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ThaFormula.com - What' your opinion on all that bounce and Ice rap. I mean do you consider someone like Nelly Hip Hop?

Freddie Foxxx - I mean of course it is, it's just another branch on the tree. If all of us were the same their wouldn't be no reason for rappaz, I mean what happens is you have to have diversity and if everybody rapped the same it would be terrible. So you know I ain't really mad at somebody like Nelly cause they bring another side of the game.  Now the bad part about it is when radio starts to cater to a certain part of hip hop cause nobody can stop a tree from growing branches. Just 10 or 15 years ago, people were saying hip hop was only gonna last another year or so.  So it's ok to have a Nelly, you know what I'm sayin.  What it does is, it challenges an individual to be a better mc and try to keep a new kinda hip hop commin along. Cause if everybody was still rappin like Grandmaster Flash, this game would never advance.  I mean they had their time, which was good.  I'm gonna have my time, which is good.  It's just up to each individual mc to carry it out.  When Nelly plays out, then we'll see how good he is when people stop listening to him on the radio.  

ThaFormula.com - Everybody is recording bounce tracks now. Do you think that it's good to follow that trend?

Freddie Foxxx - If I rocked to a bounce track it would sound so gangsta, but I choose to rock whatever makes me write.  So when people write to bounce music or whatever, it ain't whether it's right or wrong.  It's whether the song is good or not and I don't get caught up in sayin "Oh you shouldn't make that kind of rap" cause that's like white people sayin "Black people shouldn't be drivin Mercedes Benz" or white people sayin "Black people shouldn't have big houses" we should all stay in a barnyard, while they live in a big white house and a picket fence.  This world is a open world man, people can do what they wanna do.  My whole thing is their has to be good music and nobody can say that that's the wrong answer or I shouldn't feel that way cause we all have a right to feel the way we wanna feel.  So at the end of the day if somebody makes a song that's not the way I think I would have made the song, that's what makes me who I am as an individual.  Marvin Gaye didn't sound like Ray Charles and Ray didn't sound like the Temptations.  Everybody has their own different sound and that's the problem with Mc's now.  Everybody is thinkin that their's a certain ciriculum that mc's have to follow.  The bottom line is it has to be good music and that's what makes this game what it is, and like I keep sayin, the bad part is when you get people with power who cater to one kind of sound and try to filter out the different sounds that hip hop has. That's what makes the game bad.

ThaFormula.com - How about when a kid group like LFO does a callabo with M.O.P.  I mean that's like Backsreet Boys doin a song with Freddie Foxxx. What do you think of that?

Freddie Foxxx - Well what did M.O.P. bring to the song.  Is the song hot or is it a wack record or what.  See people have to realize on thing man.  See M.O.P. are artists man, Freddie Foxxx is a artist. If Backstreet Boys say Yo! I wanna rock with M.O.P., they commin to him for somethin and seeing that their mainstream, bubblegum or whatever you wanna call them. You know that cutesy shit!  If M.O.P. can bring something to the table that makes it a good record then I ain't mad at the record.  I mean the collaboration shit is not even the artists, it's the industry man and to many people are focusing on the artist.  The industry is the problem and that's why I did Industry Shakedown.  It's the industry.  If you throw a broke mutha fucka a bone  and say look holmes Ima give you this 20 dollars. I want you to take these 20 dollars and see if you can flip it.  Now you give em a choice "look either you flip it or you take it to buy something to eat" What do you think he gonna do with it. He don't wanna put the energy in flippin it.  He wanna buy somethin to eat, so basically you feedin hungry people.  People that ain't never had no money.  You givin them somethin that they ain't never had before. So the industry is pitching out these big giant deals for these guys and they doin these records because the money is there and I don't agree with it, but I think to each his own. I'm wanna of them dudes that I don't really like to uh if I pass judgement on somebody it's because I feel uh like for instance like when I said something about Steve Stout or Lyor Cohen. I know what I said about their's people in this game who uh female women in this game that are lesbian and they cater to young women cause they lookin at their own personal desires.  But M.O.P. makin a record with L.F.O. uh I don't know, I can't explain that cause I don't know what that's about.  I can't say that it's right or wrong cause I really don't like to pass judgement.

ThaFormula.com - If Backstreet Boys approached you and said we want you to do a song with us and Britney Spears. Would you do it if they offered you alot of money?

Freddie Foxxx - The money wouldn't make me do it. I would have to feel it in my soul.  See I ain't a heart rappa, Im a soul rappa.  See the soul is deeper then the heart.  If the music is hot and the song is bangin, I'm a real musician man.  I'm not like some cornball dude who just started rappin yesterday. Im nnot some corny ass dude who's trying to take over hip hop.  I been in this game since 85.  Right out of high school, I made my first record.  So im not some cornball little kid who get's caught up in star gazin or makin a record with Britney Spears, Fuck Britney Spears!!!  If that bitch brings me record, a beat that's hot and she's singin my kinda shit on it, you muthafuckin right I would and I bet you you'll like that shit!  Cause I'm Bumpy Knuckles all the fucken time.  Im never gonna change who I am and rhyme like somebody else or soften my shit up for radio.  If I wanna say fuck ho's, white ones, black ones, blue ones and green ones on her shit, Imma say it.  If the bitch put it out, she put it out.  If she don't then Fuck her!  But Ima be an artist at all times. It ain't about whether I would rock with them because their a certain genre of music.  Cause ain't nuthin fly about being broke and ain't nuthin fly about being an artist who caters to other peoples ideas.  I follow my own ideas and my own law.  Underground is so small.  You know it's so sad when I go overseas or I go certain places and I see that their's a small following in underground music and it's like I be watchin guys freestyles off the top of their head talkin all that fucken rhetoric and actin like that shit is hot.  Muthafucka to proud to sit down and put his thoughts down on paper, but he thinks he's freestylin off the top of his head rhymin about shit that means absolutely fucken nothin.  But he talkin about he's a dope mc.  Muthafuckas come up to me with that shit, man get the fuck out my face with that shit man!! If your a real mc man, sit your muthafucken ass down and let's make underground music come to the forefront.  People keep keepin this music to far in the back and they put these titles on the shit. Underground, Mainstream, this and that. This is fucken music yo! 

