One of my favourite mixtapes from the past couple of months was the collaboration between Freekstile & JoeyG, Golden House. Something that caused the Brooklyn-based MC to stand-out on his last release was the manner in which he eschewed many common hip-hop themes and, instead, rapped about subjects that he holds dear. In Freekstile’s case, it happens to be video games and movies that occupy a fair amount of his attention.
The beats that populate Vigilante are filled with ethereal synths bubbling between hi-hat heavy drums and, in general, are all skilfully put-together. At times, Freekstile sounds reminiscent of early Kanye West, minus the inflated sense of self-worth, and throughout Vigilante his rhymes remain consistent, if not earth-shattering.
Highlights include: “Geeked Up (It’s All Good)’, ‘Tag Team’ and ‘Label’s Choice’. You can stream and download Vigilante below.