Freekey Zekey – Book of Ezekiel

    Question, remember when Dipset was down the R-O-C?
    Well if you do (shoot… It was only five years ago!) you’d have to admit
    that it was a waaay better look for the Harlem-based Hip Hop movement…at
    least musically anyway. Why? The ‘SWAGGER’ my dudes…’THE
    SWAAAGGG!!!!’ Let’s face it, most heads prefer the more lyrical Cam’ron
    from the Confessions of Fire days, but the patented flow he
    adopted on his platinum Come Home With Me LP, gold-selling Purple
    Haze
    record and every Dipset compilation and
    mixtape after that was predictable but UNDENIABLY catchy, hilarious
    and honestly…dope! Why? ‘THE SWAG’ man…point blank! Then you had
    a dude like Juelz Santana with
    that undeniable poster boy charisma and rapidly improving flow (complete
    with that trademark ‘AY!’ ad-lib) and then there’s Jim Jones,
    the self- appointed rock star and capo of Dipset who recently
    had the audacity and confidence to go at none other than the
    legendary JAY-Z and drop the hottst NYC single of ’06 in Ballin’!
    Why…again you ask? that ‘SWAGGER’ folks…once you have that, the world is
    yours just like Nas or Scarface.

    These days however, Dipset is hanging on to that swag by a
    thread thanks to a vicious mixtape from the Roc’S Tru-Life,
    inconsistent quality musical output, Cam’ron bricking with Killa
    Season,
    unwisely promoting ‘no-snitching’ on CBS’s 60 Minutes
    of all places, being mocked by 50 Cent…and then there
    was that YouTube footage with him in front of his….ahem,
    “Pool”. Hate to say it, but it’s not looking too great for
    the Dips these days….they’re in need some serious help.
    Enter Freekey Zekey?

    Yes, after his breakthough performance in the video for “Hey Ma” and
    a semi-brief jail stint, Freekey Zekey’s
    finally got a solo album out, named Book Of Ezekiel no less. But 
    even though his debut is named after a biblical text (and a play on his
    government name), don’t expect anything miraculous, spiritually uplifting or
    heavenly here, Freekey‘s doctrine strictly revolves
    around his ‘baller’ lifestyle full of haters, expensive cars, numerous
    sexcapades, a million and one coke deals, incessant gun talk….and yes, you
    guessed it, MORE HATERS! Top tier NYC newcomers like Skyzoo,
    Joell Ortiz or Saigon need no worry about Zekey
    being serious lyrical competition anytime soon for he is good but
    nothing extraordinary, the kind of rapper who would have a hard time
    distinguishing himself in a neighborhood cipher with ten other new jacks.
    Look no further than “Hater What You Looking At,” a good song where
    Freaky shows drive on a bouncy synth loop in the first
    verse but then ‘eases off the gas’ by the second and third, as if he’s
    already bored of telling his critics to back off! ‘Like This’ fares
    somewhat better with its sing-songy flow boasting of a ‘coke grind that’s never
    falling off’ and a chef game better than Betty Crocker; but in
    the end, it’s okay, but nothing special. When Zekey switches
    to ‘gangsta’ mode on “Killem, Killem” with Juelz Santana and “Streets,” things
    get more interesting and his confidence grows (particularly on “Killem…). This makes
    for a more satisfying listen and appreciation for Freekey’s
    potential.

    But let’s be real here, Freekey Zekey was never about being
    the King of New York or set out to try and be the best rapper alive like, say,
    a Lil Wayne. Again the M.O. is
    maintaining, reintroducing and celebrating the trademark Dipset
    swagger. It’s all about style over substance and when paired with swag
    kings Cam’ron and Juelz Santana on “Daddy’s Back,”
    Freekey shows and proves and you quickly remember why you
    first fell in love with Dips.730 Dip Dip” continues the hot
    streak and brings the playboy affair to more insane levels when Zekey is teamed
    with the rambunctious energy of Ash and Jim
    Jones.

    When it’s all said done, Zekey brings forth a decent LP
    with the things you’ve come to expect from one of his personality, image and
    affiliations. The problem is that there are no surprises here, nothing that
    hasn’t been done before or done way better in the past. Dont get me wrong, there
    are some strong songs here, except that the club joints don’t bang as crazy as “Oh Boy,” the
    street joints aren’t nearly as anthemic as “I Really Mean It” or “Gangsta Music.Even Zekey’s
    Crunk’d up’
    is
    trumped by “Crunk
    Muzik”
     from 2004’s Dipolmatic
    Immunity Vol.2
    . So that, along with uninventive song titles (“Where The Dutch?”),
    and a lack of thematic balance often leaves Book Of Ezekiel
    sounding more like a mixtape than a true full length long player. Still, it’s
    cool to see some of that old ‘Dipset swag’ re-appear from time
    to time on this record; hopefully it’s a sign of more exciting things to
    come.

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