After (too) many delays, Mr. Ortiz is finally releasing Free Agent on March 23rd via E1. The album is said to feature from Akon, Brother Ali, Bun B, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Raekwon, Novel, Smokey Robinson, M.O.P., Slaughterhouse, Maino, Jean Grae, Talib Kweli and Bobby Ray; and production from DJ Khalil, Lil Fame, DJ Premier, Red Spyda, Sean C & LV, Statik Selektah, Novel, MoSS, Nottz, Frequency and Frank Dukes. Hit the jump for the full press release.
(New York, NY) – E1 Music is thrilled to announce the release of critically acclaimed emcee Joell Ortiz’s new album. Free Agent will be released in on March 23, 2010 and features Akon, Brother Ali, Bun B, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Raekwon, Novel, Smokey Robinson, MOP, Slaughterhouse, Maino, Jean Grae, Talib Kweili and Bobby Ray. Production duties will be handled by a who’s who list of music’s finest producers including: Red Spyda, Dj Khalil, Lil Fame, Dj Premier, Sean C and LV, Statik Selektah, Novel, Moss, Nottz, Frequency and Frank Dukes.
Ortiz is coming off a tour of the U.S. and is starting a European tour on Jan 15th as ¼ of the lyrical powerhouse Slaughterhouse, along with Joe Budden, Royce Da 5’9” and Crooked I. The foursome was described as “…the game’s most imposing lyrical force” by XXL Magazine. The self-titled debut album, Slaughterhouse, is in stores now.
Ortiz released his debut album, The Brick (Bodega Chronicles), in 2007 on E1 Music. The album centered on his dense, rhyme-based work, and featured notable collaborations with Styles P, Akon and the legendary Big Daddy Kane. The Brick was met with considerable critical acclaim, landing Ortiz features in numerous hip-hop and mainstream publications including a much sought after “Leader of the New School” cover story for XXL Magazine, along with Papoose, Crooked I, Saigon, Lupe Fiasco and others.
Having earned a loyal following from his lyrically-driven performances and energetic live shows Ortiz is poised to make an impact with his highly-anticipated new album, Free Agent. Ortiz is ready to deliver his fans another dose of lyrical fire.
Alan Grunblatt, General Manager of E1 Music, says, “Joell Ortiz is one the hottest new emcees to come out of New York. We had a lot of success with the first Joell release and are very excited he continues to be in the E1 family.”
The first single off of Free agent is the incredible “Call Me,” a nostalgic story of teenage love set in Brooklyn New York in the ‘90s. It will be serviced to urban radio shortly.
this is gonna make a run at album of the year, Joell’s a beast…Roadkill will have to do till then… we got Joey in February and Royce in March its gonna be ill
g said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
JOELL IS ILL
Jsantana said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
why so many features? cant rappers hold their own on a record these days. il pass.
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
joell ortiz + b.o.b = song of the year.
sylnc said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
a lot of features but idk..this is gonna be fucking crazy..
c.b. news said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
damn royce’s joell’s crookeds then joe album then after slaughterhouse 2nd album this year gonna be packed lol
crookedi said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
@sw too many features isnt a good enough of an excuse to pass on an album
YAOWA!!!
THE JAWN said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
joell and b.o.b YES
Pitter said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
i dunno, its got premo, raekwon, talib n jean grae etc
but it seems manufactured bs to me.. hes nothing special to me.. to each his own though.
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
alot of features
London said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
a lot of epic features*
that has to be one of the better production/feature lists for an album ive seen in a long ass time
ali, bun b, slaughterhouse, b.o.b., primo, talib, jean grae, raekwon,MOP, statik, d-block boys and an akon track? crazy, seems wel rounded cant fucking wait for this shit
Rhyme Inspector said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
solid mix of features!! and love the producers, joell always keeps it real and this will be ill
visco said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Is there any time for Joell on the mic with all those features?
C-Geezy said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
joell’s doing his thing right now. prob one of the most underrated and overlooked in the game. lyrically there aren’t too many that can compete with dude right now. can’t wait for the album to drop. yowah
benchwarmers said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Production lineup = ILL
PLUS a LOX feature! I’m in.