ThaFormula.com - When you say people, who exactly do you mean?

Freddie Foxxx - Everybody is guilty of it. Were guilty of it and the industry is guilty of it.  You know what were guilty of as underground artists and underground fans.  We always guilty of holdin our own selves back and we blame it on the industry.  That's like Black people sayin the White man did this and that to me in 2001. That's bullshit man!  I'm not feelin that shit man!  I'm responsible for my own moves man. If I walk up to a muthafucka and he disrespects me and I break his jaw, I pay the fucken price for it.  If he calls the cops, I pay the price.  Now my freedom is based on whether he's a real muthafucka or not.  So im sayin that if I make a record with a certain artist and muthafuckaz say "Oh well I don't like Foxxx cause he made a record with whoever" even if I rhyme hard like I normally do,  just because I made a record with somebody that's not in my circle.  Even though we just reached back and grabbed somebody and pulled them into what we do yo! But people ain't gonna call Bumpy Knuckles for a record like that.  You know why.  Because I'm uncut man.  Ain't nobody gonna put no muthafuckin sugar in my tank man.  I'm not with that shit.  I don't get sweet on nothin.  All I do is what I do.  If it's hot, I feel it, I'm rockin to it. If it's wack, I'm not fuckin with it.  I'm not one dimensional yo, I've never been one dimensional.  But people paint pictures of people that they didn't pose for.  So the fans build this little shit in their head that a person is a certain way.  I'm not sayin that a would or I wouldn't rock with a certain artist.  It depends on what they bring to the table.  Duke I been around the best.  I been around legends like Benny King, Jerry Butler and all the old schoolers.  I been in the presence before yo!  Those guys set the trend for us to do what were doing.  What kind of trend do we set when were tellin people don't rock with them.  That's bullshit yo! cause what your doin is, your dividing a music that was made for everybody.  That's like sayin hip hop ain't for white kids.  That's bullshit you can't say that because the majority of people that buy it are white kids.  

ThaFormula.com - Do you think it's good that the majority of people buying the music is white kids?

Freddie Foxxx - What's wrong with it.  Who said hip hop was only for blacks and Spanish people.  

ThaFormula.com - True, but since the White kids have started to really buy hip hop their has been a big change in the music and I'm talkin about radio wise.  I mean don't you think your music should be on the radio?

Freddie Foxxx - What I should be doin and what Im doin are two different things.  What I should be doin is keepin myself honest to myself and being true to what I do.  I can't control what radio plays.  Radio is like some bullshit.  I mean radio programmers uh the FCC should really come down on alot of radio stations who are takin payola.  So it's about money, you see what im sayin.  

ThaFormula.com - Who do you think should be called out. The Station, the middle man, or the label?

Freddie Foxxx - Well you know what.  You can't expect a record company to do the right thing by a hip hop artist cause they don't know about hip hop.  So they hire some little asshole out of some college who convinces them that he's the next Puffy or the next Steve Stout and now this muthafucka is tellin you sign this sign that and ain't movin the music along.  I'll give you a good example.  Hot 97 in new york fired DJ Red Alert.  Red Alert was playin real true old school.  Disco 3, Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five, Kurtis Blow.  He was playin the original old school music. They hire Mr. Cee.  Now they hired Mr. Cee.  Mr. Cee is playin old school and new, but guess what kinda records he's playin. Junior Mafia, Brand Nubian, you know shit like that.  That's not old school yo!!  It's like in the middle, it's not new but it's not old school.  The rcord ain't even ten years old and he's got it on old school and new.  So what happens is the program directors are trying to move the music along and by movin the music along, they are tryin to push hip hop into another era and just fade out guys like me, Kane, Gangstarr, you know what im sayin.  The problem is not the people that wanna get into it.  The problem is the people that don't want to hold on to it.  So what I'm sayin to you is, you can't get jammed up in believin that the music can't advance.  See you have to stay true to your form.  Being true to your form means the music has to be good. You know what? You asked me a question about if I would rock with Britney Spears.  If Britney Spears brought me a track that she did, no I wouldn't rock with her.  But if she brought me a track that Primo did and she sang on the hook, Hell Yeah! I'll do that shit!! You feel what I'm sayin! Cause I know it's gonna be hot.  I know Premier's gonna bring it. It's like when Premier produces for Janet Jackson.  She said I respect Premier more then I respect Puffy. Cause Premier at least really sits down and produces his shit.  Even if he does sample, he don't let you know that he's samplin.  You feel me.  Cause I want you to get a true understanding of how I feel as a artist.  

