Freeway: Cashing In With Cash Money
Interview: Brian “B.Dot” Miller
The road to success is currently under construction for Leslie “Freeway” Pridgen. Coming off the debacle Philadelphia Freeway 2, It was revealed that Philly’s Roc Boy abandoned the house that Jigga built and enlisted into the Cash Money army. With the ink still wet, Free phoned into Rap Radar to discuss his new situation. Belie’ dat.
RR: You signing to Cash Money came as a surprise.
Freeway: Man, I don’t know how that got out there like that! Like, what’s going down is I’m bout to put out this album, called the Stimulus Package. It’s with Jake One. Jake One producing the whole album. I was in Miami fucking with Baby and them, and me and Baby got a song on the album that’s called “Follow My Moves”. I been fucking with Cash Money. You know, me and Wayne did a joint for the last album, but we couldn’t get the shit cleared in time and all that. We just throwing around some ideas. And I’m launching a label, Free Money, so what better home for it.
Who approached you to joining the label?
I seen Baby in a mall. I seen him in Louis Vuitton and we was busting it up. And my man Ceelo, he worked with Baby, so he really basically connected us like that. But, right now everything is still in preliminary.
How does this affect your situation with Roc-A-Fella?
It’s still Roc-A-Fella for life. That’s something that’s not going to leave me. But as far as my situations, I gotta do what I gotta do. I’m grinding.
Did you talk to Jay about it?
Everything still preliminary. Jay give me his blessing with whatever I want to do. Jay want to see niggas making moves.
Did you feel stagnant at Def jam?
I can’t take nothing away from Def Jam. I just need a situation where I’m the first priority. It’s a lot of artists over there and I can’t take nothing away from Def Jam, but I gotta do me. Like right now, it’s just a time in my career where I gotta do me. I gotta do what’s best for Freeway.
But, what does that mean?
That means, do me. Kill the Internets. I’m on the road every weekend. I’m on the road every weekend doing shows like a I got a first single coming out.
Do you think your style will mesh with Cash Money?
I mean, I think my style mesh well with real people. I do it all dog.
First two albums were sleepers. But your last album didn’t fair as well. What went wrong?
That was just a project I did. I did that in two days.
Huh, two days?!
Yeah, I did that album in two days. That’s some shit I did with my man Sac from Sacremento. He flew me out there and knocked that shit out in two days. That wasn’t really nothing. The people still loving it.
Ah, I see.
I don’t count that as a major release. It’s more so like a mixtape album. I knocked that shit out and came back.
What happened to the joint venture deal between 50 Cent and Jay-Z?
Basially, right before the album was coming out, there was a lot of different situations that wasn’t going right, for the whole party. So it fell through. Fif was just on the album and Jay wound up executive producing it by himself.
Last year, you released a new song daily and billed it as “The Month of Madness.” Do you think you might’ve oversaturated the market?
I felt as though it was beneficial. [Critics] can kiss my ass. If they don’t like it, they ain’t don’t go to listen to it. I work, so what am I gon do? Sit on the material. I’m on the net a lot I get the feedback from people. I think more people loved it than the few people that felt like I oversaturated the market. Like, a lot of people have something to say, but they be sitting on they ass not doing nothing.
But couldn’t that be a pro and a con?
If you put out more quantity than the quality than of course that’s fucked up. But if you put out a lot of quality, than that’s what’s up. From all the reviews that I got, I think the month of madness was quantity and quality. What you think?
I thought some were good. But wasn’t a fan of all of them. Thought it was weird cause your an established. Thought it was something a younger act would do to get his name out.
Yeah. Yeah.
Jay One huh? I think you mean Jake One. I hope you copied and pasted that Elliot. You know your hip hop better than that.
HIS RILL THIRD ALBUM ON CASH MONEY SO
I WANT A BIG ALBUM NOTHING LESS
A MAJOR LABEL AND A DOPE CD
PEACE THUS AND HOPE
REAL SHYT ON IT
Looks like Cash Money’s trying to up their arsenal signing all these cats. Freeway has always been one of my favorite rappers.. This kinda surprises me. WELCOME TO THE MONTH OF MADNESS!
http://www.pmpworldwide.com/Jstreetz
how is PF2 a debacle? dude sold 5K str8 indy with no buzz first week for an album he made in 2 days… thats actually impressive…
This is good news… hopefully that shit comes out in the next year, Freeway 1 of the games most slept on…
THAT’S WHAT FREE NEEDS A LABEL THAT’S DOING SOMETHING WITH THERE ARTIST
Yo you did kind of go in on him for nothing. Cash Money doesn’t have the image they had like 8-10 years ago, so I don’t think it would be a bad look at all. I think Jay is like get your money – he probably isn’t holding any grudges. I give him credit for humbling himself and doing shit that an artist co-singed by Jay-Z and 50 Cent with 2 major releases probably would never do. But Cash Money’s rep for releasing albums is not that great.
Who still signs to baby? east coast cat signing to another south movement. its said
..
all his shit sounds the same sellout!
I would be impressed if Freeway inks that ! Baby and Lil Wayne see longevity keep their empire relevant.. Jigga don’t let Chauncey Billups leave Detroit
I don’t think that signing to Cash Money would be a good move for Freeway. Cash Money is basicly a label being kept afloat by Lil Wayne. I don’t think that Freeway, although he is a talented artist, is big enough, or is mainstream enough to stay out of Wayne’s shadow.
The Month Of Madness was the hottest month of rap ever made. Dont believe me just go online and listen to it. Real Hip Hop.
the phialdelphia freeway 2 was not a debacle….someone paid him to do a mixtape…and they put it out as a lbum…thats why he never promoted it..
RESPECT YOU ALL, FIRST OF ALL I GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR MY LIFE TODAY THE REASON WHY AM HERE IS I HAVE NO FAMILY AND I WANT TO BE PART OF CASH MONEY I LOVE CASH MONEY BIRD MAN,I WANT TO BE IN A FAMILY OF CASH MONEY I LIKE CASH MONEY AND IN LOVE IT WHEN I HERE BIRD MAN VOICE I RESPECT EVERY ONE ON CASH MONEY I HOPE TO HERE FROM YOU SOON