For over a decade, Freeway has
been Philadelphia's mouthpiece in
chronicling the city's balance of
blue-collar work ethics and vigilant
street-corner credos, within one of
the world's most diverse and
storied backdrops. Freezer, born
Leslie Pridgen, carries that same
range of character and experience,
a Muslim Man in America with a
unique story to tell. With ties to and
years lived in North and West
Philadelphia, Freeway emerged in
the late '90s, both as a street figure
and as a battle-tested block rapper,
part of both Ice City and the wouldbe
stars of State Property.
After standout features on Beanie
Sigel’s “Think It’s A Game” and JayZ’s
“1-900-HUSTLER” posse cut,
Free was a critical role-player within
State Property’s debut album,
namely on Philadelphia classic,
“Roc Da Mic.” This fanfare and
intrigue gave the raspy-voiced
sensation the go-ahead on release
2003's Philadelphia Freeway, a
literal gold standard in image-driven
street rap, with a soulful message
and sound. The album, featuring
involvement from Kanye West, Just
Blaze and Mariah Carey yielded the
timeless outcry, “What We Do” with
Free’s mentors Jay and Beanz.
2013 marks Freeway’s evolution, as he
brings his signature somersaults-on-thebeat
flow to what might be described as
alternative/EDM on his Broken Ankles
collaboration EP with sample maestro
Gregg Gillis a.k.a. Girl Talk. He
triumphantly declared October 2013 as
“ROCTOBER” as he helped to organize a
“Roc Reloaded Reunion” show in his
hometown, featuring Memphis Bleek,
Young Chris, and Neef Buck. And, the
calls for collaborations keep coming nonstop
– one in particular finds Freeway
teaming with Oakland rapper The Jacka
on Write My Wrongs, a prequel to their
Highway Robbery LP. More than a
decade removed from his wave of initial
success, Freeway still carries the
diamond and maintains his legacy as one
of Hip Hop’s most distinct voices.
After Freeway was diagnosed with
kidney failure in September 2015,
Freeway has partnered with the
National Kidney Foundation to be
an ambassador using his voice and
cultural influence in raising
awareness on kidney disease.
Freeway hosted and performed at
the National Kidney Foundation’s
Philadelphia Kidney Walk at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art. The
annual event, which is held in city’s
nationwide, raises money that
supports the Kidney Foundation
programs and services for kidney
patients their families and people at
risk. A portion of the revenue
generated from Freeway & Friends
concert will be donated directly to
the National Kidney Foundation.