By Mark Bozzer
Long before rappers were ghost-beefing and making threats they never intended on following through with, New York’s original rhyme bully Freddie Foxx, a.k.a Bumpy Knuckles was busy beefing with Rakim and laying down aggressive cameos with the likes of KRS-One, Kool G Rap and Gang Starr (“Militia” anyone?) all the while hanging in record label purgatory. Due to his abrasive personality Foxxx quickly became known as a ticking time-bomb within the music industry which ended up deading his career before it even began.
After spending fourteen years on the shelf, Crazy Like A Foxxx (Fat Beats), Foxxx’s previously unreleased album, acts as a time capsule of mid-90’s NYC Hip-Hop that hits your eardrums as hard as a boot to the jaw. The album is split into two discs; the first one being the 1994 recording and the second disc is the 1993 Demo Version that features exclusive production from the legendary D.I.T.C crew (Lord Finesse, Showbiz and Buckwild). With guest spots from 2 Pac, Chuck D and Kool G Rap, consider this your lesson in what the East Coast used to sound like.
On “Killa” Bumpy enlists the services of West Coast icon 2Pac, as the two trade boasts and threats over some grimy funk. Foxxx let’s us know he didn’t get those hands from playing the piano, “It’s the return of the troublemaker / Cause they couldn’t keep me locked up!”; while Pac fires a warning shot, “You really don't want none from Pac / Cause I be strapped with a glock / And throw things like I'm born to box". Other strong tracks include the Chuck D supported “Step” which sounds like an outtake from It Takes A Nation…and the simmering aggression captured on “Cook A *iggaz Ass” featuring Kool G Rap is not to be slept on either.
If there are any negatives to point out, it would have to be some of the subject matter. The Ultramagnetic MCs diss track “Crazy Like A Foxxx” is dated and the disturbing “Man Destroys Man” touches on child abuse and homophobia. All in all, Foxxx delivers the goods with force. Whether or not his barks and threats will make a significant impact in today’s game is another story. However, one thing is clear, if this album dropped in 1994, the East Coast Rap terrain would have been a whole lot more dangerous.
Freddie Foxxx Featuring Queen Latifah
"So Tough"
Freddie Foxx
"Project Mice"