ThaFormula.com - Nah, I understand. For me these are the type of interviews I look forward to.  I grew up listening to you in Tha Flava Unit man. 

Freddie Foxxx - Alright. Now dig.  When I did Industry shakedown, I did that because I know that the only time that it's relevant to speak is when people are listenin.  So if I have somethin to say, ain't no need for me sayin it if people ain't listening.  So I did Industry Shakedown cause I wanted to get them listening.  And now that their listening, people are sayin I wonder what he's gonna drop next.  So I wanted to do the Connection.  I gotta album called the Connection.  Now the connection is where people get to know a little more about me as an artist.  You know I'm not gonna make a whole album about dissin people all the god damn time cause that's some bully shit.  I don't do no shit like that.  If Imma step to somebody, it's because I have a reason.  I make concept albums.  I'm already another album ahead.  My third album is called American Blackman.  The reason I'm doin American Blackman is because I think what happens now is the industry has kinda bought peoples souls.  They don't really talk about shit no more.  Everything is the same old shit. And it ain't nothin wrong with havin jewelry, it ain't nothin wrong with havin nice cars and nice houses.  But a Black muthafucka tellin the same story out of ten different bodies and that shit is bullshit! So what do we do.  We either keep talkin shit about it or we take the steps to be different.  And I'm not gonna stand on stage and hold my dick, and say "Yo everybody throw your muthafuckin hands in the air" Fuck that!!  Imma lyricists, imma writer.  So when I get on stage and do my shit! I'm doin my shit! I ain't with all that bullshit! Everybody walkin around with a hundred muthafuckaz and all that. And ain't nobody got more niggaz then me! I got more muthafuckaz under my control then half these muthafuckaz ever wish they had.  But at the end of the day, I'm not gonna march my soldiers unless we goin to war.  

ThaFormula.com - Why did you call out names like Noreaga and Ghost. What did you mean by all that?

Freddie Foxxx - I didn't call Wu Tang out.  What I said was "I'm about to save hip hop like Ghost saved the Wu" My ears are on the street everyday.  people felt like the Wu was fallin off or they hadn't dropped nothin, so people started listenin to this other shit.  Then here come Ghostface with this hot ass single and now everybody is back on Wu's dick. That's what I meant when I said that.  Now when I talked about Nore.  I said i'm sick and tired of hearin him say "What, what, what", "write some rhymes or give the shit up up up".  What I was sayin was the same thing everybody is sayin behind his back.  I just said it out loud in his fucken face.  Everybody say the same shit but nobody tell him to his face.  Every time I heard a Nore record, everything was "what, what" and I know Nore is a better rappa then that.  I know personally he's a better rappa then that.  

ThaFormula.com -So what you were really doin was trying to give them some advice ?

Freddie Foxxx - Exactly, but if muthafuckaz wanna take it fucked up, then hey that's on them.  

ThaFormula.com - So it never had anything to do with talkin shit or havin beef right? 

Freddie Foxxx - Nah, not at all.  And you know I spoke to him about it and I told him the same thing I told you.  He had took it a little far at one point, but that's all Hennessey and all that bullshit talkin.  Cause I know I ain't the type of muthafucka that gonna let anybody do nothin to me.  I'm an mc and ain't nobody in the fucken world that's gonna tell me what the fuck I can say or what I can't say.  We can fight about it, we can shoot it out, whatever you all niggaz wanna play, cowboys and Indians, we can do all that! I'm a grown ass man and I make what I call grown folk music.  Sometimes people don't understand that when you make a record that's concept then you a concept MC man.  Some niggaz just be rappin about nothin and I ain't with none of that bullshit!!

ThaFormula.com - What's up with the new album?

Freddie Foxxx - I'm workin on it right now dog, as we speak.

ThaFormula.com - What can you tell me about it?

Freddie Foxxx - Other then the fact that it's called the connection, it's very ill.  I got like 15 joints on there right now.  I think Imma give them more records this time though.  On Industry Shakedown, I wanted to give them more songs, but my songs always have to have something to do with the concept of the album.  

ThaFormula.com - You opened alot of peoples eyes with that album and actually brought old hip hop heads back from the dead to check your album?

Freddie Foxxx - Well you know somethin that's what I wanted to do.  if I would have tried to make a record and cater to the radio, I would have not only lost respect, but that's what sellin out is about man!!!

Freddie Foxxx - (continued from part 1) Let's say somebody gave you a article to write on a mainstream dude.  Let's say Ja Rule. Let's say you wanna write about Ja Rule.  So you say okay cool! You write an article about Ja Rule right!  So you ask Ja Rule, What you think about underground? Ja Rule believes he's underground! In his mind, he's underground.  He may look underground, you know, but underground is like, man Ja Rule ain't gonna play no club with like 200 people in it man.  Where he can reach off the stage and touch people man.  Underground is more then just a name yo! It's a culture.  I am underground hip hop!  If a muthafucka think he is, he's gotta come thru me first, because what I did is I claimed it as my own.  So I said underground is me. So when people start tellin me, "Yo, Im underground"  Aight cool, if you underground then you gotta come to the king of underground first cause I took it as my own.  I didn't ask nobody for it! I straight jacked it!!  It's mine, because niggaz have abandoned that shit, they left it for dead.  You got a handful of people like Showbiz and Primo.  You know we got a handful of soldiers left and at the end of the day somebody had to claim it as their own.  It's our shit. We took it, it's us and I'm the gatekeeper.  So my thing is when people like take Busta Rhymes, he thinks he's underground.  I don't know who the fuck told him that! He used to be, but he ain't no more.  

