Froggy Fresh

October 14, 2018 at Fete Music Hall

Internet sensation and parody rapper Froggy Fresh, formerly known as Krispy Kreme, is finishing his final tour as Froggy Fresh before moving on to a more serious rapping career under his real name, Tyler Cassidy. Froggy Fresh rose to fame in 2012 with the release of a music video for his original track, ‘The Baddest.’ The video was comprised of shaky shots of him and his best friend, Money Make Mike, holding guns and rapping about being “the baddest of them all.” Scared? Don’t be. Froggy Fresh’s origins were not explicit and had the most harmless lyrics: “I beat you sleep with a nightlight / ‘Cause you’re scared of the dark / And you stink like a fart / Well I’ll light your fart of fire with my rhymes.”

Photo by Juliette Paige for WRBB.

When I arrived at Fete Music Hall in Providence, I was shocked to see the rather large music venue filled with only 40 middle-aged folk, college students with piercings and wearing flannel, and families with matching Froggy Fresh shirts. In that moment, I realized that everyone had their own specific reason to be there at the concert – that is, no one casually goes to a Froggy Fresh concert.

After the two openers, Fury (Leathal Wreckords) and Sky Swamp Orange, Froggy Fresh stormed the stage in black basketball shorts, a black shirt, and a backpack. Appropriately, he opened his set with ‘The Baddest’, and I couldn’t stop laughing in the hook when all five-foot-three of him rapped the lines “Y’all think I don’t get girls ‘cause I ain’t very tall.” While Froggy Fresh performed his older music, a projector played the corresponding music videos on a screen beyond him. Audience members naturally followed Froggy’s motions from the videos as if it were a choreographed dance.

Photo by Juliette Paige for WRBB.

Despite how dedicated his fans were to his performance and music, Froggy struggled with stage presence and confidence. He struggled to maintain eye contact with the audience and walked in circles on the stage throughout the entire set, occasionally stopping to give a ten-year old a high-five. His best friend, Money Maker Mike, who’s a fixture in Froggy Fresh’s music videos, appeared on stage for several songs. However, Mike only sat or stood in the corner of the stage and interacted with Froggy very briefly.

After performing his parody hits, Froggy invited his guitarist on stage to perform three new songs as Tyler Cassidy: ‘Along for the Ride,’ ‘Junkie,’ and ‘Boyfriend.’ I was extremely curious to hear his new music, but the songs fell flat from their overly played out lyrics and how his raspy voice didn’t blend well with the acoustic guitar. I honestly preferred his parody work because his ridiculous lyrics and presence became something the entire audience could shamelessly laugh and jam to.

Regardless of the lower points in the show, it was really great and heartwarming to see a majority of the audience­ know all the words to his songs. Seeing families (I’m talking mom and dad with their elementary school children) all singing and dancing along with Froggy Fresh was a really refreshing experience since I’m usually in Boston venues filled with college students. The concert was weird, hilarious, and uncomfortable all at the same time, and now I can say that I saw the baddest of them all in person.

All photos by Juliette Paige

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