Foxy Brown
Inga Marchand (born September 6, 1979 [1] in Park Slope, Brooklyn New York City, New York, United States), better known as Foxy Brown, is a American rapper of Afro-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian descent [2] known for her solo work as well as numerous collaborations and a brief stint as part of hip-hop supergroup 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 Def Jam and his Roc-A-Fella Records label, when he became the president of the company.
While still a teenager, Brown won a talent contest in Brooklyn, and was invited to freestyle on stage. At that time, production team Trackmasters were working on LL Cool J's Mr. Smith album, and they decided to let her rap over "I Shot Ya." The single became a hit, prompting Brown's work with Total, Toni Braxton, Silk and Case, as well as her induction into the Firm posse (led by Nas and also including AZ and Cormega).
Before she had released any material at all, Foxy Brown appeared on several 1995-1996 singles, including her first credit, LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya," as well as Total's "No One Else" remix, Jay-Z's "Ain't No Nigga", Toni Braxton's "You're Makin' Me High" remix, and Case's "Touch Me, Tease Me" along with Mary J. Blige. The success led to a major-label bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and by March Brown had signed with the Def Jam label.
In 1996 Brown released her debut album Ill Na Na to mixed reviews but strong sales. The album was produced by Trackmasters, and featured appearances from Blackstreet, Method Man, and Kid Capri. It hit number seven its first week on the U.S. album chart. Despite some positive reviews, Ill Na Na was heavily criticized for its explicit lyrics, particularly because Brown was thought to be only sixteen years old at the time of the recording. The album went on to go platinum and launched two hit singles.
-- wikipedia.org
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