-
- For the 1974 blaxploitation film, see Foxy Brown (film). For the Jamaican
vocalist, see Foxy Brown (singer).
Inga Marchand, born September 61978 (see Date of birth below, under Controversies), in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York
City, New York, United States, better known as
Foxy Brown, is an American rapper of
Afro-Trinidadian and Asian Trinidadian descent [1]. She is known for her solo work as well as for her numerous collaborations, and
her brief stint as part of hip-hop music group The
Firm. She has released three albums: Ill Na Na (1996), Chyna Doll (1999), and Broken Silence (2001) while
also being featured on Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and
Nature Present The Firm: The Album (1997). After a bitter split with her record label Def Jam in 2003, Brown ended up in label limbo. In 2004, childhood friend and collaborator
Jay-Z signed Brown to his Roc-A-Fella Records label,
when he became the president of the company. Currently, she is signed to Koch Records.
Biography and career
1994–1997: Ill Na Na
While still a teenager, Brown won a talent contest in Park Slope, and was
invited to rap on stage at a KRS-One concert. At the time, production team Trackmasters
were working on LL Cool J's Mr. Smith album,
the pair were in attendance that night and being impressed, they decided to let her rap over "I Shot
Ya."
Brown followed her debut with appearances on several RIAA
platinum and gold singles from other artists, including remixes of songs "No One Else" by Total with Da Brat and Lil' Kim and
"You're Makin' Me High" by Toni Braxton.[2] Brown was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film
The Nutty Professor, on the songs "Touch Me Tease Me" by
Case and "Ain't No Nigga" by Jay-Z.[3]The immediate success led to a
label bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and in March, Def Jam Records won as they
added the then 15-year old talent to their roster.[2]
In 1996 Brown released her debut album Ill Na Na to mixed reviews but strong sales.
The album sold 109,000 copies in the first week, and debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200 album charts.[2] The album was heavily produced by Trackmasters, and featured guest
appearances from Jay-Z, Blackstreet, Method Man, and Kid Capri.[4] The album went on to go platinum and launched two hit
singles: "Get Me Home" (featuring BLACKstreet) and "I'll Be" (featuring Jay-Z).[5]
1997–1998: The Firm
Following the release of Ill Na Na, Brown joined fellow New York based hip hop artists,
Nas Escobar, AZ and Nature to form the supergroup known as The Firm. The album was released via Aftermath Records and was produced and recorded by the collective team of Dr. Dre, The Trackmasters, and Steve
"Comissioner" Stout of Violator Entertainment.
An early form of The Firm appeared on
"Affirmative Action," from Nas' second album, It Was Written. A remix of the song,
and several group freestyles built up the anticipation for the album, Nas Escobar, Foxy Brown, AZ and
Nature present: The Firm. The album entered the Billboard 200 Album chart at #1, selling 218,000 copies its first week in
stores. Despite strong first week sales, the album quickly feel off the charts and became merely a footnote in the careers of the
artists it encompassed. The record was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Following the release of The Firm, Brown
went on to release a single entitled "Big Bad Mama" featuring R&B collective Dru Hill. The
song was a single from Def Jam's How to Be a Player soundtrack, and was also included on a re-release of
Ill Na Na. Brown also contributed to another track on the album, entitled "I Gotta Know" with
recording artists Playa.
1999–2000: Chyna Doll
On January 26, 1999 Foxy Brown released her oft-delayed second album Chyna
Doll which made Billboard Chart history when it became the first album by a female rap artist to enter the charts at
#1, selling 179,000 copies in its opening week.[6] The
album's lead single "Hot Spot" failed to crack the top 50 of the Billboard pop charts, and a follow-up single, "I Can't"
(featuring Total). Chyna Doll was certified platinum by the
RIAA selling 1.5 million copies.[5]
By 2000, several of Brown's friendships in the industry, including those with Jay-Z and
Nas, became strained. Brown announced she was suffering from depression and entered rehab for a drug addiction to
prescription painkillers.