ThaFormula.com - So he used to be, but he ain't no more. Why?

Freddie Foxxx - Cause he sold more records then he would normally do, so he plays bigger venues.  You know what that is, it's what I call feedin the poor man.  He could have still got alot of money and kept it underground.  He just would have been underground to a bigger audience and still been playin at them small places and catering to the little people.  I dunn seen alot of these artists won't even sign autographs for people man.  Real egotistic and shit and that's fucked up.  I know dudes that get big headed man and that's what I call nigga business.  People get a little money and they get gassed up, but that ain't got nothin to do with hip hop.  That's got to do with society period!  Just cause somebody got jewelry they callin it bling bling rap!  Muthafucka made up the word bling bling should be gettin publishin for that shit. It's just like when Kool Herc started hip hop.  You know, we just went to a hip hop summit and I watched Farrakhan give a speech and I don't think nobody is listening to that shit.  You know what I noticed to man, you can play a record for somebody right.  One time they will hear the record and then never hear it again.  People should listen to a record everytime like their listening to it for the first time.  Not sit their and wait to hear a song for the first time and then say "Aw, I already heard that" when they hear it again. Who gives a fuck if you already heard it! When I listen to Marvin Gaye and all the old records I get my inspiration from , I listen to it like it's the first time I ever heard.  Their is so many surface muthafuckas rappin from the chin! 

ThaFormula.com - When people say hip hop has gotten worst, or hip hop is not what it used to be. Do you think that this is true?

Freddie Foxxx - Well it ain't what it used to be, but nothing is what it used to be.  

ThaFormula.com - I'm talkin about that certain period of time when Premo was runnin things and it seemed like everyone in the underground was droppin a dope album. I mean what happened or what went wrong. Why is the underground scene so different now?

Freddie Foxxx - Well you know what, everything moves along bro, and it's up to those guys to stay consistent so they can still be seen in the same light.   

ThaFormula.com - But do you think it was that they didn't stay consistent, or did the industry as in the major labels just take over. Who get's the blame?

Freddie Foxxx - Their's no one person or one entity responsible.  Who's responsible involves alot of people.  Imma tell you what I do.  You notice the sudden urge of independent distributors. Those are the same people that were puttin out these records when EPMD came out, you know Island Records.  That was the level of labels back in the day.  I mean the deals that these people are givin out are so fuckin wack! Some of the deals that people get are such bullshit! But they takin em.  That's why alot of these cats have to know how to structure their deals. Alot of these cats don't know the business.

ThaFormula.com - So tell me Foxxx, in your eyes what's a wack deal?

Freddie Foxxx - Them little $ 250,000 budgets, I ain't feelin that.  If I was to do a deal with a major I gotta own my shit.  A wack deal is when somebody takes your product right and they say, We gonna take your product and were gonna give you a half a million dollars, and were gonna use your product to make back our half a million. So they use your music to make back their money and then still keep ownin everything and pay you a percentage of your shit.  That's wack Yo! I mean if your gonna purchase somethin, purchase it! But, you ain't gonna jack me for my work man.  Fuck that shit yo! You know that's a stick up. You know, you get these deals with a point structure and all that.  A point structure is just another word for percentage and record companies are callin the shots.  If your bring your shit to a record label and they tell you what they gonna pay you, it's like wait a minute!  I'm the one with the shit here.  It's like you got the pipeline and I got the product.  There's no communication here because nobody sits down and tells these record companies, "Here, let me teach you what hip hop is about" "Let me teach you where it's at and what it is".  See the only good thing about record companies is that they can blow up your name.  The only thing that a record company has ever done for me was put my name in a certain place.  Once people heard my name the first time, I took advantage of that.  So the only good thing a record company has ever done for Freddie Foxxx is they had my name in the mix.  Other then that, they ain't never did shit for me.  Fuck they money and everything else cause the money they made, I mean everything I ever had from every record label, I tripled it.  

ThaFormula.com - The Industry Shakedown LP.  Were you happy with the results.  I mean how did everything turn out for you?

Freddie Foxxx - I mean the label that I did it with, which was Landspeed, was wack.  But it did what I wanted it to do.  

ThaFormula.com - Alot of artists are signing with or thinkin about signing with Landspeed. Why do you say it was wack?

Freddie Foxxx - Let me be the first one to tell them not to do it, because they don't know what their doin yo!  I was the biggest project that Landspeed ever put out.  People are only tryin to go after Landspeed because I was their and everybody seen the success of Industry Shakedown.  The success of Industry Shakedown had to do with who I am.  It had nothin to do with any work that was being done by Landspeed.  Landspeed was able to get the records in the stores, but see the best thing about workin as a independent artist is when it's payday.  Feel me!  You ain't gonna have the same problems and the same shit go down when it's pay day, unless you get an asshole that gets excited when he sees a certain amount of records and takes advantage.  So for instance when I structured a deal, my shit is you can't promote my record in no market and spend no money on promotion unless I sign off on it.  Because people start spendin your money and tellin you that you owe them.  So you control it by sayin, "Look Holmes, do not put no street teams out unless you tell me what the hell you doin".  Then I need to sign off to know how much of my money you spendin.  Cause that's what they are doing.  Everything that they spend, their gonna charge you back for.    

