James "Freddie Foxxx" Campbell was born in Long Island, New York. After started rapping in the early eighties, in 1986 he releases "You Gotta Come Out Fresh / Handling Things" as Freddie C, member of Supreme Force, along with Curtis "Cool C" Edwards and Eric "Easy E" Easley, for NIA Records.
In 1986, the young DJ and producer Eric B is looking for a rapper to make music with and is recommended the best emcee around at the time, the rapper Freddie C. Eric B goes to his house but fails to meet him, settling on another rapper, Rakim, with whom he will form the legendary duo releasing one classic album after another and writing the history of the genre.
Nevertheless, when Freddie C aka Freddie Foxxx signs with MCA Records for a LP, the whole effort is produced by Eric B. Freddie Foxxx debuts with MCA. A major. But his record remains hidden and untraceable until not many years ago. Eric B is among the producers credited, but the rapper claims to have self-produced the whole record.
In any case, he starts strong, really, with "The Master", the best cut of the record: funky boom bap, minimal and hard drum machine, tight rhythm, excellent sample from "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose (Remix)", obviously by James Brown, excellent heavy and rough delivery of Foxxx that destroys the beat.
Then, it's a constant fall: the next choice it's just sufficient, saved by a jazzy bridge on the hook, the others are mediocre. An R&B ballad arrives very soon, which is something difficult to comment on if you listened to Bumpy Knuckles; fortunately, he doesn't sing, if memory helps me. Slightly better tracks follow, then another low point when the rapper tries the cover of Bill Whiters "Ain't No Sunshine", which is a classic: there is no reason to do it, here Foxxx sings the hook and all this song is simply unsuitable on a hardcore rap album.
The samples guessed in the right spots bring this record all the way. ESG's "UFO" helps "Busted" by providing him with a dark hook, while the title track asks the help of the Godfather of Soul, again: simple rhythm, heavy funky boom bap with drum minimal and raw machine, smooth hardcore delivery by the MC and functional hook with jazzy bridge.
With a raspy and rough voice like this, you'd expect a straight hardcore album for twelve cuts, with a M.O.P.-style firepower, or at least Freeway. Instead, it's not so: overall, it's not an album to be completely discarded there are some honest tracks to check, unfortunately there are also several mediocre songs and it's clear that the rapper wasn't able to express himself completely on this record having to bend to the senseless choices of the A&Rs.
Highlights: "The Master", "Freddie Foxxx Is Here".
Rating: 6/10.
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