Brown went into damage control mode and attempted to clean up her image with a spread
in Essence magazine's August issue. The article, entitled "Dignity or
Dollars", discussed Brown's run-ins with the law, as well as her stint in rehab and rough childhood. In it Brown stated she
wanted to clean up her image, even appearing clothed in designer dresses and it countered the negative press she received for her
infamous Vibe magazine cover, in which she appeared at 19 years old in a barely
there string bikini grabbing her breast and crotch.
2001–2003: Broken Silence
In 2001, after two years of artistic silence, Brown released Broken Silence.
The single "BK Anthem" showcased Brown changing to a "street" image, rather than the pop-star image that failed with the release
of Chyna Doll . The track gave "props" to her hometown, Brooklyn, and famous rappers
such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. Def Jam
decided to release a music video for the record, which had a similarly urban and home-grown
low-budget feel, and was made as if from a home video camcorder. The second single from the album "Oh Yeah", which featured her
then boyfriend Jamaican dancehall artist Spragga Benz, marked Brown's debut in the reggae/dance hall genre of music. Def Jam cleared a $1 million budget for the video, which garnered
continuous airplay on MTV and BET. Music critics hailed Broken Silence as Brown's most personal work to date. The album
debuted on the Billboard Charts at #5, selling 131,000 units, and becoming Brown's third consecutive top ten debut selling over
1,000,000 copies to date.
In 2003, Brown returned to the music scene briefly on DJ Kayslay's single called "Too Much
For Me" from his Street Sweeper's Volume One Mixtape. That April, Brown appeared on popular
New York radio jock Wendy Williams' radio
show, and revealed the details of her relationships with Def Jam President at the time, Lyor
Cohen and Sean P. Diddy Combs. Brown accused both of illegally trading her recording
masters. She also announced that Cohen shelved her long awaited fourth album Ill Na
Na 2: The Fever over promotional disagreements. Brown tearfully alleged that the overwhelming stress from Def Jam
resulted in her having a miscarriage (she was allegedly expecting her first child with
boyfriend Spragga Benz). Less than 24 hours after the interview was broadcast, Ill Na Na
2: The Fever appeared online for downloading and illegal bootlegging.
2004–Present: Coming Back
In 2004, Brown reunited with her old friend and mentor Jay-Z, when he became the president of
Def Jam and signed her to its subsidiary, Roc-A-Fella Records. Later that year, Brown joined Jay-Z and several other hip-hop acts on his Jay-Z and Friends tour. Brown began recording her fourth solo album, Black
Roses. Though never officially released as a single, the track Come Fly with Me (featuring Sizzla), received airplay mostly on hip-hop radio stations. Tracks such as The Art of War and a remix of
112's You Already Know followed. Later that year, Brown was allegedly involved in a physical
altercation with two manicurists over a $20 fee which Brown allegedly refused to pay.
Controversy continued to follow Brown in April 2005, when female rapper Jacki-O alleged that
she and Brown got into a physical altercation at a recording studio in Miami,
Florida[7]. Jacki said that Brown came into the
studio during her session and expected her to "bow down" to her. She claimed that Brown constantly belittled her and that a
"heated argument" ensued. Jacki alleged that the verbal altercation eventually escalated into a fist fight, with Brown being on
the receiving end. Brown later admitted that there was definitely a verbal disagreement, though she denied that it ever turned
physical. [8]
On December 5, 2005, outside of Manhattan criminal court,
Brown's attorney Joseph Tacopina stated he wanted to confirm rumors that Brown was almost
totally deaf and claimed that he could no longer communicate with her verbally. Brown told reporters on December 15 that she was diagnosed with sudden hearing loss in May while she was recording her upcoming
album. Akon, who was present in the studio with Foxy at the time, spoke about this on
BET on December 31, 2006. Shortly after Tacopina spoke to the public
about her hearing condition, news spread that Brown had fired him. According to reports, Tacopina was never given permission by
Brown or her agent to discuss her medical condition to reporters because his statements had contradicted Brown's statements as to
when she was totally deaf.