Dynamics said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
oooH! same day as game’s R.E.D.
dave said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Seeing Road Kill being a 17-tracks of pure sex for something put together as hastily as it was, I don’t see any problem with having that many features; Joell’s going to get a lot of (quality) time with the mic.
+ I recall he’s putting out an EP with Novel also.
2010 going to be a great year, Pharoahe Monch, Budden, Crooked (as if) and Joell dropping just for starters.
Shamona said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
This is good news. Khalil and nottz on the prod. Can’t wait.
TE said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
This’ll probably go the road of most Slaughterhouse related albums, have a ton of internet hype and end up being a disappointment
Jesus said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
too many fuckin features. wtf. SMH
yaowa said this on January 11th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
@ yaowa
just more well known people for mr. ortiz to outshine
Rhyme Inspector said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Dont get me wrong I like 80% of the features, but when I first saw the list I was like… AHH HERE WE GO AGAIN WITH A MILLION FEATURES… I dont mind all the producers, AS LONG AS THE ALBUM FLOWS SMOOTHLY and NOT just Random Songs Thrown Together..
maybe limit the features to just, Talib, Jean, Rae, and Slaughter.. and il be happy. U dont need bun b, b ali etc.. waste of space (no diss to them btw) its just takin up room imo.
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Joell is always pushing boundaries and touching on different subjects…
The Brick was incredible…such a solid album.
Road kill was a beast of a mixtape.
He seems to be on his pivet right now and I got a feeling(will.i.am voice) that this album gonna be a good one
DIAS said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
So when is the Pre Agent EP coming then?
Starface said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
And to all the people bitching about features…some of the classics got a shit load of features…some don’t.
It aint a big deal. I’m sure jean and kweli will be on the same track anyway as will others
DIAS said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Joell is just a fat mexican who has little to know lyrical ability, he can just make words rhyme well. Fuck this shit, and fuck those Slaughterhouse crybaby bitches, Royce is the only talented member of that group. Joell couldn’t spit a good verse if he were dying of starvation and it would win him a steak tequito.
I'm Just Sayin said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
@DIAS
Name 5 classics that have a shit load of features
I'm Just Sayin said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
this will be epic!
bfears said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
YES!!!!!!!!!!!
Te' said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
That is a lot of features but no doubt it will be dope.
daveg said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
@i’m just sayin
Joell is Puerto rican…and yes there is a difference.
5 classics that have a shit load of features?
Dr dre 2001
Dr dre the chronic
Snoop Dogg Doggystyle
Eminem “Marshall Mathers LP”
Biggie “Life after death”
DIAS said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
im actually gonna go out and buy the album !!
tracygaga said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
this is gonna be insane
TXM said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
why the fuck are people complaining? u want dope music? here you go, who cares about all the features, there all dope artists being featured, anyways when i saw the producers i was like HOLY SHIT lol this sounds fuckin crazy, cant wait
Glitch said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
no cuban linx in ur list? and u sayin this album is gonna be on the 5 albums u choose, level.
were not bitching btw, stating our free motha fuckin opinions.
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
we cant have no fuckin opinions these days cos faggots like urselfs^^^ keep claimin were hatin or bitchin..
STFU
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
yeah of course and i respect your opinions. I didn’t think about cuban linx….thats proving my point further though…just cause an album has a shit load of features doesn’t mean it can’t be classic.
will this be a classic liek the ones mentioned? i don’t know..i can’t say. probabbly not…however if anyone can do it it’s joell. He on fire right now
DIAS said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
also.. to sum it up.. people liek myself are tired of hearing 10+ emcees on one album.. u only need 4-5 max. this aint a mixtape.
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
You can’t count the Chronic albums, because although they’re Dr Dre albums, they’re essentially compilations. Also Life After Death is two discs, each with no more than 6 features, which isn’t really a shit load.
I'm Just Sayin said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
chronic albums are not compilations. I see your point but they aint.
DIAS said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
i just counted, 14 different people on this album.. i like this dude, but thats too many. if u disagree, come up with something more constructuve then “yall hatin” or “stop bitchin, and enjoy it”….
