Long before rappers were ghost-beefing and making threats they never intended on following through with, New Yorks 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), Foxxxs previously unreleased album, acts as a time capsule of mid-90s 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 lets us know he didnt get those hands from playing the piano, Its the return of the troublemaker / Cause they couldnt 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 todays 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”