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Inga Marchand (born September 6, 1978 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States), better known as Foxy Brown, is an American rapper of Afro-Trinidadian and Chinese Trinidadian descent. Her ancestry and her exact place of birth have been the source of controversy. She is known for her solo work as well as numerous collaborations and a brief stint as part of hip-hop musicgroup 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, the largest independent record label in the North America.
While still a teenager, Brown won a talent contest in Brooklyn, 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." The single became a hit.
Brown followed her debut with appearances on several RIAA platinum and gold singles from other artists, including Total's "No One Else" remix with Da Brat and Lil' Kim, Case's "Touch Me Tease Me" (both from The Nutty Professor soundtrack), and Toni Braxton's "You're Makin' Me High (remix)". 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.
In 1996 Brown released her debut album Ill Na Na to mixed reviews but strong sales.The album sold 200,000 copies in the first week, and debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200 album charts. The album was heavily produced by Trackmasters, and featured guest appearances from Jay-Z, Blackstreet, Method Man, and Kid Capri. Ill Na Na was heavily criticized for its explicit sexual lyrics, as were the ghostwriters involved in the project, particularly because Brown was only sixteen years old at the time of the release. The album went on to go #1 platinum and launched two hit singles; "Get Me Home" (featuring BLACKstreet) and "I'll Be" (featuring Jay-Z).
Following the release of Ill Na Na, Brown joined fellow New York based hip hop artists, Nas Escobar, AZ Sosa 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 Sosa 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, but was termed by some as a flop within Dr. Dre's catalogue of producing.
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 the lead 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. The movie and soundtrack both performed well.
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 180,000 copies in its opening week. 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 for shipment of 1,500,000 copies.
At the end of 1999, Brown and her fiance, rapper Kurupt, ended their relationship due to strong rumors of her being involved with DMX. 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.
In 2001, after two years of artistic silence, Brown released the critically acclaimed Broken Silence album. The single "BK Anthem" showcased Brown returning to her "street" image, rather than the pop-star image she attempted with the release of Chyna Doll despite having been raised in the suburbs. 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/dancehall 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 900,000 copies.
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 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.
A few months later Brown appeared on the cover of the popular hip-hop magazine XXL, and shared her desire to leave Def Jam. In late 2003, Brown got her wish and was released from the label.
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), gained very little airplay 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. 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. Brown said that Jacki was "disrespectful" and that she exaggerated the incident to gain publicity for her upcoming project.
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.
On December 15, 2005, Brown held an emotional press conference in New York City, where she revealed that she is now 100% deaf due to sensorineural hearing loss. At the conference, Brown was surrounded by many supporters, including supermodel Tyson Beckford, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee Simmons and rapper Doug E. Fresh. People magazine featured an article on Brown that further described her condition and treatment. She underwent surgery in early 2006 in hopes of restoring her hearing. Post recovery, Brown claims to have restored 100% of her hearing, and that she plans to finish working on her fourth solo album, Black Roses, for a 2007.
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. 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.
On 22 July 2007, MTV.com reported that there are plans for "Brooklyn Don Diva", a "street album", to be releasing before Black Roses.
On 14 August 2007, it was announced that Foxy has left Def Jam to jumpstart her own label, Black Rose Entertainment, which will be distributed by independent powerhouse Koch Records. Foxy's new album "Brooklyn Don Diva" will be released in December 2007.
On 21 August 2007, Foxy Brown announced that she is pregnant with her first child and planning to get married.
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