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
did this dood just say marshall mathers lp has a shitload of features? LOL. do you listen to music or just skim thru it?
mmlp has 9 songs just mathers. 1 song where theres a singer on the hook. 2 group songs. and a like 2 guest verses.
a shitload of features is like ludacris theater of the mind. every song had someone on (some actors/comedians) but most had another artist.
word said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
ALot of them could easily be on the same track or even just doing hooks…Bobby Ray, Akon (who was on the Brick), Smokey Robinson (WOW @ Joell getting a GOAT on a track), and Novel all sing…Jean and talib prolly on a track together…and i dnt know about yall but a posse mashout track with MOP, Rae, Bun, that could be epic…its really all about how the album is structured. Features mean anything from a 16 to a hook, and if it flows together like OB4CL1 and 2, then I can’t complain about shit…
blackcyclops said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
very excited for this album.
chef said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
I said they’re essentially compilations, Dre doesn’t even write his own lyrics, the Dr Dre part of the Chronic albums is the production, the rest isn’t him. So yes, they’re essentially compilations whether they’re labeled that or not.
I'm Just Sayin said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
seems like its going to be sick but what happen to those dre beats tho. i saw an interview where ortiz was saying that hell have some of those dre beats on free agent. well it doesnt matter cause he got dope producers for this one.
banks30 said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
how about we wait till the tracklist drop to see who featured on wat song cuz a lot of them are probably featured on songs wit each other. im sure he got somgs that also just have people on the hook. like im pretty sure that b.o.b, akon and novel are hooks. jean and talib will probably be on the same song same with the lox. so lets wait and see how many solo cuts joell got before we start jumpin to conclusions on the album. if u a joell fan like most of the comments are u been waitin on this album for a while and know that joell can outshine a lot of those people. if not than do u
sylnc said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
^ or it could be like The Game’s LAX, which first came to mind. Alot of good artists, but the overall product was hurt by the overload of artists on One album.
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
u serious? Nate dogg, sticky fingaz, RBX, Dido, Xzibit, Snoop Dogg, D-12, Dina Rae
that’s 8. ok it’s not 14 but its still a lot
DIAS said this on January 11th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
And the thing about the OB4CL albums is a lot of the features are Wu-Tang related, and everyone knows the Wu roll together whether its a solo album or a group album
I'm Just Sayin said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
those dre beats are like the stat quo dre beats. the probably exist but interscope prpbably wont clear them for quo and ortiz to use
sylnc said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
@ DIAS
- Most of Doggystyle’s guest were reoccurring, same as Chronic & 2001. That’s like saying OB4CL had a shit load of guest.
- MM LP had most of it’s guest on 2 tracks (Bitch Please II & Under The Influence), not a shit load
- LAD was 2CD, and even then it didn’t have a shit load
When shit load is usually used, it’s because there are 15 individual non-reoccurring guest. Since the track list hasn’t come out, we can’t say for sure, but counting 13 (SH counting as 1) it damn sure seems like this is going to be a shit load.
Cannon said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
LASERS >>>>>>>>>>> this shit
Jonnie Hayward The IV said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
i never viewed mmlp as having alot of features.
were talkinbg about albums like the latest from ludacris, the game etc… joell is doing the same thing. and those albums dont have that much replay value, just a few songs here n there.. joell is just going for flavour of the month bascially, this album wont have replay value lasting more then a year or two. and thats being nice.
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
personally i dont fuck wit game but look at luda’s theatre of the mind. features out the ass but it still won a grammy. this album has the better lyricist imo so it can surprise u. just wait and give it a chance before u say the features will hurt or help the album
sylnc said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
n when u mean flavour of th emonth, i dont mean the feats.. i mean he wants to be with all the names conected to his album. which he will be, but where the longevity of the album gonna be?
sw said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
I will say tho, I’m betting that 2 of the tracks are “Move On” and “Hood Love”, which knock out the SH and Bun B features.
Cannon said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Rio$ said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
longevity is a personal thing. u might not bump it that long but some others will listen to it for years. and just cuz u stop listen to somethin doesnt make it bad. i have tons of good music on my laptop that i may skip over cuz i have favorites but that doesnt take away from the quality of the album. as long as people put out music older stuff will always get pushed further back
sylnc said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
The features will either work in the albums favor or hold it back. No doubt the quality of the artist and production is very high and should help as a whole, but it’s just a matter of how every artist contributes and blends into the overall vibe of the album.
