Renegade Foxxx: Tough Love

Renegade Foxxx is a whole other breed of artist, and he certainly shows it in an interview. In a conversation with AllHipHop.com concerning his Still Hustlin’ album, Renegade shares thoughts on every corner of the industry – and makes some bold commentary. But if you thought it was a gimmick, the Alabama turned New Jersey rapper even admits to his craziness at one point – for better or worse.

Regardless of whether Renegade Foxxx is crazy, he says things few will. From hood politics, to Rap bodybuilding, to Puffy and Oprah, and his friendship with DJ Red Alert, Renegade Foxxx is a unique spirit, an old soul, and a character for the ages. If you haven’t heard Still Hustlin’ yet, you’re likely to gravitate to it after checking this…

AllHipHop.com: I’m rather shocked to learn you’re actually a Jersey dude. Everybody seems to think you’re Southern…

Renegade Foxxx: Well basically, my moms who passed away and s**t, we was down in Alabama – grindin’, having fun. Then, I was young, a peanut-head, I got up in Jersey. Wherever you lay your head is your home, man. All hoods are the same – everybody wants to get out all of ‘em. It’s just a good situation. I just wanna shut this industry down – this industry is bulls**t.

AllHipHop.com: Why do you say that?

Renegade Foxxx: I did records with a lot of people – I see how people be vibin’. I didn’t wanna do records with nobody from New York, I wanted to do records with people from the South. The South shows love, man – real businessman. I can’t deal with egos.

AllHipHop.com: Do you feel that you have a lot of opposition from the people in New York?

Renegade Foxxx: Nah. Everybody cool. I pimp my car, drive. You see me in the party, I’m laughin’. The majority of the times, it’s just me and [DJ] Red Alert. That’s my dude, right there.

AllHipHop.com: That’s interesting. When people think of somebody like Red Alert, we often presume the pioneers to be not-so-accepting of a Southern sound. So many of those guys thought that Southern artists went soft on lyrics and too keyboard on beats…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah, yeah. What it is, I give great respect to that man. A lot of these bulls**t ass DJ’s, they say they do – and they wanna be with him at the conventions, takin’ pictures and s**t – half of you motherf**kers don’t know Red Alert, or Kool Herc, or Kay Slay. Cats need to understand. Red’s been in this game for years. I’mma listen to him. I’mma listen to him before somebody else because you can only learn from an elder – older brothers who been there and done that. A lot of these cats with these crews today, they ain’t like that. That’s why you got all these gunshot n***as…

AllHipHop.com: You’ve got a skit that talks about that on Still Hustlin’…

Renegade Foxxx: Straight up dog, if you’ve got some beef with me – bark it. I won’t fight your boy, let’s fight each other. Just fight. Go in the schoolyard, go in the alley-way. Bust my s**t – I got money, I can go to the dentist. But when you start puttin’ up glocks and stuff, that’s ignorant. Ain’t nothin’ you can say bad enough for me to shoot you. You ain’t hurt my mama, you ain’t hurt my kids – I ain’t gotta kill you.

AllHipHop.com: Violence is running rampant in Hip-Hop right now…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah man, it’s f**king retarded. The littlest rappers in the world talkin’ ‘bout killin’ somethin’! What the f**k? These kids ain’t lived. They don’t even know what it’s like to do time – do a county bid. They swear they been on death row.

AllHipHop.com: At the same time though, you’ve got a song called “Royal Rumble”, where you say you’re iller than the Son of Sam, and tell the story of a 16 year-old kid really doing it. That’s violent in of itself…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah, exactly – I was ruthless on that track. I was feelin’ the beat by my man, Alvin Johnson down in ATL. Before me and Bonecrusher got together to do it, I was actually feedin’ off his vibe. He’s a beast, so I’mma be a beast with him.

AllHipHop.com: Why’d you later add Pitbull and do a whole other version?

Renegade Foxxx: Because, my man Fireman from North Carolina flipped the beat – like wow. Plus, I’m cool with my Latin community. I think Hispanics are just like Blacks. I don’t look at Pitbull as Spanish or anything – I look at him as a Black man. He really shined on the record. To me, it’s his best 16 bars ever spit. I’m glad Lil’ Jon got him. I remember when Lil’ Jon wasn’t really rockin’ – we was all in Miami at Puffy’s party. Jon was up and coming. Now he’s getting his shine. First thing people do is say he don’t rap. S**t, if you don’t rap and you gettin’ paid – you genius!

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of gettin’ paid, what does Still Hustlin’ Records get its name from?

Renegade Foxxx: People think Still Hustlin’ [Records] is about the street. See, what y’all doing at AllHipHop – y’all hustlin’. What any DJ is doing, what any trick is doing – to get that money. Everybody’s tryin’ to get paid. A judge can be a hustler. A doctor is a hustler. Oprah hustles her life and she’s the richest chick in the world – she’s my favorite, I love her.

AllHipHop.com: She’s proved that fame is not ephemeral…

Renegade Foxxx: We all get 15 minutes. There was a time when Puffy was the king of radio, now look at him – don’t nobody wanna hear Puffy’s s**t – especially me. He still on his hustle with parties and Sean John. He on his hustle. He don’t really care ‘bout music no more. Boy N’ Da Hood is a good group. Will they get the attention they deserve? Hell no. ‘Cause the CEO ain’t hungry no more. If you asked me if I’d merge Still Hustlin’ Records with Bad Boy? Hell no. ‘Cause I’m hungry, I’m biting like a pitbull and he out there pettin’ poodles.

AllHipHop.com: From a dude in prison with a dream to running a label now with an album out, are you satisfied?

