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.”