Thruway “Despise The Free Lunch” album
Despise The Free Lunch is a diverse, gripping project from rising Corona, Queens rapper Thruway and producer SPKilla, a talented beatsmith best known for his work with Noreaga. Together, this duo embraces the concept of the album’s title, particularly the rhymes that embody the mindset of making it your own way. The emcee’s mindset is apparent straight from the jump on the melodic “Hov Lane,†later on within the radio-friendly “Miercoles,†and also on the fittingly titled “I’m Doing Me.†On the latter, SPKilla laces the track with speaker-knocking production for Thruway (and his guest, Nutso and Julio), who begins to reveal his inner demons with bars like, “I ain’t scared of death/ I’m more scared I ain’t prepared for it.â€
By letting his guard down, the Corona representative offers insight into what it means to be a hustler trying to make his way in life. You may have a rough exterior and use it to your advantage, but deep down, you can’t escape the lifestyle’s inherent fears. But Despise The Free Lunch isn’t without its tough-as-nails bangers reminiscent of SPKilla’s hardest tracks with Noreaga. These include the all-out bully raps on “What You Wanna Do†and pure head-nodder “Proposition Joe,†which sounds right out of the early ‘90s in the best way possible. That sentiment rounds out the album on “Load Up The Mic,†a killer bonus track that finds Thruway putting on for his borough while SPK flips some ill(matic) samples. It’s a fitting conclusion to an album that’s packed with rugged lyricism, heavy production, and enough variety to entice any listener.
