Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper. Originally hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he first gained recognition after appearing on Jay-Z's fifth album, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia in 2000. The following year, he became a member of the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective State Property, which were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. After releasing their debut album, Pridgen signed to Roc-A-Fella as a solo artist and began work on his debut album, Philadelphia Freeway (2003). Upon release, the album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical response. He released a follow-up, Free at Last (2007) to moderate reception before him and fellow State Property cohorts were dropped from the label.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
Dwight Equan Grant, better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his association with Jay-Z and his label Roc-A-Fella Records, to which Grant signed in 1998 and became a flagship artist. His debut studio album, The Truth (2000) was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200. Along with his solo career, Grant was the de facto leader of the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective State Property, which he formed with Roc-A-Fella labelmates, and who debuted in 2002 with a namesake film in which Grant starred. The group released two well-received studio albums.
The Dynasty: Roc-La-Familia is the fifth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, featuring prominent appearances from signees of Roc-A-Fella Records. It was released on October 31, 2000, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its lead single, "I Just Wanna Love U ", produced by the Neptunes, became one of Jay-Z's most successful singles peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, with 557,789 copies sold in its first week. The album is certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album received positive reviews from critics, and became the 20th highest-selling R&B/Hip-Hop album of the 2000–2010 decade according to Billboard.
Pedro Louis Zayas, better known by his stage names Peedi Crakk or Peedi Peedi, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his guest appearances on Freeway's 2003 single "Flipside" and Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002). He was a member of the Roc-A-Fella Records group State Property, and was signed to G-Unit Philly. He is of Puerto Rican descent.
Amerikaz Nightmare is the sixth studio album by American hip hop duo Mobb Deep. It was released on August 10, 2004, via Infamous/Jive Records. The recording sessions took place at Battery Studios, Chung King Studios, Dunn Deal Studios and The Lab, in New York City, and at Ocean Way Studios in California, The Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, Powerhouse Studios in Yonkers, Record Plant in Hollywood, and DSL Studios in Louisville. The album was produced by member Havoc, as well as the Alchemist, Kanye West, Lil' Jon, and Red Spyda. It features guest appearances from Big Noyd, Jadakiss, Lil' Jon, Littles, Nate Dogg and Twista.
Kiss of Death is the second solo studio album by American rapper Jadakiss. It was released on June 22, 2004 via Ruff Ryders/Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place at Powerhouse Studios, Evil Genius Studios and Right Trax Studios in New York, Groovyville Studios and Tha Chuuuch in California and 54 Sound in Detroit.
The Professional 2 is the second studio album by American record producer DJ Clue. Originally scheduled for a November 1999 release, it was then delayed to a 2000 release. The album was ultimately released on February 27, 2001 via Roc-A-Fella Records, a division of UMG's Def Jam Recordings. It serves as a sequel to his 1998 debut studio album The Professional.
The Reason is the second studio album by Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel, released on Roc-A-Fella Records. Originally scheduled for a June 12, 2001 release, the album was ultimately released June 26, 2001. The album contains 14 tracks, and special guests include Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z, Freeway, Omillio Sparks, Scarface, Daz, Kurupt, and Rell.
The Truth is the debut studio album by Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel. Originally scheduled for a Fall 1999 release, it was delayed to a February 8, 2000 release. The album was ultimately released on February 29, 2000, to critical and commercial success. The Truth sold 155,000 copies in its first week released. It debuted and peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard 200 and had one charting single, "Anything" by Jay-Z. Beanie Sigel and his debut album were intensely hyped up after "a few dazzling collaborations" according to Matt Conaway of AllMusic and Conaway says that it "is the culmination of that promise".
The Solution is the fourth studio album by Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel. It was released on December 11, 2007. The album features production from Dre & Vidal, Reefa, and The Runners, among others. Guest appearances include Jay-Z, Ozzy Osbourne, R. Kelly, Ghostface Killah, and other notable musicians. the album gained a metacritic score of 72 out of 100 based on 10 reviews.
The Professional 3 is the third studio album by American record producer DJ Clue. It was released on December 19, 2006 via Roc-A-Fella Records, serving as a sequel to his 2001 The Professional 2.
The Chain Gang Vol. 2 is the second studio album by rap group State Property. It was released in August 2003 to positive reviews. Young Gunz' "Can't Stop Won't Stop" was later nominated for the 2003 Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy Award. The album sold 296,000 units. The album sold 69,000 in its first week
Tough Luv is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Young Gunz. It was released on February 24, 2004 via Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions took place at Sony Music Studios, Baseline Studios and Quad Recording in New York, and at The Studio and Homebase Studios in Philadelphia. Production was handled by Chad Hamilton, Just Blaze, Bink!, Boola, Darrell "Digga" Branch, Ez Elpee, Ruggedness and Scott Storch, with Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Denim, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, Chingy, Freeway, Jay-Z, Juelz Santana, Omillio Sparks and Rell.
The Broad Street Bully is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper Beanie Sigel. It was released on September 1, 2009 via Siccness.net. Production was handled by Beanie Sigel Production Team, HazeBanga, Isiah Salizar, The Batkave and Buckwild. It features guest appearances from Young Chris, Freeway, Mil and Omillio Sparks.
Paid in Full/Dream Team is the soundtrack album to the 2002 film, Paid in Full. It was released on October 25, 2002, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. The soundtrack was released on two compact discs. The first disc was a collection of old school hip hop and R&B songs, while the second was a collection of new songs recorded by Roc-A-Fella. The album peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200, number 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 2 on the Top Soundtracks chart.
The Stimulus Package is a collaborative studio album by Philadelphia rapper Freeway and Seattle producer Jake One. It was released on Minneapolis indie hip hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment on February 16, 2010. The album included two singles, "Know What I Mean" and "She Makes Me Feel Alright", both of which have had videos made for them. The package was designed by Brent Rollins of the ego trip collective. The album debuted at number 63 on the Billboard 200, selling over 9,000 units in its first week.
Kenneth Johnson, better known by his stage name Omillio Sparks, is an American rapper and actor from West Philadelphia. He is best known for his uncredited guest appearance on Jay-Z's 2000 single "I Just Wanna Love U ," which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, he formed the group State Property with fellow Philadelphia native rappers including Beanie Sigel and Freeway, with whom he's released two successful studio albums under Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In his acting career, he portrayed the character "Baby Boy" in the group's 2002 namesake film, as well as its 2005 sequel.
"Flipside" is a song by American rapper Freeway and the third single from his debut studio album Philadelphia Freeway (2003). It features American rapper Peedi Crakk and was produced by Just Blaze.
This Time is the sixth studio album by American rapper Beanie Sigel. It was released on August 28, 2012 through State Property/Ruffhouse Records. Production was handled by Don Cheegro, Shawn Kuiper, "Dirty Harry" Zelnick, Cardiac, Chad "Wes" Hamilton, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Jay & PI. It features guest appearances from Akon, Corey Latif Williams, JT Roach, Junior Reid, Oliver Laing, Sean Anthony Francis, The Game, and Sigel's State Property groupmates Young Chris, Freeway, Omillio Sparks and Peedi Crakk.