But here’s hoping it comes out well. I don’t think there’s any doubt that the lyricism will be there, but that’s only one piece to make a quality song (something I think certain underground heads lose track of).
Onederin said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
^^^^^^
Well said on the lyricism part
I'm Just Sayin said this on January 11th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
14 guests… and thats counting Slaughterhouse as 1 since you know there will be a track with the 4 of em…. A few others will have 2 of them, so Im hoping maybe 10 tracks with the features and 7-8 just Joell, thatd be pretty solid, especially when its a lot of dope guests. Cant wait to hear what Bobby Ray, Brother Ali and Bun B bring to this
teroti said this on January 11th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
If Call Me is the radio/for the honeys/money song, then I think Im gonna be feelin this album already cuz even that shit is knockin!
chronwell said this on January 11th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
HELL YEA
who cares said this on January 11th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Noo! Too many features!
CondoleezzaRice said this on January 11th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
@Cannon
umm, wasn’t Hood Love on Royce’s Street Hop already? It won’t be on here again.
OD> said this on January 11th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
I’m not liking the idea of Akon on here. I HATE Akon.
OD> said this on January 11th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Joell & akon did a track before on that the brick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTGpGBu8PgU
Ezra said this on January 11th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Please People Purchase His Album This Is Was Hip Hop Is All About. MARCH 23 2010 MARCH 23 2010
Redface said this on January 11th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
I dont think that track with akon was official. The original track is by P money and Akon just sang over it. I think joell through his verses on there, got the clearence and released it.
DIAS said this on January 12th, 2010 at 3:38 am
Tired of bumping the same old Slaughterhouse tracks… Need a new one ASAP…
Thworldisyours said this on January 12th, 2010 at 7:40 am
I can’t think of a time in recent memory that I’ve been more excited for an album.
WordIsBorn said this on January 12th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
love the features and producers, this is gonna b dope. ortiz a real good lyricist2
Rt said this on January 13th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
JOELL IS THE SIKEST EMCEE OUT RIGHT NOW. NO LIE. AND AN ALBUM WIT A B.O.B. TRACK, ANOTHER COLLAB WIT NOVEL, PREMO ON THE PRODUCTION TIP? WOW! IMA BE SPEECHLESS. AND NOT TO MENTION A TRACK WIT THE GREAT SMOKEY ROBINSON. WHO ELSE WOULD BE ABLE TO PULL THIS OFF? REALLY! JOELL ORTIZ – FREE AGENT: GRAMMY NOMINATED / WINNER. IM CALLIN IT
COMPANY said this on January 19th, 2010 at 3:52 am
[...] footage of the Rik Cordero-directed music video for Joell’s single w/ Novel off Free Agent. Spread the [...]
Joell Ortiz – Kawl Me BTS (Video) | 2dopeboyz said this on January 26th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
[...] footage of the upcoming Rik Cordero-directed music video for Joell’s single w/ Novel off Free Agent. Post Published: 26 January 2010 Author: Pablo Found in section: [...]
Joell Ortiz – Call Me BTS | Eighty Grand said this on January 26th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
[...] footage of the upcoming Rik Cordero-directed music video for Joell’s single w/ Novel off Free Agent. [...]
| said this on January 26th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
[...] More behind-the-scenes footage of the upcoming Rik Cordero-directed music video for Joell’s single w/ Novel off Free Agent. [...]
Joell Ortiz feat. Novel – “Call Me” BTS « RhYmESFuNkIeRThAnAnAfRiCaNCaBDrIvEr said this on January 26th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Hold up, Dj Premier and Statik Selektah on the same album?
I got high expectations now.
I just hope it doesn’t get washed down by all the song featuring other artists, like Jadakiss’s last album.
Mister Nico said this on February 26th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
because he has a lot of features means people are dieing to work with him. give the man some respect with those type of features and his lyrical skill it bound to be a hip hop album from the heart, this is what the music game has been missing.
MADATMUSIC said this on March 27th, 2010 at 8:09 am
What ever happened to this?
sd37 said this on June 23rd, 2010 at 3:46 pm
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