Chyna Doll [PA] - Foxy Brown (Rap)

...second album. Then in 1999, Chyna Doll dropped into the mainstream. Fueled by the incredible sales of the hit single "Hot Spot", Foxy had appeared to be on top of the world again. Was she? In terms of single success... yes. But is the album any good and does it live up to Ill Na Na? Can she actually rap well without riding Jay's shoulder? All this and more... NEXT.

The opening track "Chyna White" is unique because ...
...style combo of consistency on Chyna Doll that she possessed on Ill Na Na, then perhaps she'd be more respected as one of the best femcees in the game. Unfortunately, her hit ratio isn't exactly a positive one. It's become pretty much conclusive that Foxy is pretty mediocre by herself and needs Jay to write for her; at least, that's my view of it. While there are some standout tracks here, the album is just too boring to me to garner anything positive ... more

Okay, a quick recap.

Foxy Brown debuted on LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya Remix" WAYY back in 1996 and spit one of the hottest debut verses since Nas' "Live at the Barbeque" four years prior. Soon after, she locked up with Nas, Cormega, and AZ and formed The Firm, a shortlived group which dropped one album before going their own separate ways. After getting signed, she released Ill Na Na which got critical acclaim for being a good album, but also hurt her reputation because Jay-Z ghostwrote most of it. Yeah, that's a problem, but the album was still a nice piece of music... it's just not ALL her. Apparently Foxy wanted to prove the naysayers wrong and prove that she CAN indeed rap well, so she set to work on her second album. Then in 1999, Chyna Doll dropped into the mainstream. Fueled by the incredible sales of the hit single "Hot Spot", Foxy had appeared to be on top of the world again. Was she? In terms of single success... yes. But is the album any good and does it live up to Ill Na Na? Can she actually rap well without riding Jay's shoulder? All this and more... NEXT.

The opening track "Chyna White" is unique because it manages to perfectly bridge the stylings of Foxy's first and third albums, and I suppose you can call this progression (or degression, in my opinion). Foxy's flow is boring and the beat is a bit too radio-friendly, but the subject matter is straight out of Ill Na Na, with Foxy fully incorporating her "kingpin bitch" image, taking it to the streets with cautionary tales but still lacking the fire and hunger she displayed on the debut. On the contrary, "My Life" is a perfect example of Foxy slowly regressing more and more into the shallow, egostical, and obnoxious Lil Kim persona. All Foxy cares about is her riches and how everybody is jealous of her because of it, which is just the kind of subject matter that makes me push the skip button. Do her lyrics save the track? Nope. It seems that since Jay-Z is no longer her ghostwriter as of this album, "her" lyrics have suffered tremendously. The beat is somewhat boring too.

"Hot Spot" was her big single from this album, and a big improvement over the first two tracks. The electric guitar melody blended with killer bass is one of the most recognizable beats of the late 90s, and Foxy's flow is as potent as ever. The lyrics are a big improvement as well as the sheer vocals; you can tell Foxy is more focused on here and actually sounds meaner. This song is just a pure jam for the clubs or wherever else you wanna bump it.

You know when you hear somebody growling and barking when a track starts, you know DMX is going to be on it. "A Dog and a Fox" is very ill. DMX and Foxy are tailor-made for each other on this track and have a lot of chemistry together. Foxy's charisma and demeanor fits nicely with DMX's near-psychotic cadence, and the beat is one of those late-90s, Swizz Beats overproduced wonders (compared to a lot of the crap he put out later). While Foxy is decent, DMX is the show-stealer:

"Cheese to that Columbian Connection
From that cross-the-water section
Baby nine-seventeen, try for protection
Injection of that shit I'm kickin'
Got you stickin' niggas you got love for
Bring 'em up, touch 'em with the buzz saw..."

