HIP-HOP
Freeway & Dave East Shake the Foundation With 'Hold The Fort Down': Premiere
4/18/2017
by
Kathy Iandoli
The Roc Nation legend and Def Jam upstart join forces on the hard-hitting track
They say go big or go home: a mantra that veteran rapper Freeway has kept in pocket since he first emerged almost a decade and a half ago via Jay Z’s Roc-A-Fella empire. In perhaps the most appropriate return to the Roc, Freeway delivers “Hold The Fort Down” with rising star Dave East.
The track, produced by DJ Skizz, is a swift banger -- where chimes give way to the two trading bars about crafting hustler’s anthems and pistol-whipping any track. It’s the kind of greeting you’d expect from Freeway as a newly added member of Jay Z’s Roc Nation roster. “This song is basically me and Dave East doing what we do -- holding the fort down for the streets and for the hood,” Freeway tells Billboard. “The juxtaposition of my hustling and then working in politics is a testament to my wearing multiple hats since I first came up in the game.”
Dave East is a welcomed bonus, complimenting Freeway’s gruff bars with his own slick delivery. "Freeway was somebody I grew up on,” says East. “So to be able to make a record with him was something I always looked forward to. I'm anxious to see how people like it.” Adds Freeway, “I got the production from DJ Skizz, and the beat was fire. I was looking for someone to fit the beat and Dave East was the perfect fit. So I reached out to him.”
The cut is a part of the second installment of Freeway’s Fear Of A Free Planet mixtape series (with creative brand Compound) coming in May, where the politically striking visuals from art house Urban Medium are equally as potent as the songs within the project.
“Fear Of A Free Planet 2 is basically about what’s going on in the climate of the world right now -- from the streets to the politics,” Freeway adds. “I just wanted to feed my fans before my first official Roc Nation release.”
Take a listen to “Hold The Fort Down” below, and either break something or build it up. With a song that boldly motivating, the choice is yours:
