Foxy Brown: Empowering Generations Of Women In Rap

A list of the biggest influences of women in rap would be incomplete without a mention of Foxy Brown. Born to Trinidadian parents in Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 1978, Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, popularly known by her rap moniker, has paid her dues. Brown has met pretty much every requirement for Hip Hop legend status. She’s a chart-topper, a Grammy-nominated artist, and also a pioneer woman rap act, influencing many after her.  

Foxy was also a rap supergroup The Firm member, boasting star members Nas, Cormega, and AZ. The Firm’s exclusion on Billboard’s 2023 50 Greatest Rap Groups list drew criticism from Cormega on Instagram. Despite early setbacks in Brown's career, including health and legal issues, she has achieved a discography and impact that many hip-hop artists would aspire to. She has also influenced several female rappers, who have gone on to replicate her flow and likeness. 

Foxy Brown attended Brooklyn College Academy High School, the alma mater of fellow rap contemporary Lil Kim. After winning a local talent show in 1994, she featured on LL Cool J’s hit “I Shot Ya,” which catapulted her to fame. Foxy leveraged this, being featured on tracks by Toni Braxton, Case, and Jay-Z within the next three years.

Foxy Brown signed to Def Jam Records in 1996 at 17, releasing her debut album Ill Na Na the same year. “I’ll Be,” a single off the album, spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at the seventh spot. Foxy, alongside rappers AZ and Cormega, featured on “Affirmative Action,” a track on Nas’s It Was Written album. The four rappers went on to start a hip-hop supergroup known as The Firm. The supergroup released just one studio album, The Album, in 1997.

In 1999, Brown released her second album, Chyna Doll, to critical acclaim. Chyna Doll debuted at the No. 1 spot. This marked the second rap album by a woman to achieve this, following 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Meanwhile, Foxy released her third album, Broken Silence, in 2001. “Na Na Be Like,” a track from this project, scored Foxy a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rap Solo Performance.

Importantly, Foxy’s beef with rap legend Lil Kim has spanned almost the entirety of both of their careers. Although they share similar backgrounds, the Brooklyn-born rappers and former industry friends are not cordial today. The peak point of their beef was a shooting incident in February 2001 between Lil Kim’s crew and Foxy’s friend Capone’s entourage. In a separate update, Foxy Brown’s first major guest appearance since 2009 was on Nicki Minaj’s “Coco Chanel,” a single off her Queen studio album. 

In December 2005, Foxy Brown announced that she had experienced sudden hearing loss in both ears since June 2005. She had surgery in 2006 to restore some of her hearing, but only 20 percent was successfully restored. Not to be deterred, she continued recording music, reportedly having someone in the booth tapping beats on her shoulder.

Not without her fair share of past legal trouble, Foxy has spent time in jail for offenses ranging from assault to criminal contempt. Her most recent stint reportedly came in 2007 after she spent time in prison for violating the terms of her parole. She was also arrested in 2010 for criminal contempt, but by the following year, the charges were dropped.

Foxy Brown is widely recognized as a trailblazer in Hip Hop. She has earned significant praise and admiration from her fans and contemporaries. She dropped bold, sexy, and confident music throughout her career, influencing a new generation of women in rap. In addition, Foxy is also widely regarded as an early fashion icon in terms of women rappers. Her star-studded roster of celebrity designers who wanted to dress her was endless. 

Several artists have also paid homage to Foxy Brown’s work as one of the inspirations that got them into music and rap. These artists include Megan Thee Stallion, Kash Doll, and Ivorian Doll. Fellow Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj stated on her Queen Radio podcast that she may have never started rapping if it wasn’t for Foxy Brown. 

She also reunited with The Firm in 2020 on “Full Circle,” a track from Nas’s King’s Disease album. While media sources have stated that Foxy Brown is working on a fourth studio album, no promotional materials have yet been released. Above all, even though her legal issues often overshadow her legendary status, Foxy Brown’s impact on Hip Hop is not questioned.

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