In October 2006, Foxy Brown was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to undergo anger management classes for the
physical altercation in a nail salon in 2004. "This is only the first time in two years that I'm pleased with Judge
Jackson," Brown told the Associated Press. Brown was reported to have received an excellent report from probation. She added
that the experience had been positive because "probation forces one into structure". "It is making me grow up," she said.
"I have matured a lot since I started the anger management and realized how much that i needed it."
In May 2007, Black Hand Entertainment announced that they signed a management deal with Foxy
Brown [9]. When asked about Black Hand as a management
home, Brown said, "I needed to connect with a person who understood my struggle completely from where I came to where I
traveled today." Chaz Williams, Black Hand CEO, stated "I think Foxy is an incredible talent and one of the fiercest
female MC's of all time. Her skills and work ethic are undeniable and she has a determination to succeed that I respect. Her
focus is keen, and her music speaks for itself. With the return of her hearing, I think she will have the greatest comeback story
since Mimi [of Mariah Carey]". The release of her
album Black Roses has been scheduled for September 6,2007 [10]
On July 22 2007, MTV.com reported
that there are plans for "Brooklyn Don Diva", a "mixtape", to be releasing before Black Roses [11].
On August 14 2007, it was rumored that Foxy was dropped from
Def Jam. She then went on to jumpstart her own label, Black Rose Entertainment, which will be distributed by independent record
label Koch Records [12]. Brown's next album "Brooklyn's Don Diva" is scheduled to be released in December 2007 [13].
On August 21 2007, Foxy Brown announced that she is pregnant
with her first child and planning to get married.
On September 7, 2007, she was sentenced to one year in jail
and is currently serving that sentence. No mention was made during the trial by anyone about Brown expecting a baby. (See
Legal issues below.) On September 12 2007, her representatives stated the rapper isn't pregnant[14]. The revelation came as her manager and Koch Records announced that Brown would release a new album
while serving her one-year jail sentence. [15]
Controversies
Legal issues
- On January 25, 1997, the 17-year-old Brown spat on two
hotel workers in Raleigh, North Carolina when they told her they didn't have an
iron available. When she missed a court appearance, another arrest warrant was issued and she finally turned herself in on
April 30, 1997. She eventually received a 30-day suspended
sentence and was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.[16]
- On March 6, 2000, Brown crashed her Range Rover in Flatbush,
Brooklyn. She was charged with driving without a license, since her license had been suspended for not paying two parking
tickets. But she hasn't been arrested on that charge since.[17]
- On July 26, 2002, Brown was arrested in Kingston, Jamaica for an altercation with a policewoman at Norman Manley International Airport. When she missed a court appearance two days
later, Jamaican authorities announced that she would be arrested if she returned to the country. [18]
- On August 29, 2004, Brown allegedly attacked two manicurists
in Chelsea, Manhattan during a dispute over a $20 bill that she refused to pay. She
was not charged for the incident until March 7, 2005. She has
denied the charges and initially rejected misdemeanor plea deals on May 6 and August 9, 2005. On October 25, 2006, Brown was sentenced to three years probation and anger
management counseling. Orders of protection were authorized by the court for the manicurists [19].
- On December 23, 2005, Brown was handcuffed in a
Manhattan, New York courtroom after a verbal confrontation with the judge. Brown was in court
to finalize a plea deal stemming from the August 2004 incident. Judge Melissa Jackson thought Brown was chewing gum and asked her
to get rid of it. Brown responded by opening her mouth and sticking her tongue out, not as a sign of disrespect but to show, as
she subsequently claimed, that she had no gum in her mouth. Judge Jackson ordered Brown cuffed to a bench for fifteen minutes,
but when a female court officer attempted to handcuff her they got into a heated exchange over a bracelet the rapper was wearing. Judge Jackson alleged that Brown also struck the officer. When Brown refused
to apologize, she was threatened with thirty days in jail. She eventually apologized to the court. [20]
- On February 15, 2007, Brown was arrested for an incident
in Broward County, Florida [21]. According to the arrest report, Brown was applying beauty products in the bathroom of the Queen
Beauty Supply store when an employee knocked on the door and told her the business was closed so it was time to leave. She
refused and threw hair glue at the employee, the report said. Brown then spat on the man as he called 911, staining his shirt. A
police officer found her in the shopping plaza and tried to get her to return to the store. When the officer placed a hand on her
arm to escort her to the store, Brown swatted it away, then started swinging her arms and struggling with the officer, the report
said. The officer had to "use a take-down maneuver to gain control" of Brown, according to the report. No one was injured.
