...there is a little glimmer of hope… Philadelphia MCs like Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and Cassidy are still servin’ up raw rhymes over beats that stomp like steel-toe boots. Freeway’s “Big Spender,” which features Jay-Z, is four minutes of straight adrenaline — Free’s hoarse voice crackles with every word, and his spitfire delivery is so full of aggressive energy that it feels like a drill sergeant addressing his troops. The beat, meanwhile, is driven by hard drums and brazen horns.
Similarly, Cassidy’s “You Already Know,” featuring Beanie Sigel, is an explosive, bring-‘em-out street anthem with cop sirens wailing, robust horns, and cautiously slow but full-bodied drums. Trading rhymes line for line, Mac and Cass are a ghetto A-Team, pouring every bit of aggression into their raps and delivering them with a don’t-mess-with-me attitude that’s only partly bravado.
