while “Bearded Legend” laces a gospel line aimed at those who want to see him drown. “Surgery” with Symba is coming to an end The Stimulus Package 2 providing an anthem for the broken hearts that is until the official represents the children of Roc-A-Fella “Family Tree”.
His production over the past 14 years for me personally has been generally average and as I expected, The Stimulus Package 2 it has to be the most I've enjoyed an album from Free since its predecessor and both of his Roc-A-Fella offerings as standouts in his discography. Jake One's production here is more consistent than the last 3 Philly Freezer gave us, and lyrically, the State Property member remains focused on reminding us of the culture of his heritage.
Rating: 9/10