- On March 1, 2007, Foxy Brown pleaded guilty to a probation
violation for leaving New York state without permission [22].
- On March 22, 2007, Broward County Judge Joel Lazurus issued
an arrest warrant for the arrest of Foxy Brown for her failure to appear in court for the February 2007 incident in Florida. The
judge subsequently withdrew the arrest warrant, Brown appeared in court and pleaded not guilty [23].
- On May 7th, 2007, police were called in Brooklyn after a young
mother claimed Foxy Brown, in a silver Range Rover, almost ran her down along with her baby in a stroller [24]. No charges were filed.
- On August 14, 2007, Foxy Brown turned herself in for the
felony assault charge resulting from hitting her neighbor with a Blackberry [25].
- On August 22, 2007, Judge Melissa Jackson ordered Foxy Brown
jailed until a September 5 hearing for allegedly violating her probation after her arrest in the Blackberry incident. She was
immediately taken into custody. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa Jackson said Brown's sentence will continue the six
months' probation she is already serving. But Jackson warned that if there are any other probation infractions, "I'm reserving
the right to resentence you to jail for one year." [26]
- On September 7, 2007, New York Criminal Court Judge
Melissa Jackson sentenced Foxy Brown to one year in jail for violating her probation that stemmed from the 2004 fight with two
manicurists in a New York City nail salon. "I'm not going to give you any more chances," Judge Jackson told Brown. "I hope you
turn your life around and never again have to stand in a court of law." With time off for good behavior for her detention that
began in August 2007, Brown will be eligible for parole in May 2008. [27]
Power 105.1 controversy
On November 22, 2006 Foxy Brown appeared at New York radio
station Power 105.1 for an interview with morning show hosts Egypt and Donnell "Ashy" Rawlings. As the interview began to air Ashy made remarks, and took
several shots at Foxy's recent hearing loss. Through the rest of the interview Brown refused to answer to Ashy, excluding him
from her conversation with Egypt. The interview became acrimonious when Ms. Brown was asked by Egypt to explain rumors that she
had been dropped from her record label. Ms. Brown contradicted herself, saying first that she was still "signed to Jay" and then that she had "initiated leaving Def Jam." The DJs then asked the rapper
questions including details on her recent conviction for assault, but she declined to answer, berating the DJs for being
"disrespectful" and reminding Egypt that, "I told you when I called you what type of questions I wanted for my interview." At
this point, Egypt ended the interview, stating: "Foxy, you leave the room . . . this interview is over" [28]. A sound clip of the controversial interview during which Brown left the
New York radio station then surfaced on popular blogs and urban websites.
Date of birth
In the artist's own MySpace Account, her
date of birth is shown as 6 September 1979. However, the police report of her arrest in 15 February 2007 [29] shows her date of birth to be 6 September 1978. The accuracy of the
police report has not been disputed by Foxy Brown or her representatives, who assert, nonetheless, that her year of birth is
1979. Foxy Brown herself has added to the controversy when, in the DVD entitled Sub-0, recorded in 2006, she stated that she is
only 26, but went on to state that, while she has been in the hip hop industry since the age of 14, she has been in the industry
for 14 years. This would make her 28 years old.
Discography
Albums
Singles
Guest/soundtrack appearances
Notes & References
External links
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