In a genre where every the art is rarely the driving factor for aesthetic choices, rap EP’s are kept short for a reason. And each reason is unique. Sometimes labels want to cash in on a hot single they did not expect. Sometimes they want to cash in on a hot single from an artist that clearly doesn’t have a whole album in them. Sometimes artists are feeling themselves to the point where they don’t think they gotta finish 12 songs. Shit, sometimes they’re right.
So what drives 2 Chainz and the powerful forces that direct his career to drop Freebase, a free six song EP? Who knows. The answer is probably some convoluted mix of clearance problems, label conflicts over guests and promo arrangements between various industry power brokers. Maybe B.O.A.T.S. II didn’t hit the intended sales targets. Maybe Tauheed was just bored and 2 Broke Girls wasn’t taping. Regardless of the motives, Freebase is a nice little star-studded six track suite of street rap. Tity’s rhymes are consistant, full of the trap dad-jokes we’ve come to expect. His rims are taller than Kevin Hart and he’s so comfortable in the dealership he doesn’t take his robe off. I’m not sure if he says he refers to Actavis as the German gummy bear company Haribo on “Flexin On My Baby Mama” but I’d like to think so.
2 Chainz fills Freebase with nods to his age, intentionally or not. He recounts the history of the trap spot gas station (Texaco, Amaco, BP), notes he’s worked with everyone from Papoose to Jermaine Dupri and name checks MC Ren. He compares his pockets to lymph nodes and that really feels like some old man shit. As his cadence slides into triplets, he acknowledges the “Migos flow” and then attributes it to Three 6 Mafia. It’s the kind of thing an elder statesman without much concern for his ego does, and something a temperamental pop star does not.
There’s a slew of big names on Freebase but the results are mixed. On “Wuda Cuda Shuda”, Mike Will smartly eschews his pop instincts and turns in a slow creeper reminiscent of his earlier work. That track also features Lil Boosie and he does not disappoint. DJ Paul’s beat for “Flexin On My Baby Mama” doesn’t really sound like DJ Paul but hits very very hard. The red hot Metro Boomin teams up with 808 Mafia for “Crib In My Closet”, a vintage trap beat with Lex Luger energy. Unfortunately, A$AP Rocky and Rick Ross both turn in forgettable verses on “Closet”; the fashion-conscious Rocky has the audacity to say “when rapping turned to fashion I don’t know what happened” and Rozay mentions Coachella. Ty Dolla Sign’s hook for “They Know” is cool, Young Chop’s beat is okay, Cap1 continues to find his way.
Overall, Freebase doesn’t feel fully formed, but it doesn’t feel half-assed either. Tity isn’t phoning it in at all. It plays less like an EP and more like half an album downloaded off Soulseek out of laziness or impatience. Another six or seven tracks of the same caliber would make a great third solo album for 2 Chainz. This EP is definitely worth a listen.
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