Renegade Foxxx: Nah, I ain’t even started yet. The day I get up on that stage and see my mama, I know I started. Other than that, she still up in Heaven, waiting… I know I’m a lil’ bit crazy.

AllHipHop.com: Sometimes that’s the only way to be…

Renegade Foxxx: Nah, I’m really crazy. I thought I’d just tell ya. I’m crazy enough to know the difference between success from failure. I want the best of both worlds. When I make this money, I’mma put this money back in the hood. These cats be driving ‘round in their 300,000 dollar cars and they’ll drive past the hood and won’t put a net in the basketball court. But the first words that come out these cats mouth is, “For my hood!” What the f**k you doing for the streets? Half of ‘em don’t even talk to they family no more. When the neighborhood bully was whoopin’ that ass, all you had was your family. Motherf**kers don’t know. That’s why I watch this industry. I got my favorite artists – my favorite is Tupac. That cat had tons of wisdom. I respect that cat. That’s the Black Elvis.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve got “Royal Rumble” but you’ve also got “Wonderful World” – the complete opposite. Tupac was very contradictory too…

Renegade Foxxx: Exactly. You’re right, dog. There was a message in everything he said. I had the blessing of meeting his moms one time at the studio. It was like, “Damn, girl.” Anybody who can say on record, “You were a crack fiend, mama,” got my respect. When I was young, my family did drugs. I tried to hide that fact. That’s some f**ked up s**t. Kids never forget. That’s why, when I do this music s**t, anybody that rides with me is gonna watch a winner – I don’t bulls**t. I’m here to make you laugh, but I’m here to make you think that this motherf**ker is actually crazy enough to do it.

AllHipHop.com: We got Freddie Foxxx – another bald headed, tough guy, that’s been around for over 15 years. Were there any issues with your name?

Renegade Foxxx: You know what? I was gonna do a record with Freddie Foxxx. I really wanted to. It was gonna be me, Freddie Foxxx, and I was gonna call out for Foxy Brown. As time goes on, you start workin’ your deal – bit drifts away. I got a lot of respect for that brother – tons. I call myself, Renegade. Foxxx just came from my cousin who I was a big fan of, as a kid. Everybody’s confusing Renegade Foxxx with Freddie Foxxx – I’m just Renegade. Pay homage to that brother, he been there and broke bread. I’m a newjack.

AllHipHop.com: How’d you get Renegade?

Renegade Foxxx: I got Renegade just from being a bastard. I say exactly how I feel for some reason. I think a renegade is a person that just do – living on the edge. That’s me.

AllHipHop.com: Still Hustlin’ has been out a minute. What’s happening with it?

Renegade Foxxx: It released May 17th. I wanted a new deal. This my money, this my time – it’s a good record. I got a record that’s coming out next month that’s gonna knock the s**t outta everybody. It’s sick. I’m a shut down the Grammy’s – it’s a wrap. Dog, I just started! I ain’t got not no talent, I got a gift.

AllHipHop.com: The Grammy’s?

Renegade Foxxx: I did The Source Awards red carpet – I took the pictures, I did all that – and I left. I didn’t watch the show. I said, “I ain’t gonna stay in the seats if I’m not nominated.” I’m not gonna be a fan. I’m gonna take it over. When I take it over, you gonna say, “I talked to this motherf**ker when he said he was.” We gonna shut the Grammy’s down! I’mma let White America know.

AllHipHop.com: At one point on the record, you tease Missy Elliot…

Renegade Foxxx: Missy Elliot to me, is one of the most talented women in the industry, that fire is just burning out. I love her! I know her, I goofed about her in the skit, but I goof about people that I actually respect. I liked her better when she was thick. Don’t break the format.

AllHipHop.com: 50 Cent told us that he’s putting M.O.P. in the gym…

Renegade Foxxx: 50’s big on his body-building stuff. To me, he’s still light. He’s gotta bump them arms up, bump that chest up. I’m 240, I’m solid. You could put me on the Giants right now, and I’ll bust ass. LL [Cool J] did the liposuction. Damn, he did a lot of lipo. [laughs] I been locked up all these years, I can’t get that. I know he did work. [laughs] You got a lot of s**t out there that can enhance. I don’t believe in that s**t.

AllHipHop.com: I know you got E-40 on the album, his boy Celly-Cel is pretty cut too…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah, yeah. Yo, E-40 is crazy. I don’t know what the f**k he’s saying! There’s a word he said on my record – to this day, I don’t know what a “bozzle” is. Dog, if you figure out what a bozzle is, call me. I don’t think he know. Bozzle? Damn, I gotta change up my lyrics. All the stuff you hear, Snoop’s [“dizzle” language], that brother did that – pay homage. I ain’t the first rapper to come out, and I ain’t the last – so I ain’t gonna say I’m the greatest. The greatest to me is them two brothers that died. Everybody else, they okay. KRS-One? He aiight. Rakim? They aiight. There’s no such thing as a great rapper no more. Freestyling? That’s bulls**t. Come on man.

AllHipHop.com: I will say that Jay-Z released a few verses this summer. He’s leaving the listener hungry at a time when rappers pump out too much material…

Renegade Foxxx: Exactly. That’s why Eminem outsold everybody. He ain’t gonna last. There’s nothing he can talk about. I was waiting for him to say that word, “n*gger.” I was begging for it. When they gave him the Greatest Lyricst Award – it p##### me off. I’mma be honest. I think Nas is nasty with his. Jadakiss is good. There’s a lot of brothers out there. He was just such a star. That’s f**ked up. I’m not taking Hip-Hop as a race war, but he’s a White boy. Respect – he must’ve had it harder than any brother out there. So? That’s the way I like to think. “F**k that!”