Afropop Worldwide

Large Up and Safari Sound teamed up to put out Fiyah Fox, the first full-length Red Fox release since 2009’s Hallo Igjen, and the Brooklyn heavyweight’s first digital mixtape. The release party was last Thursday at The Delancey, and all evidence indicates it was a fete for the books- Afropop was there, and you can get some much needed bonus points for spotting producer Sam Backer in this video. Red’s been around for a good long while- he came up with Shaggy, made big waves in the international clash scene in a big way in the early ‘90s, and has spent the better part of the last decade touring his hind end off. But that emphasis on touring, paired with Red’s introspective, soul-centric modus operandi (as discussed in his recent interview with Large Up’s Jesse Sewer), has limited his output in the last years. Fiyah Fox is a triumphant comeback for the Flatbush darling. https://soundcloud.com/largeupdotcom/safari-sound-largeup-present You can’t beat intros like Fiyah Fox’s. Over a bed of what sounds like the Worldwide Wrestling Federation’s theme song, a newscaster reports on a wild fox on the loose. “He’s been seen roaming the street from the late ‘80s until now, and no one can find a way to capture him.” Maybe the endless touring was actually about evasion, but from the sound of it, Fox spent that traveling time collecting sounds from all over, and furthering honing his famous clashing skills. Fiyah Fox browses (come on, it was right there) through dancehall, reggae, hip hop, and trap with both bravado and ease- Fox’s is on fiyah on this one, riding convincingly sinister beats right beside breezy, leaned back tracks. Maybe this collection is a little skit-heavy, but there’s also a pretty hilarious shower-themed interlude nestled in with the lot, so who’s complaining? The cherry on top: Fiyah Fox features, "Poses Off", a collab between Fox and longtime friend/fellow Brooklyner Screechy Dan. https://soundcloud.com/largeupdotcom/largeup-sessions-on-radio-lily Fox and the Large Up crew rounded out this release with a killer session on Radio Lily, where the man himself takes the opportunity to further define the mix and the trajectory of his resurgence. There’s a lot of Red Fox out there to be had nowadays, which is a pleasant change of pace. Snag the mixtape here, and add Red Fox on facebook, cause odds are he’ll confirm the request personally.