But regardless of how hard she tries, Foxy just can't avoid mediocrity this time around. Is it my fault I'm so rough on her? Of course not. When you've got a really solid first album and come back about three levels below what you had in the past, there's a problem. "Job" for instance... is just... bad. An obnoxious Mya appearance unseranades your eardrums with constant offkey crooning and unnecessary funk guitars sets the backdrop for Foxy's somewhat decent... yet bored... delivery, proving that the "R&B-rap single" style doesn't always work. "I Can't" isn't much better. On here, Foxy teaches her female demographic how to use their... ahem... "bodyparts" to get what they want. Clearly Lil Kim subject matter here, further cementing my suspicions of a horrid Foxy crossover. The song's subject matter and lyrics won't enthrall anybody, and if anything, the beat and decent hook can somewhat put you through the track. "Bonnie & Clyde Part II" finds the old duo of Jay and Fox' coming back together for their weakest collaboration ever, without a doubt. The 1999 sell-out Jay-Z is in full form here and backed by Foxy's average cadence, there really isn't much worthy here. Yes, the concept is almost identical to the one Jay used years later with Beyonce on a track entitled... yup... "03 Bonnie and Clyde". How creative.

It's incredible to think that a Beanie Sigel verse from back in this day could actually be a good thing. "4-5-6" is a great track, combining Beanie's rugged delivery with Memphis Bleek's annoying whining and Foxy's trademark dark cadence. Yes, these three actually sound good together, except Bleek is so whack that it makes it difficult for me to breathe. Either way, Beanie is hot and so is Fox and those two combined with the violin flicks in the beat actually made me enjoy this on quite a few listens.

Sadly, that intermission of good music doesn't last. Foxy goes back to mediocre, below-average musicmaking rather fast, and it boggles my mind as to why you'd WANT to do a song with a "derty souf" rapper. Well she does a song with three. "Ride (Down South)" features Cash Money's former hero Juvenile and 8-Ball and MJG, who suck. This kind if brainfreezing rap is horrendous, with constant flashy remarks and jewelry flossing; it makes me sick. All four performances are just tremendously bad. The track is simply one big volcanic erruption of commercialism with average lyrics, an average beat, and virtually no depth or substance at all. Does a song need depth? Not always... but then again... when have you ever heard an 8-Ball song with substance?

But oh no, Foxy continues to fall into the deep hole of whackness which is honestly, probably deeper than her vagina by now. "Baller Bitch", "BWA", "Tramp" are three songs that honestly make me wonder what she was smoking while recording this record. "Baller Bitϑh" is essentially the same fem-cee song you've heard on the radio for the past 10 years. That's right, the same. Foxy sits there and tells us how rich she is, how everybody wants to have sex with her, etc etc etc... its boring. I think Foxy's hot just like the next guy, but I'm starting to question whether or not I'd enjoy a night with the Brown. I mean, if her songs are true, it'd be like throwing a hot dog down a hallway. Hah! "BWA" could be an early view of what Krunk music would be. An overproduced beat with Foxy screaming her angry lyrics about tearing clubs up, drinking, and beating people up. Yup, that sure is Krunk, and I hate it. No thanks... I'd rather eat foreskin. "Tramp" is just the worst of the three. The beat is possibly the most degrading piece of feces since "Shorty wanna ride". This song will literally put you to sleep, as it's midnight as I write this and am getting drowzee. Are the lyrics good? Hah! Yeah, if you like open heart surgery while you're awake. AHHHHHHH! THAT HURTS.

In what comes as a surprise, the last song on the album is VERY good... AND it features Noreaga, but he doesn't rap. GOOD... cause if he rapped, it probably would be closer to a 1 star song. "It's Hard Being Wifee" is an honest portrayal of a woman being cheated on and the anger that she experiences during it. Foxy teaches these females how to literally fuck the man up, and no, I'm not talking about "Hit Em Up Style" isht. The rising violin melody and hard bass give the song an epic feel and Nore's chorus is... good... but man his voice sucks. That's pretty much the only real con I can think of when it comes to "It's Hard Being Wifee", since it's got lyrics, a nice beat, and good subject matter.

Had Foxy Brown kept the substance and style combo of consistency on Chyna Doll that she possessed on Ill Na Na, then perhaps she'd be more respected as one of the best femcees in the game. Unfortunately, her hit ratio isn't exactly a positive one. It's become pretty much conclusive that Foxy is pretty mediocre by herself and needs Jay to write for her; at least, that's my view of it. While there are some standout tracks here, the album is just too boring to me to garner anything positive of it as a whole. No, it's not as completely worthless as Broken Silence, but yeah, it's pretty bad. Sorry, but I'll have to reccomend that you folks pass this one up. Bottom Line is, the Ill Na Na is far from ill anymore...

2 Stars 

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