Bumpy Knuckles Revisits When The Angels Sing and 911 in music
Bumpy Knuckles Revisits "When The Angels Sing,"
Honoring 9/11 In Music
Exclusive:
O.G. Freddie Foxxx spoke with DX this anniversary weekend about one of Hip
Hop "s earliest memorials to the 9/11 attacks. The emcee explains how he buried
his own feelings in that song.
Ten years ago today, the United States of America was victim to 9/11 Terrorist
Attacks. On that day, the world seemed to stop to mourn, to pray, to fear
and to love.
Hip Hop has honored that day through a number of lyrics, verses and songs.
One of the first came from an emcee, who to the culture, embodied fortitude
under fire: Bumpy Knuckles (a/k/a Freddie Foxxx). Known to many for his fiery
lyrics, Bump "s albums are mortared with introspection and intimate songwriting.
On his third album, 2003 "s The Konexion, Bumpy spoke about 9/11, as well as
other troubling headlines in the news on a hopeful album cut, "When The
Angels Sing."
Just three hours before the decade anniversary of 9/11, Bumpy Knuckles spoke
about the song with HipHopDX. The lifelong New Yorker revealed that on the
weekend before the remembrance milestone, he visited the city of one of the
attacks. "I took the train, "cause I wanted to take the train,"
said Bumpy, who has subsequently made songs inspired by and referencing issues
such as Hurricane Katrina and the War In Iraq.
Bumpy Knuckles explains why music is a journey, and sometimes that journey
backwards helps us understand things about ourselves and each other that we
cannot easily find. The 25-year veteran of releasing records also recalls
a very significant performance of the song, and some heartfelt feedback from
his fans.