''Broken Ankles'' is an extended play by American rapper

Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

and American music producer and mashup musician Girl Talk, both of whom hail from Pennsylvania. It was released digitally on April 8, 2014.

Background

''Broken Ankles'' focuses more on traditional beats rather than the straight mash-ups of Girl Talk's previous work. Speaking about the release, he explained: "I had the idea to do a mixtape with someone, but have it flow like one of my albums. I wanted to do a mixtape that was pretty different from your average mixtape. Every song is connected and there's a very distinct beginning and end; it works as a whole." Freeway was Girl Talk's first choice for a collaborator, as he had been a fan of the rapper ever since hearing his appearance on the

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

song "1-900-Hustler" and felt that "his energy is unreal, and he's able to keep up with any production." The two communicated through phone calls and e-mails and recorded several songs in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Release

Girl Talk first announced the release of ''Broken Ankles'' through

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on October 6, 2013. Two days later, Girl Talk and Freeway debuted a song from the EP entitled "Tolerated" during a performance at the

Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn Bowl is a music venue, bowling alley and restaurant in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2009, it is located in the former Hecla Iron Works Building at 61 Wythe Avenue. It is known for its high-tech green co ...

. The EP was originally set for a fall 2013 release through DatPiff, but the release was postponed to 2014 due to Girl Talk's desire to "

ait An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumu ...

on a few features from other artists before ettlingon a definitive date." On March 25, 2014, Girl Talk announced that the video for "Tolerated", featuring Freeway and

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...

, would be released on March 31, and that ''Broken Ankles'' would be released on April 8. The music video, directed by Allen Cordell, features Girl Talk and Freeway walking down a street and brutally assaulting passers-by who bother them.

Critical reception

''Broken Ankles'' was well received by critics and was commended as "Freeway’s best solo project" in a review by ''Pitchfork''. Reviewers praised Girl Talk's production, saying his "soulful sampling is perfected here" and "evokes some of the bombast and pageantry that made early 2000s Just Blaze so amazing." The samples in the EP "leaves you craving more" with its "hard-hitting" beats that "are a perfect compliment to Freeway's gritty, Philly cadence". The result is "a bracingly intense yet surprisingly harmonious EP that stuffs Girl Talk’s hyperactive beats under Freeway’s militantly growled rhymes".

Track listing

# "Broken Ankles Intro" – 0:34 # "Tolerated" – 3:15 # "Tell Me Yeah" – 3:10 # "I Can Hear Sweat" – 4:32 # "Suicide" – 3:20 # "Lived It" – 3:43

Personnel

– vocals *

Gregg Gillis Gregg Michael Gillis (born October 26, 1981), known by the stage name Girl Talk, is an American disc jockey who specializes in mash-ups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on both 333 and 12 ...

– music, production * Jadakiss – featured vocals *

– featured vocals * Young Chris – featured vocals

References

{{reflist 2014 EPs Girl Talk (musician) albums