Released: November 19, 1996
Label: Violator ∙ Def Jam
Genre: Hip hop
Producer: Trackmasters ∙ Chris Lighty ∙ Steve Stoute ∙ Rich Nice ∙ Teddy Riley ∙ George Pearson ∙ Charly Charles ∙ China Black ∙ Divine Allah
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We talk about the legendary rap girlies like Lil’ Kim, Queen Latifah, Mc Lyte, etc, but Foxy Brown needs to be discussed too na! My girl was in her TEENS going bar for bar with rappers her age or older. I couldn’t proceed with my blog without giving my girl her FLOWERS. Foxy Brown is a true rap legend, and her flow and delivery was always fly and simply the SHIT! Fox can flow amazingly on any instrumental or acapella, because she was definitely one of the blueprints of female hip-hop for sure. Foxy’s debut album Ill Na Na was released by Def Jam Recordings & Violator on November 19, 1996.
Ill Na Na is an album that’ll always be remembered for being one of the first female rap albums to debut in the top ten of the Billboard 200 (number 7,) and the first female rap album to have certified plaques outside of the United States. Ill Na Na broke boundaries for female rappers that came after Foxy like Nicki Minaj. The album was truly amazing, from the utilization of samples to the lyrical flow of my girl…Ill Na Na is truly one of the best albums I’ve ever heard period. The album has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you: Foxy Brown’s Ill Na Na.
Intro…Chicken Coop
Written by Richard Jackson ∙ Isaac Hayes
Intro…Chicken Coop has Rich Nice introducing us to Foxy Brown, along with a verse from rapper Cormega..who was an original member of Foxy’s rap group The Firm.
Intro…Chicken Coop contains a sample of:
- I Want to Make Love to You So Bad by Isaac Hayes
(Holy Matrimony) Letter to the Firm
Written by Inga Marchand ∙ Samuel Barnes ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ Isaac Hayes
(Holy Matrimony) Letter to the Firm opens up as the first full song on the album, and is lyrically about her pledging her loyalty and showing respect to her rap group The Firm, while explaining a story of a character based on her who’s setting up a man who is a rival of her crew.
(Holy Matrimony) Letter to the Firm contains samples of:
- Ike’s Mood by Isaac Hayes
- I Love You by Mary J. Blige
Foxy’s Bells
Written by Shawn Carter ∙ Olivier Barnes
Fox Boogie Brown is bad as hell
Foxy Brown, Foxy’s Bells, 1996
Battle anybody, I don’t care if you tell
I excel, they all fail
Suited in Chanel, Fox Brown will rock the bells
Foxy’s Bells is Foxy’s own take on the classic that made LL Cool J a household name. You want to pay homage to the golden age OGs!!!!! Foxy’s Bells is a song that showcases how cold her flow is. There is simply no one better than my girl!
Foxy’s Bells contains a sample of:
- Rock the Bells by LL Cool J
Get Me Home (featuring Blackstreet)
Written by Inga Marchand ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ McKinley Horton ∙ Ronald Broomfield
Get Me Home is an essential song from Foxy’s discography, and was Foxy’s first single as a solo artist. Produced by Trackmasters and Teddy Riley (who was also a member of Blackstreet,) Get Me Home was EVERYWHEREEEEEEE on the radio and music television channels chile. Sampling the classic R&B hit Gotta Get You Home Tonight by Eugene Wilde, the song was a hit on the R&B charts…peaking at number 10. Also, the song was a hit for Brown overseas, peaking at number 2 and 11 on the R&B & pop charts respectively.
Get Me Home contains a sample of:
- Gotta Get You Home Tonight by Eugene Wilde
The Promise (featuring Havoc)
Written by Inga Marchand ∙ Kejuan Muchita
The Promise is another song that showcases Foxy’s phenomenal flow on a record, and contains a feature from Havoc from the legendary rap duo Mobb Deep.
Interlude… The Set Up
Written by Richard Jackson ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ Samuel Barnes
Interlude… The Set Up is the dialogue that sets the tone for the subsequent song If I… and explains how the story of Foxy’s character wanting to end things for good with her lover. Long story short, the lover is a gonerrrrrrr.
If I…
Written by Inga Marchand ∙ Shawn Carter ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ Samuel Barnes ∙ Luther Vandross ∙ Marcus Miller
If I…is one of the greatest storytelling rap songs ever released. A follow up to the prior interlude, has Foxy ‘s character on the album reflecting back at the course of her relationship with her now murdered lover, wishing she could go back to the good times.
If I… contains a sample of:
- Any Love by Luther Vandross
The Chase
Written by Inga Marchand ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ Samuel Barnes
The Chase is yet another album cut that showcases Foxy as the ill ass lyricist she is. A SONG!
Ill Na Na (featuring Method Man)
Written by Shawn Carter ∙ Charly Charles ∙ Clifford Smith ∙ Lionel Richie ∙ Milan Williams ∙ Thomas McClary ∙ Walter Orange ∙ Ronald LaPread ∙ William King
Featuring the legendary Method Man, Ill Na Na is one of my favorites and is one of the standout tracks on the album. I love everything about the production on this song, and of course the lyricism has Foxy talking her shit!
Ill Na Na contains a sample of:
Brick House by Commodores
No One’s
Written by Inga Marchand ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ Samuel Barnes
Being the big S.O.S. Band fan that I am, I fell in LOVE with No One’s INSTANTLY when I first listened to this album. A truly stellar record from Foxy, but we knew that!
No One’s contains a sample of:
- No One’s Gonna Love You by The S.O.S. Band
Fox Boogie (featuring Kid Capri)
Written by Inga Marchand ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ Samuel Barnes
Fox Boogie shows how much Foxy was truly one of the East Coast coldest rappers!
I’ll Be (featuring Jay Z)
Written by Shawn Carter ∙ Jean-Claude Olivier ∙ Samuel Barnes ∙ Bobby Watson ∙ Bruce Swedien ∙ Angela Winbush
Released as the second single from the album, I’ll Be is a song that’s lyrically about sex and money. The song featured Jay-Z, whom she also collaborated with on the Nutty Professor soundtrack for their song Ain’t No N***a. The song became the duo’s highest charting single at the time, peaking at 7 and 2 on the pop and rap charts respectively. I’ll Be has been certified Gold by the RIAA, and was one of the best-selling records from the year of 1997.
I’ll Be contains a sample of:
- I’ll Be Good by René & Angela
Outro
Written by Richard Jackson ∙ Isaac Hayes
Outro picks up where the intro song on at the beginning left off at, and closes out the album.
Outro contains a sample of :
- I Want To Make Love To You So Bad by Isaac Hayes
Foxy Brown will always reign supreme as one of the most remarkable female rappers of her time and all time. Ill Na Na stands the test of time as one of the best hip hop debut albums, and I’ll always defend that statement. The album tells a story of love, sex, betrayal, and money and gave us insight to the brilliant mind of Foxy Brown. 10s! – MW.
markizdj.com 