Happy 20th Anniversary to Bumpy Knuckles’ (a.k.a. Freddie Foxxx’s) second official studio album Industry Shakedown, originally released June 27, 2000.
In my 30th anniversary tribute to Bumpy Knuckles’ (a.k.a. Freddie Foxxx’s) 1989 debut Freddie Foxxx Is Here, I wrote about how the artist on that album is different from the hardman image we have of Bumpy Knuckles today. After a muted response to his debut, Freddie Foxxx spent the early to mid ‘90s cultivating the persona of Bumpy Knuckles, a fierce, aggressive emcee who will rip you apart on the mic, and also outside in the street.
By 1998, after show-stealing guest spots on well-respected albums by New York rap icons O.C., Gang Starr, and M.O.P., the Bumpy Knuckles character had picked up enough steam for the timing to be right for a new full-length album, 2000’s Industry Shakedown. Anticipation was high, at least among the underground and true school heads, and what Bumpy Knuckles delivered was well worth the wait.
As the title makes clear, Industry Shakedown is Bumpy Knuckles’ platform for calling out everything that was wrong with the rap industry at the turn of the millennium, and he came out gunning. Someone as straight-talking as Bumpy Knuckles has no time for subliminal disses and instead fired clear-as-day shots at specific artists like Noreaga and Memphis Bleek for being mediocre rappers who don’t deserve their success. It’s hard to tell at times if the vitriol Bumpy Knuckles has for these artists is coming from a place of genuine concern for how diluted rap music had become in the “jiggy era” or just bitterness. Either way, almost everything Bumpy Knuckles says was right and needed to be said by someone.
On the title track, Bumpy Knuckles aims at music biz insiders and execs, those industry-rule-number-4080 men and women who were chewing up and spitting out rappers in the ‘90s, milking them for all they could. Def Jam, Tommy Boy, Elektra, and Atlantic are just some of the major labels Bumpy Knuckles takes to task, with Lyor Cohen and Sylvia Rhone among those getting a personal namecheck.
It helped that Industry Shakedown was released independently, giving Bumpy Knuckles the freedom to call out rappers more explicitly and directly than someone on a major label who might have been afraid of repercussions. Having said that, you get the feeling that a firebrand like Bumpy Knuckles would have said all these things whatever label situation he was in.
Honestly, the whole anti-industry concept of the album gets a bit tiresome after a while, no matter how much I agree with everything said. It was also not a novelty to be critical of the industry—A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, El-P, EPMD and others had been rapping about the exploitative nature of the music industry for years before Industry Shakedown, although few did it with as much clarity and intent as Bumpy Knuckles. Criticizing the artistry of another rapper will only land well if the one pointing the finger has skills superior to their target. Fortunately, Bumpy Knuckles has plenty of sharp verses to pull it off, and Industry Shakedown finally gave him the respect he deserved.
Bumpy Knuckles’ rhyme vet status and good connections meant he was able to count on some heavyweight producers to lace him with beats for Industry Shakedown, namely DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Diamond D, and a nascent Alchemist. The latter was still finding his signature sound in 2000, but both of his contributions (“Tell Em I’m Here” and “Stock in The Game”) are solid.
Bumpy Knuckles’ affiliation with the D.I.T.C. collective allowed him to feel right at home over the Diamond D-produced “Bumpy Bring It Home,” which also features another long-time Bumpy Knuckles collaborator, Billy Danze from M.O.P. Pete Rock’s beats for “Who Knows Why?,” “Industry Shakedown” and “Bumpy Knuckles Baby” are as decent as you’d expect from the master producer, as are the two tracks from DJ Premier. The first, “R.N.S.,” is one of the most hardcore and rugged productions Preemo has ever created, and that’s saying something. The second, the aggressive “Part of My Life,” is also strong, although I always felt Bumpy Knuckles made this song way too long—the entire third verse could be cut without doing much damage.
The rest of the credit for the production goes to Bumpy Knuckles himself. Much like on his debut album 11 years before Industry Shakedown, the artist flexes his double-threat credentials by producing most of the album. His sound is a marked improvement compared to the mediocre beats on Freddie Foxxx Is Here, which were co-produced with Eric. B (although this is disputed). Bumpy Knuckles obviously took notes from his boom bap contemporaries in the time between the two albums, and consequently all of the Bumpy Knuckles’ produced tracks on Industry Shakedown hit hard. Highlights include the “The Mastas,” where Billy Danze makes another appearance, this time alongside his M.O.P. partner, Lil’ Fame.
Industry Shakedown didn’t quite have the disruptive impact Bumpy Knuckles probably wanted. Still, it stands the test of time and is the strongest album in the lengthy discography of one of hip-hop’s most unique and talented characters.
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