Today, Sept. 6, is the birthday of Brooklyn rapperFoxy Brown. Foxy turns 40 today.
Growing up in Brooklyn, Foxy was discovered at a young age by the production group Trackmasters after winning a local talent show. Foxy's delivery and charisma stood out on stage and in 1996, Foxy was signed to Def Jam Recordings at just 17 years old. With the lane for female rappers still being relatively new territory, Foxy drew comparisons to Lil Kim from early on in her career and the two were pitted against one another. Nevertheless, Foxy dropped herdebut albumIll Na Na in 1996. With features from Jay-Z, Blackstreet, Method Man and more and the spawn of two dope singles, "Get Me Home" and "I'll Be," the album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.
It was also in 1996 when Foxy became the first lady of the hip-hop supergroupThe Firm. Composed of all East Coast rappers, Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature dropped their first and only album together, titledThe Album, under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records in 1997. Despite receiving lukewarm reviews, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and helped to skyrocket Foxy's fame.
Foxy went on to release two more solo albums,Chyna Doll (1999) andBroken Silence (2001), but was plagued by legal troubles and stints in jail throughout the early 2000's. In 2005, Foxy said she had suffered from hearing loss which delayed the release of her albumBlack Roses. To date, Foxy is said to be working on her fourth studio album,King Soon Come, and earlier this year, the rapper welcomed her first child, ababy girl.
Happy Birthday, Foxy Brown!
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