Freeway
Real Name: Leslie Edward Pridgen
Aliases: Philly Freezer
Freeway BIO
With his signature voice, Freeway was a staple of Roc-A-Fella Records and State Property throughout the 2000s. With one of the most memorable debut verses ever, he announced his arrival in grand fashion on “1-900-Hustler” off of JAY-Z’s The Dynasty album. Since then, he went on to have a stellar career dropping Philadelphia Freeway in 2003 which debuted on the top 10 on the Billboard album charts. While he would only record two more solo albums during the 2000s after Roc-A-Fella, his output would pick up during the 2010s releasing a slew of LPs throughout, including the Jake One collaboration The Stimulus Package (2010) and the reinvigorated Diamond in the Ruff (2012). Freeway reunited with JAY-Z on Rock Nation to release ThinkFree in 2018. After suffering from kidney failure in February 2019, Freeway underwent a kidney transplant that saved his life.
PROPS
- After freestyling for JAY-Z, he was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records on the spot.
- In 2001, he faced off in a freestyle battle with then-unsigned rapper Cassidy, hosted by Swizz Beatz.
- Freeway’s debut album Philadelphia Freeway achieved gold status.
- Freeway was a founding member of State Property, which also included Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crakk, Oschino, and Omillio Sparks, and the duo Young Gunz.
- Freeway’s highest-charting song, “Rock the Mic” featuring Beanie Sigel, peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100.
- After he was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2015, he became an ambassador for the National Kidney Foundation to raise awareness of the disease.
Top Freeway Questions
Beanie Sigel discovered Freeway at a rap battle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He adopted his moniker from the name of the infamous drug trafficker "Freeway" Rick Ross.
He hails from North Philly.
Briefly, Freeway was signed to Cash Money and Real Talk Entertainment.
Yes, he’s a follower of Islam.
Freeway and most of the members of State Property have reunited and gone on tour.