Bumpy Knuckles AKA Freddie Foxx Interview

[D-Nice]

http://illuminati2g.com/site/2012/03/31/bumpy-knuckles-aka-freddie-foxx-interview/

I2G kicked it with Bumpy Knuckles AKA Freddie Foxx for a exclusive interview. We discuss his new album, Kolexxion with DJ Premier and how it came together, his thoughts on hip hop and working with WWE superstar John Cena on his debut album and much more so check it out.

Illuminati 2G is here with Bumpy Knuckles aka Freddie Foxx, how’s it going man?

I’m good man how you feeling?

Good. You have your new album entitled Kolexxxion with DJ Premier coming out on March 27th. Tell me how the album came together for you guys.

There was a big request from the fans for me and Premier to do a full length project since the Militia record came out. Throughout the times, we did many records together and we started to build a chemistry.

Premo’s schedule is crazy and I was in a slump as far as I did not know where the industry was going. There are alot of these independent labels that were swaying where the industry sound was going.

Even though they would front like they wasn’t, they definitely were. One day he called me and said he wanted me to check out his instrumental album, and I was playing various tracks on my radio show. When I heard the tracks, something told me to record full songs to them.

I sent them back to him and he said wow this is hot, lets do a couple more joints and call it The Kolexxxion and so I said I was with it and that’s how it came out.

Do you have any other singles or videos set to drop from the project?

I know we are going to do more singles, we have not picked which tracks as of yet, but I know we wanted to do Shake The Room, We Are At War. We did a We Are At War teaser and people really seem to like it and gravitate to it.

With everyone else using the same concepts and models in their interviews, we wanted to do something more raw and simplified and I think people really like the teaser. But yeah it is looking like We Are At War and Shake The Room featuring Flavor Flav.

Do you have a favorite track from the album and were would you say this album ranks with your other albums?

I don’t rank my music like that, I mean I do have my favorite tracks but I will say my favorite track off this album is The Key. I say that because I purposely made the song with no chorus in mind because I firmly believe that people do not listen to lyrics anymore.

The only way to get people to listen to lyrics is to spit raw, meaningful lyrics from top to bottom.

Absolutely.

It is a little tougher for some due to their label situation, but I do understand it. I just think that people should stop complaining about it and I got to the point where I said look let me do something to draw people in with the rhymes.

Because people right now are so drawn into the hook that they don’t pay attention to the lyrics. The song, The Key is a testimony to the feelings I had about alot of things. I think that is one of my favorite joints on there. I really like performing The Key.

Any other projects or collaborations set to drop this year?

I don’t know about dropping another album in 2012, but I do have other albums that I am working on. They might come out in 2012, like the Black Card album with DJ Wayne Ski and me and Pete Rock are talking about doing the original Konnection album.

When I put out the original Konnection album in 2002, I had recorded a different version of it.  The one I really wanted to put out was the Pete Rock one for personal reasons. I ended up doing the album over again, and I have a series of albums that I am going to start putting out as well.

I have albums that I did with Tek Brown, Oddisee but for now I have been stockpiling these albums and when the time is right, I will go in with a producer and touch them up. I have a few projects,  just need to schedule it.

I know you did work with John Cena on his album, how did you guys link up and what was it like working with him in the studio?

I met John at Hot 97, a buddy of mine had a interview set up for me with Sway. It just so happened that his guest this particular morning was John Cena and when he went up into the waiting room and we acknowledged each other. The whole plan for the show was to have John freestyle and to have me there to put pressure on him to perform.

They brought me to be a judge to decide whether or not he was a good MC. It was crazy because I was not expecting it and neither was he. We ended up arm wrestling and at the end of the show, he told me that he is a big fan of mine and we ended up exchanging numbers and becoming good friends.

He came to me for him musically to be his producer and his coach. John takes criticism very well, and he has ego free sessions to the point he wants to be told if the music he is doing is wack. He did his own rhymes and he is a great listener. It was a good experience because he comes there to work.

That’s cool because that was actually a really good album, I was pleasantly surprised by it. A true hip hop album.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I actually got a gold plaque for that album.

Wow, I did not know that. We are about 3 months into 2012, what are your thoughts on hip hop?

I don’t think that you will see much difference in the mainstream. What I see now is that rappers are becoming more and more pop friendly as they are making more money doing a pop record then some raw hip hop. Everything became radio friendly and alot of people leaned towards that lane, guys who were not as lyrical as certain MCs in New York.

Not to say that there are no lyrical MCs in other states, that is not what I mean. Radio friendly records became more popular then making a street record. I think right now everything is really radio friendly and in many cases when MCs do that, they are losing the authenicity.

I think when certain cats come back and they know that original formula, they don’t worry about radio. I always thought it was better to make a street record and if you have to tailor it to radio, do it AFTER you make it for the streets. That is the formula I use on my albums and in my opinion 2012 will be over before you know it and I don’t see much change.

I still see radio playing 5 of the same artists 50 times a day, but that is good for me because I like to stand out from the crowd. Being that I see that, I can’t tell where hip hop is going but all I can do is try to make a imprint and hope that people notice it.

Do you have any upcoming shows or tour dates?

There are a few things that have been talked about, but nothing has been solidified yet.  The album release party is the 26th and me and Premo invited some of our closest friends. M.O.P., Naughty By Nature, Heather B, OC, Diggin In The Crates, Flavor Flav, Sway, Kid Capri is DJing.

We will eventually do a European tour, but I think this first show is going to tell me as a guideline stage wise where we are as far as future shows. Sometimes people have great albums but their stage shows are not that interesting, but I am positive by this summer we will be hitting the road.

I would love to go with Europe, I have never been to Russia before.

What is your website information?

www.kuruptmobradiolive.com. www.twitter.com/bumpyknuckles.

Alright well that is all the questions I have for you, appreciate you getting down for the interview. Is there any last words or shoutouts you want to get out there to the people?

Shout out to everyone that is supporting the project. I have been getting a overwhelming amount of support and just thank you to everybody. All the media outlets and people helping to promote the project, and not only for this project but this entire journey that I have been on.

I have always had a standard fanbase that always shows me alot of love , so big ups to everyone living the hip hop culture the way it fits their life and keep doing what they doing because I am going to do the same.

[Black Excellence]

great read.