In a genre with a reputation for inconsistency, 32 well-written, expertly produced tracks-- released once per day for the month of December, then compiled as Freeway's Month of Madness-- deserves critical attention. For a distribution gimmick primarily focused on generating internet buzz, even complaining about the length of the compilation misses the point. And if you do find one track that isn't worth your time-- say, the sub-par feature with James Blunt-- then you can always wait until tomorrow, or hit forward on your iPod, and there's a good chance there will be a track you dig. Month of Madness has a lot going for it-- consistency, quality, and the bottomless hard drive space of the iPod age-- but 32 straight bangers can also be an artist's own worst enemy.
Freeway is a great rapper; he's never lazy, writes detailed, interesting verses, and spits them with unique, frantic urgency. He has great taste in beats, using producers that hew closely to the 2000s' Roc-A-Fella soul-sampling blueprint; newcomer Blunt, who produces the bulk of the tracks, and 2008 It Producer Jake One both have great emotive moments. There are even a few outside-the-box tracks for needed diversity, with assists from Erick Sermon and the Alchemist. Don Cannon takes a break from looping classic soul to drop spinning chainsaws on "Bank Rollz". These are welcome changes from the de rigeur soul sampled banger for which Freeway is known, although they're also safe variations within the same narrow template.
And this is how Month of Madness proves that "quality" doesn't always supersede tedium. It's as if Free has decided that he's foreman at a street rap factory, churning out endless iterations of the same basic structure. Contrary to critical consensus, one of the standout tracks on Free At Last was "Take It to the Top", where a 50 Cent hook helped Free transcend this one-note production with a little bit of pop dimension. Not topical dimension-- Freeway has always managed to spit on a variety of subjects with perspective and intelligence-- but some stylistic flexibility. As a performer, Freeway raps one way and does it very, very well. If you already love the "typical Freeway banger," then you have no complaints. But it does suggest Free's not interested in expanding his audience beyond the converted, in building street buzz like Gucci Mane, or bothering Kanye on Billboard.
Freeway has never really seemed bothered by this. And to criticize him for it is typically hypocritical, since I've been a big fan of DJ Premier's ability to churn out endless variations on the same motif for the past decade. But if the best he can get is fifteen minutes of internet buzz, then maybe consistency isn't what we're really looking for after all. This revolutionary method of distribution has provided Freeway with a niche, to build the kind of fanbase he wants by saturating the same channels as inferior blog-hype rappers. He's very good at what he does, but two hours of great music still draws attention to what he doesn't.