ThaFormula.com - So financially Industry Shakedown was good for Landspeed?. 

Freddie Foxxx - It was good for Landspeed, but it was better for me.  The reason I like Independent distributors, is because at the end of the day you don't have to go after no corporate structure to get your money.  I know who I gotta go after if anybody wanna steal.  I know who's house I gotta go kick in the door.  I know Ima jump in the bed with this man and his wife and we gonna discuss my business.  AIn't gonna be none of that "Oh I cant get you after 5 o'clock" bullshit.  Every Lawyer that I got, I got they home number.  If a lawyer don't give me his phone number, I don't hire them.  That's what lawyers are for.

ThaFormula.com - So are you happy with the way things have turned out for you man? Cause I know it's been a struggle for you man.

Freddie Foxxx - Well, I'm happy that I'm still Bumpy knuckles and that I haven't changed. It's always gonna be a fight, especially when that kind of money is in play.  But at the end of the day I always get my money man! But people have to decide whether they want drama or they want paper. 

ThaFormula.com -So waht are you doin right now Label wise?

Freddie Foxxx - Well you know , their's a couple of labels commin at me to work with them, but I wouldn't put another record out on Landspeed.  I'll stop rappin before I do another Landspeed deal.  That's how bad it was as far as the personal. You know, you talkin to a muthafucka that don't look you in the face.  And I knew he was a piece of shit when I first met him, but my brother, God Bless his soul.  He asked me to do that deal cause he had a record on that label and he was like "Yo Foxxx that kid at Landspeed don't believe you my brother" . So I said alright, I'll see what's up cause he was like "Yo, you think you can get your brother to do a song" and he was beggin my brother and shit, so I did on the strength of my brother.  Shortly after that my brother past away and I did that because of my brother.  So I'm really not a Landspeed fan and I'm never gonna be a Landspeed fan.  So at the end of the day if he wanna be popular, I'll make him popular like a rapists, or a thief or a child molester, or something of that nature.  But people don't fuck me cause I'm not fuckable.  When people do that they have to make a decision.     

ThaFormula.com - So Bumpy Knuckles and all that shit is not actin then? 

Freddie Foxxx - Fuck No!!  

ThaFormula.com - What would you say the percentage of all these thug rappaz are actin?

Freddie Foxxx - Let's look at it like this.  If a man kills somebody he's going to jail, right.  You get one body the cops are lookin for you.  Your not gonna get on stage talkin about how many muthafuckaz you killed.  That's the bottom line!  So at the end of the day, you can answer that question yourself.  I never screamed to be a killer, but everybody know me man.  If somebody was to do something to me, they know I'm steppin to my business.  If I did kill a muthafucka, I ain't gonna get on no magazine or no record and tell you, "Yo I murdered that nigga man".  That would be pretty stupid.  That's like wearin fluorescent draws in a black light club.  Know what I'm sayin (Laughs).  Muthafucka know where you at dog.  With me it's really about the music.  I love music.  And I mean I listen to all kinds of music, but what comes out of my soul is what you hear on those records.  I listen to all kinds of music cause I love sound man.  I look at everything around me that I've been thru and where I been man and it's about commin up.  It's about commin up and makin somethin of yourself. See when you die, the only thing you have left is your legacy.  People gonna talk about you when you leave this muthafucka.  But one thing I want them to say about me when I'm dead and gone is "Yo man , their's nothin fake about that dude man". I'm not a three dollar bill ass muthafucka man, and I don't wanna hear muthafuckaz talkin about how tough I was.  Fuck all that shit.  I want muthafuckaz to talk about how nice my music was.  I do what's in my heart and I hate when people ask me the same ol fucken questions.  "How did you start", "Where did you come from", muthafucka you know where I'm from!  You know what I do, you know what I am.  You wanted to talk to me so you know what's cracking.  

ThaFormula.com - That's why we didn't bother to ask that. We just wanted to know what you thought of the shit was happenin in hip hop now?

Freddie Foxxx - See if you say "Yo, real hip hop, fake hip hop".  All of this is hip hop.  Some of it is better then others.  I tell guys that come around me that rhyme.  I say "Yo, if you can rhyme, we can do some shit together, but if your wack, Ima tell you you wack".  That's why you never see me runnin out there tryin to find rappaz and shit like that.  Cause I don't want the headache, I know how it is.  You know I used to bodyguard and run with Paid In Full Posse Eric B and them.  And I used to watch dudes that wanted to be on,  runnin behind Eric and them kissin they ass askin for a hundred dollars here and a hundred dollars there. Stressin Rakim out tryin to be all on his dick cause he was a star makin money and they didn't have shit.  "Yo I can't pay my rent" and shit like that.  That's some pussy ass shit man, and they call it payin dues.  That ain't payin dues that's beggin!  I always took care of myself.  If I wasn't out in the streets tryin to make me a dollar somewhere, I was in the studio tryin to make me a record.  Every man wants to be successful.  The greatest feelin in the world is when a man can come home and take care of his family and still put some money away and get a good night sleep and know that everybody is happy.  Kids, woman, whatever you got, know what I mean.

