Freddy Cricien
Encyclopedia
Freddy Cricien [also known as Freddy Madball] (born November 4, 1976) is an American Emcee and vocalist for the hardcore band Madball
as well as one of the vocalists for Hazen Street
.
He is the younger half-brother of Roger Miret
of Agnostic Front
. The two have the same mother who is of Cuba
n descent and different fathers - hence the different last names. Freddy's father is from Colombia
.
Freddy originally lived in Florida
when his older brother Roger was living in New York
and performing with Agnostic Front. Roger would write to Freddy telling him of touring and being in a band, and when Freddy was about 7 years old he began to ride along with AF on tour and ended up living in New York permanently. Roger and AF guitarist Vinnie Stigma took him under their wings and even let Freddy sing along with their cover of The Animals
' "It's My Life". Around 1989 the idea came up to form a band with Freddy on vocals. Madball was originally formed as Freddy singing with the rest of Agnostic Front backing him up. Ball Of Destruction, Madball's first album, was a mishmash of older AF songs and other covers as well as unused songs. Soon after that came such albums as Droppin' Many Suckers
, Set It Off
and Demonstrating My Style
, of which 2 are playing off the name of the DMS ("Doc Marten Skinheads") Crew, who Madball was a major part of. In July 2007, another album - "Infiltrate The System" - was released.
According to Freddy, he also works construction jobs, and has taken jobs at places like UPS
. He is still seen, though, as almost on par with his older brother as an icon and cornerstone of the New York Hardcore scene, and in all of hardcore as well.
Freddy occasionally does guest appearances on albums of other bands. For example: Fear Factory
(vocals on the bonus track Agnostic Front
song Your Mistake), Deviate (vocals on Last Judgement), Sick Of It All
(vocals on Forked Tongue on the Death to Tyrants
album), H2O
(guest vocals on the song 'Guilty By Association' on the F.T.T.W. album), 25 ta Life
(guest vocals on 'Loyal To Da Grave' on the Strength Through Unity album), Shutdown (guest vocals on 'Few and Far Between' on the album under the same title), Skarhead
(guest vocals on 'I Won't Change' on the album Kings at Crime, also on the song 'Skarhead' off of an early compilation.
Freddy also moonlights as an MC with DJ Stress as the hip hop
duo Freddy Madball & DJ Stress. His debut solo album as a hip hop artist, Catholic Guilt, came out in November 2009.
Madball
Madball is a New York-based hardcore band that originated in the late 1980s, as a side-project of Agnostic Front .- History :Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members...
as well as one of the vocalists for Hazen Street
Hazen Street
Hazen Street is a supergroup that formed in early 2004.The band features Freddy Cricien and Hoya of New York hardcore band Madball; Toby Morse of hardcore band H2O; David Kennedy of post-hardcore band Box Car Racer, hardcore punk band Over My Dead Body, and later neo-progressive rock band Angels &...
.
He is the younger half-brother of Roger Miret
Roger Miret
Roger Miret is the vocalist for New York Hardcore outfit Agnostic Front as well as the street punk group Roger Miret and the Disasters....
of Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
. The two have the same mother who is of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n descent and different fathers - hence the different last names. Freddy's father is from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Freddy originally lived in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
when his older brother Roger was living in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and performing with Agnostic Front. Roger would write to Freddy telling him of touring and being in a band, and when Freddy was about 7 years old he began to ride along with AF on tour and ended up living in New York permanently. Roger and AF guitarist Vinnie Stigma took him under their wings and even let Freddy sing along with their cover of The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
' "It's My Life". Around 1989 the idea came up to form a band with Freddy on vocals. Madball was originally formed as Freddy singing with the rest of Agnostic Front backing him up. Ball Of Destruction, Madball's first album, was a mishmash of older AF songs and other covers as well as unused songs. Soon after that came such albums as Droppin' Many Suckers
Droppin' Many Suckers
Droppin' Many Suckers is the debut full length release from New York band Madball.-Track listing:...
, Set It Off
Set It Off
Set It Off is a 1996 action and crime film directed by F. Gary Gray, and stars Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise , as four close friends in Los Angeles, California who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery...
and Demonstrating My Style
Demonstrating My Style
Demonstrating My Style is an album by New York hardcore band Madball. In 2007, it was rereleased by Roadrunner Records as a double album also containing Look My Way.-Track listing:...
, of which 2 are playing off the name of the DMS ("Doc Marten Skinheads") Crew, who Madball was a major part of. In July 2007, another album - "Infiltrate The System" - was released.
According to Freddy, he also works construction jobs, and has taken jobs at places like UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
. He is still seen, though, as almost on par with his older brother as an icon and cornerstone of the New York Hardcore scene, and in all of hardcore as well.
Freddy occasionally does guest appearances on albums of other bands. For example: Fear Factory
Fear Factory
Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
(vocals on the bonus track Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
song Your Mistake), Deviate (vocals on Last Judgement), Sick Of It All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
(vocals on Forked Tongue on the Death to Tyrants
Death to Tyrants
Death to Tyrants is Sick of it All's eighth album, released on April 18, 2006. On this record, the band introduced a much heavier and stronger sound...
album), H2O
H2O (American band)
-Prologue:Prior to the formation of H2O, in the early-mid-1980s, Todd Morse and Rusty Pistachio were part of the speed punk band "Roadside Petz". This band featured Wayne Williams on drums...
(guest vocals on the song 'Guilty By Association' on the F.T.T.W. album), 25 ta Life
25 ta Life
25 ta Life is an American band from New York City, originally formed in Queens, N.Y. in mid-1991.- History :The band was started by Frank Smarra and Harry Minas in Astoria, Queens, N.Y., they were soon joined by Fred Mesk and together wrote most of the material that would be on their early...
(guest vocals on 'Loyal To Da Grave' on the Strength Through Unity album), Shutdown (guest vocals on 'Few and Far Between' on the album under the same title), Skarhead
Skarhead
Skarhead is a hardcore punk band from New York City. The band is a side project from lead singer Lord Ezec aka Danny Diablo of Crown of Thornz, and includes members of Madball and Subzero. It is considered the originators of thugcore music, a subgenre of hardcore punk "full of relentless breakdowns...
(guest vocals on 'I Won't Change' on the album Kings at Crime, also on the song 'Skarhead' off of an early compilation.
Freddy also moonlights as an MC with DJ Stress as the hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
duo Freddy Madball & DJ Stress. His debut solo album as a hip hop artist, Catholic Guilt, came out in November 2009.