Flashback Who's That ...

Before Nicki Minaj..... there was Foxy Brown and Lil Kim who were trailblazer in the rap game, both were two successful crossover female rappers, who were holding their own in a largely male dominated genre.  It's been 20 years since Case's 'Touch Teach Me' , Toni Braxton's 'You Makin High' and Jay Z's 'Aint No N*gga' so from the jump, you knew that Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand aka Foxy Brown, was something far different from the average female rapper, she could 'spit' with the fellas and hold her own. PLUS she was a 'banger' (gorgeous).  She caught the eye of many labels, which lead to a bidding war, Def Jam was the victor.  She released her debut CD entitled the 'Ill Na Na' in 1996, which sold over three million copies.  On the heels of her success, she joined rappers Nas, AZ and Nature to form the supergroup 'The Firm' on Dr Dre's' Aftermath label, then came her next solo masterpiece 'Chyna Doll' in 1999, and Broken Silence in 2001.  Her star was constantly rising, which led to more collaborations.  I think her rival with 'Lil Kim' though friends in the beginning, both wanted to be the 'Griselda Blanco' of the rap world.   After 2002, she continued recording verses for herself and other artists but did not release any albums; she left the Def Jam label in 2003, thus canceling the release of her Ill Na Na 2 album.  Mixed in with her personal demons, which landed her in jail for assault and nearly going deaf.  She returned to Def Jam in January 2005 after then-Def Jam president and CEO Jay-Z signed her back to begin work on her new album Black Roses. In December 2005.   A fourth studio album, which originally was a mixtape, was released in May 2008.   It's now 2014 and we're 'still' waiting for the return of Ms' 'Ill Na Na' and the bigger question is ... does she still have game?  I say yes! Come back to us Foxy Brown, when you were on the scene, you kept things interesting.

The Ill NA NA ... Ms. Foxy Brown