ThaFormula.com - Did you see Tha Flava Unit as something that was gonna last or as something that was gonna fall apart?

Freddie Foxxx - When I was with Flava Unit, what I realized is that I had to stop puttin myself beneath these other rappaz in that I was rollin with Krs1 and all these different people and I was like "yo, these muthafuckaz are my fans to".  When I was rollin with Krs1, I liked Krs1 and he asked me to do the track "Ruff, Ruff" with him.  So I came to the studio, but I was like "Damn, I don't really wanna spit this gangsta shit on his joint because you know he's on this black power shit.  So I sat down and I wrote this rhyme and the rhyme was hot but he looked at me and said, "Yo, i like the rhyme Foxx, don't get me wrong it's dope, but I want Bumpy Knuckles". So I said Aight and wrote my shit.  I burned the muthafucken house down and I told him this is what I would do if I had drama.  I'll kill your kids, I'll kill you and raise your kids till they grow and then kill them.  And that's how I really felt at the time cause I was a angry muthafucka in the streets.  Man I was in the streets wildin! Some of the dudes that I been around will  tell you some stories, but I don't like to talk about it.  I ain't never tried to tell people, "Yo, I'm real".  I can prove it.  My shit speaks for itself.  Especially when them boxing matches come up and they talkin about celebrity rap boxers gettin in the ring and throwin down.  You see what happened to Sticky Fingaz on MTV right.  He got his fucken ass wooped! All that fucken six pack muscles, and murder, and throw your guns in the air shit!  He got beat up by a surfer dude!  This is why I try to tell everybody, this is about mcing.  This ain't about how bad you are.  This ain't about how much crack you sold.  This ain't about how many women you fucked.  This is about Mcing!  

ThaFormula.com - This Sticky Fingaz match. What was that about?

Freddie Foxxx - It was at a celebrity boxing match.  Back in the 90's I had a celebrity boxing match that I was in and I have 2 belts that I won.  I won a heavyweight and a super heavyweight boxing belt.  You know Tim Dog from "Fuck Compton" was supposed to be there.  But when it came down to fighting he didn't show up.  We were fighting against Rap - A - Lot Records.  Tim Dog was supposed to fight this kid named Dope E from a group called The Terrorist.  So I fought my fight against a kid named Spook and I knocked him out and then Tim didn't show up.  So I said that's fucked up.  Cause he's misrepresentin New York, so I took his fight.  I fought twice and I caught two knockouts.  So when holmes didn't show up niggaz wasn't feelin him anymore.  They were sayin "that's wack, Freddie Foxxx had to fight his shit for him".  I didn't do it to embarrass  him or nothin, but I felt like damn man, these niggaz from Texas gonna go back there sayin New York niggaz is pussy or somethin.  And I rep where I'm from!! 

ThaFormula.com - Do you feel hip hop is run by gangstaz?

Freddie Foxxx - When you talk about guys like Tommy Matola, you muthafuckin right.  That's like George Bush and them.  Those are the real gangstaz.  These muthafuckaz out here ain't no god damn gangstaz.  Gangstaz know how to organize.  They control shit.  Gangstaz no how to put something together and say "Yo, this is what we got right here and this is how it's gonna work".  These muthafuckaz in hip hop don't do that.  were not gangstaz out here cause we don't control nothin and we don't have no organization amongst ourselves.  Trust me and you know I'm tellin you from my mouth, No Gangstaz man!! If these muthafuckaz was gangstaz man, we'd be organized and we would have a genre of music that's not separated or divided by some people that don't know nothing about the music.  You would know organization would be in place cause gangstaz organize.  Ain't no organization, that's why they call it organization.  Ain't no organization in this music man.  It's like a drug block with ten niggaz sellin they own shit on it.

ThaFormula.com - So is it every man for himself in the industry?

Freddie Foxxx - Well, it seems like that's the attitude and the only thing you could have is a little Jesse Jackson in you and hope that it changes.  But at the end of the day, I honestly doubt it because now the quality of the mc is not the same.  You got mc's out here that claim they rap and they nice lyrically and so what happens is the fans are accepting the wack shit because that's all they have.  So their trying to find a dope verse or one line and one rap record and they can say "Oh, he's nice", instead of saying "Yo, like Kane and Smooth Operator".  Those records had a certain quality about them that made you feel a chill in you when the shit came on.  Now you got all this plastic ass lightweight shit with no bass in it and it's like you know the game is changing when white boys who ain't have no rhythm is makin the better beats now.  I mean white boys are totally on another field.  I mean they was listening to some other shit, they was on some 2 / 4 shit.  In musical terms 2/4, if you know like James Brown was the only man to change music from a 2 / 4 to a 1 / 3.  That's why he said drop it on the one cause black people dance a certain way.  Come on man! Hip hop is responsible for white girls havin phat asses.  Let's be honest about this shit man.  It ain't a racist statement.  That's shocking when a muthafucka see a white girl with a fat ass.  The first thing they say is, "She got a fat ass for a white girl", but that's hip hop man.  I remember it was disgusting for a while for a white girl to have a big ass. They hated that.  When you talk about White boys in the game, they are the most rebellious people in the world.  Look at Eminem!

