Bumpy Knuckles Salutes ’70s & Early ’80s Rap Pioneers On A Nottz Track (Audio)

Bumpy Knuckles (aka Freddie Foxxx) released his first music in 1986. At the time, “Freddie C.” was part of the Supreme Force. In that year, Hip-Hop and Rap music were transitioning. Run-D.M.C., Fat Boys, Whodini, and the Beastie Boys had stepped out bringing the album format and music videos to the mainstream. The teenage MC (who would later make hits with Gang Starr, O.C., and help pioneer the Underground Hip-Hop movement) studied the pioneers. He was a deep appreciator of the guys who rocked stages and became legends through live performances and circulated tapes—as well as singles and LPs.

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On the Nottz-produced “Legends,” Bumpy salutes a long list of great spitters—who some Heads may not be properly aware of. There are massive names like Grandmaster Flash, Fat Boys (as “Disco 3”), and Sugarhill Gang, as well as key figures like Grandmaster Melle Mel and Kool Moe Dee. However, it is MCs like Cold Crush 4’s Dot-A-Rock, The Funky For + 1 More’s Sha Rock and Lil’ Rodney C. that get mentioned here. Foxxx highlights them, T La Rock, Spoonie Gee, and others—showing respect to the names that are not always mentioned.

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As a note, he credits Jekyll & Hyde (which included a pre-record executive Andre Harrell) with inspiring him to use two aliases—representative of two attitudes.

Bumpy, Nottz, Treach, and Trick Trick are at work on the O.G.ology album, coming soon.

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#BonusBeat: That aforementioned first 12″ single by Supreme Force:

This released on Nia Records.