Jake One and Freeway's Stimulus Package Worth Every Penny

If anything can be said for the new Freeway & Jake One collaboration it is that it easily deserves album packaging of the year. Hands down this is the coolest record that's come across my desk from a design perspective in ages. Looking like a billfold complete with credit cards, change, and bills in the form of liner notes, the packaging is interactive fun that literally lets you pretend you are BIG money. The fun doesn't stop there though. There is of course the music that's part of the package and once you open your wallet and take out the disc, that's when the real fun starts.

In typical Rhymesayers fashion, Freeway & Jake One's The Stimulus Packageis incredibly well put together independent hip hop that raises the already ridiculously high bar even higher. With guest appearances from Bun B, Latoya Williams, Young Chris and more the record plays out like an all star tribute to themselves. The songs here flow like a faucet of endless cutting edge beats and rhymes and Jake One/Freeway clearly have a very good working chemistry because the album sounds unbelievably awesome. A track like, "Know What I Mean," is a perfect example of just how good these two work together as the song centers around a sampled hook that provides the base for Freeway to runaway like a train with; it's a brilliant tune that hints at just how good this record really is.

Often called your favorite rapper's favorite rapper, Freeway is a deft and flexible rhymer and he can wrap words around just about anything and make them stick. With that in mind, It's little wonder then that the guy has been selling records by the truckload since 2003. The Stimulus Packageshould add to that haul. It's gritty, raw, and produced with such an attention to detail that there's barely a dull moment here. There's a reason why Rhymesayers is the best hip hop label and The Stimulus Package illustrates it over and over and over again; top notch rhymes, top notch beats, top notch production, and top notch presentation without a cliche in sight. Freeway and Jake One's The Stimulus Package illustrates everything that's great about hip hop and that's why you can't do much better than this record. Highly recommended not only for the wallet packaging but the big money tunes inside.