Ben Reilly - Freelance (Album)
We had previously been introduced to Ben Reilly through his part in the rap collective Abstract Media. In the few posse cuts we've received from the group, Ben has had his own standout moments on the tracks, and we hope he would have pursued a little more with the verses since he pushes a mighty pen when he starts flowing with his zealous pedigree and that's something we like to see on a solo type of scale from him. Well, it wasn't long for that to happen since, towards the end of June, he released a solo project titled "Freelance" that gives him a little more room to breath on his own two feet. He has a record on the project with his label mate Luke Royal, so there is no need to start any rumors of going solo moving forward. Just like the Wu when Raekwon, GZA, Ghostface & Method Man went forth to condemn their own albums, he can also take a step back from the team effort to put himself out there for listeners to hear his story through his own words.
The intro record "Don't Hold Back" is an ode to the project, as it lets the listeners know beforehand that Ben Reilly will not be saving anything for later; this project is meant to leave it all on the line and hold nothing back. Already with something like this, you can expect to know that the rest of the album will be conscious and amicable with wordsmith abilities to the greatest extent. I love the slow medley of the drawn-in essence that "Aces High" brings in; the soft tone he starts in really brings you that triumphant feeling of winning before your story is told. He's playing with aces high in his deck, so it's safe to say he's going to win regardless. He lets the harmony start running throughout the record to warm the soul when anyone starts hearing that chorus go off. The production here is by far one of my favorites I've listened to so far in the year, and Ben Reilly doesn't waste any minute of it. He's expressing himself throughout the records with victory in his voice, especially on tracks like "Red Bird" & "May Tag." You can hear him savagely pick apart the beat and conclude into the next track with potency rhymes focusing on his sensational wordplays. The album cover and the title tracks symbolize the red cardinal bird, which he uses to let the listeners know he's free. Free has many meanings, and here I think Ben Reilly isn't referring to free in any of no expense or being uncontrolled, but quite the opposite, he's free in a sense that he finally has his life in order. Most struggle to find that perfect balance between affordable & time-consuming, yet free can be all those and then some. He's found a way to harvest his gift to the world and yet be him in the process, no need to backtrack but instead moving forward in life & that people is something that you can't control from him.
His first solo attempt is a prominent one, and I've seen so many outlets praise it for its versatile sounds and its wonderment from beginning to end. This album will do nicely in rotation for the next upcoming months, and I hope to see a follow-up for it later in the year or at the start of the 2022. We highly recommend you check out the album here while sharing it around on all social music avenues.