ThaFormula.com - What are your thoughts on Eminem?

Freddie Foxxx - I think Eminem is a dope lyricists.  I think for him to rhyme the way he does, I think is incredible.  I'm not mad at him personally myself.  Shit, he is doin him.  It's not like he's trying to act like a gangsta.  eminem is being who he is.  He's actin like a rebellious ass, spoiled brat little white boy.  That's what he act like.  He act like a white boy who didn't get along with his mother.  He's just being a typical white boy and the only difference is, he ain't a rock n roller.  He's being just who the fuck he is.  I respect Eminem more then I respect Vanilla Ice.  You know why?  Cause Vanilla Ice wasn't being himself.  He was trying to be like Hammer and them.  He was mocking what they were doing and he happened to just get paid on it. See Eminem is really just being himself.  A silly ass muthafuckin drug takin cracka! (Laughs) I ain't mad at him.  See the thing is sometimes you see a dude like Eminem who's nice on his lyrics and their's radio stations that don't play hip hop, but they will play Eminem.  Now that's the sucka shit right there!! that's the shit that's foul!

ThaFormula.com - That's some racist shit right there man.

Freddie Foxxx - Of course it is, but who else are white people supposed to look out for other then their own.  Their not obligated to look out for us, they never have.  And it's always been a lookout if they did.  It's always been "Yo, that's peace, he looked out".  If black people would learn to act in accordance with the culture of being black and honoring thy neighbor and so forth, white people would respect us more and black people would get further in society.  You know black people have a history of sayin it from the mountain top.  That's why you hear all these muthafuckaz sayin, "Yo, I got a car, I got jewelry, I got this, I got that.  A nigga make a little money, shit it's shocking.  But the part is when they expect that a white programmer at a radio station is gonna know about their music.  NO!  What they know about is programming a radio station.  But they don't come to the hood.  Once they play something on the radio, people are forced to listen to it.  After a while it grows on you.    

ThaFormula.com - Yeah, they will have you singin a Britney Spears song without you even realizing you singin it?

Freddie Foxxx - Exactly, let me tell you something homeboy.  If you play a certain record on the radio all day and the shit is wack, after a while your gonna find yourself singin that shit.  They can't tell you what they can and what they can't play.  They tell you what they will play and what they won't play.  You dig! Back in the days, some of the black gangstaz had a little organization called fair play.  Where they would stick bubble gum in all the jukeboxes.  The dudes was like I want my record played, but the mob had control of the radio.  So they was like alright cool.  We gonna put bubble gum in all of the slots in the jukeboxes, so they can't get they money now.  So that's stops the money.  My point is they had fairplay.  They used to be able to go to the station and tell the DJ, play my shit or Ima bust you in you muthafuckin head.  That's what I'm talkin about! That's what I'm feelin right their.  See and alot of times, these dudes got ulterior motives.  If the DJ's would stay being Dj's and stop trying to be fuckin stars themselves, we wouldn't have such a big problem.  

ThaFormula.com - That's something not many rappaz talk about.  Do you think that is a big problem?

Freddie Foxxx - Well, you know what it is man.  The focus is off the artist.  A DJ is a star in his own right.  Now you got DJ's rappin and shit.  That's why on "The Lah" um okay.  The reason I said what I said about Allen Iverson is because as a basketball player, Allen Iverson is the truth.  I don't care what nobody say, but the nigga  sucks as an mc, i'm sorry.  I'll tell a mutha fucka to his face.  So what he did was, him and a whole bunch of other dudes like Kobe Bryant, they trivialized everything that somebody like myself and all these dudes have worked hard for all they life.  People have to realize when they won.  For Allen Iverson to come from where he comes from and be looked at as the top point guard in the NBA, he's already won.  But now, he wanna just take his money and make a record and talk about the same shit that a gangsta in the street is talkin about.  And he's a point guard in the NBA.  Do you know how stupid that is man.  Do you know how ignorant that is for a muthafucka of his statue to get on a record and talk about he's a gangsta and he busts his gun and all that.  Who gives a fuck!  Nigga you got the best crossover in the fucken game.  Talk about building a mansion and burning that shit down.  That's ignorance man!  That ain't no fly shit.  I'm in the fucken streets. I know what it's like for a muthafucka like me to hear some shit like that.  It's depressing Yo!  We trying to fight to get to a certain level and if he got mad at me for saying this, I wouldn't give a fuck, but I don't think he could because he know I'm right.  muthafuckaz is opening up doors that they don't need to be going in cause he's not in it like that.  I'm sure he did time or whatever he said, but who gives a fuck.  That ain't nothin you get on no record and say.   

ThaFormula.com - So what did you do in between that time that you just disappeared from the scene?

Freddie Foxxx - I made records and I sold them underground.  Man I haven't worked a real job since 87 man.  I sold them out of my trunk, out of my car.  I'd take a box a records and press them up at some cheap ass factory.  If I didn't have enough money to make a A and B side, I made an A side.  I would take 20,000 or 30,000 and I would make it work for me and put it back in.  This is all I ever done man.  And when I'm finished in this game, Im gonna be swimming in my yard man.  I'm not gonna be looking at the radio station looking for a job in this business.  I don't even like this business.  The culture of hip hop is beautiful, but he business that overshadows it is wicked man.  And it's full of serpents that smile in your face and tell you one thing and mean you harm on the back end. 

ThaFormula.com - Why do you think you brought alot of old heads back out to check for your album?

Freddie Foxxx - Cause they live through us man. Were the pulse that beats in their heart and that's why I make my music the way I do. I got a song on my album called "I can't understand it"  and what the song is about is a guy who meets a girl. It's like, I meet you and your so beautiful and so fine then me and you start kickin it and now you become my girl.  Now you move in my house.  Now you start eating all my goddamn food and gettin fat and ugly and funky looking and now you ain't gonna take care of yourself and I can't understand why you switchin up on me now.   All because you gave me some pussy, now I'm supposed to change and just accept who you are and keep lookin at your fat, ugly ass, lookin like star Jones  and I'm supposed to be happy with this shit.  But it's grown folk music.  I can't expect no 13 or 14 year old muthafucka to understand that.  And I don't make records for them young niggaz that don't understand it.  I make records for people that understand what I talk about.  

ThaFormula.com - Do you think if Tupac and Big were alive right now things would be different?

Freddie Foxxx - No it wouldn't.  It would be the same goddamn thing.  People can find it in their minds to believe what they want.  If Tupac and Biggie was alive right now. We would just have 2 more dope ass mc's on the roster. 

ThaFormula.com - But do you think their would still be those Tupac biters around?

Freddie Foxxx - Yeah, their's Tupac biters right now. Like Little Zane (Laughs)

ThaFormula.com -The song you did with Mike Myers where you called out Shyne and X.  Do you thing two guys like that would be around right now?

Freddie Foxxx - The industry wouldn't have no reason to create them cause they would have the original.  What happens is they listen to those guys and were probably influenced by those guys and the industry saw that. I met a guy the other day who used to double for tupac in his videos and movies.  If this muthafucka could rhyme, I know he would get a deal. And somebody probably if they run into him and look at him, what they would do is they would take the muthafucka and they would make him rhyme.  This dude looked exactly like Pac.  I stared at him for 10 minutes.  Pac is on my new album man.  It's called "Don't fuck with a killah"   

ThaFormula.com - What was that from man? 

Freddie Foxxx - We did it, you know what im sayin. When you hear it, everybody is gonna say that this nigga can't be dead yo! It ain't no clone it's him.  It's hot yo and when you hear it, you gonna say, Ahh, where that come from.  But you know, I said it on "Devious Minds".  I said "I even rocked with Pac, but you ain't heard that yet".    

ThaFormula.com - So you rocked with Pac?

Freddie Foxxx - Yeah, That was my dog man.  Me and him had a very good relationship.  He was runnin with Live Squad at the time and he was runnin with Stretch and them.  That's when me and him was really, um, I mean we didn't hang out hang out, but he would come by my section and I would come by his and kick it a little bit and I had did this joint, but I never put it out.  It was called "Don't fuck with a killer" and I did it when I was on Flavor Unit.  But I didn't want to give it to them cause they had screwed up so much.  I never put it out and I always had the track just sittin their.  

ThaFormula.com - So why did you wait so long?

Freddie Foxxx - Cause I'm a feeling guy and it goes with the concept on the Connection.  Like Industry Shakedown, it didn't go with that.  Cause I'm an artists man and I got to feel it. If I don't feel it, I'm not doing it.  I'm not a paper soldier.  I like it when I walk in a room and people shit on themselves.  That shows you who's got love for me in their heart and who don't.  That shows you what's up.  

ThaFormula.com - So you told me you got 15 tracks for the new album so far. Production wise what's happening with the new album?

Freddie Foxxx - Well, I worked with Primo, Alchemist, you know my same team.  Pete Rock and I did some joints myself cause my studio is always blazing, always got shit jumpin off in here.  I got beats and I get beats from alot of cats that been wanting to work with me for a long time, but they gotta be a certain type of sound.   

ThaFormula.com - How is it workin with Premier and Pete Rock man?

Freddie Foxxx - It's good cause their real good producers.  Those guys are vintage man.  When you work with a guy like Premier or Pete or one of them, the dope shit is when Premier will go "Yo man, I need you to do that verse again cause it didn't sound as good as the first time".  That makes you feel good cause you say "Damn, somebody is really workin and producin.  Producin don't mean just make a beat.  Producin means tellin the artist, "Yo man, give it a little more accent right there or a little less this or a little more of that".

ThaFormula.com - How was workin with Alchemist?

Freddie Foxxx - Actually I used Alchemist to do a track for me when he wasn't even that hot.  But I like his vibe.  He's like a baby Primo in a sense.  Alchemist is a good person to man, I mean he really is a good guy.  When you talk to him, he's so humble, nice and cool. He's not one of those arrogant muthafuckaz that think he's bigger or better then anybody else.  He gets in the studio and does the same thing.  He plays some hot shit and he got a good ear.  So I work with those people that's gonna bring to the track what I'm going to bring to the rhyme.

ThaFormula.com - Will you ever record another track with Krs1?

Freddie Foxxx - Yeah, we actually are talkin about it now.  He's been callin me about it.  

ThaFormula.com - Will there be another Militia track?

Freddie Foxxx - Yeah, Their's gonna be The Militia 2 on Gangstarrs new album.

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