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Inga Marchand -- a.k.a. FOXY BROWN or the Ill Na Na -- was born September 6, 1979, in Brooklyn,
New York. In her Park Slope childhood days, young Inga was mesmerized by blaxploitation films. She watched practically
every one, and chose Pam Grier's title character Foxy Brown as her moniker.
Foxy and her childhood friend LIL KIM (who Foxy is often compared to) fantasized
about the days that they would be successful in the rap world. It was almost a fairytale and form of escape for Foxy, who
did not have a good relationship with her ever-absent father. Her big break came along in 1994, when she won a talent contest
and was therefore invited to freestyle on a Brooklyn concert stage. Incidentally, Trackmasters decided to let the foxy lady
rap over an LL Cool J track, "I Shot Ya". LL Cool J's Mr. Smith was in production at the time, and the album became
one of Foxy's tickets to stardom.Ill Na Na was released in 1996, and debuted in the 7th spot on the Billboard
charts. Produced by the Trackmasters, the album also featured contributions by Blackstreet,METHOD MAN and Kid Capri,
and the production assistance of MOBB DEEP, Suga Bear and China. Selling more than 1.5 million copies, the album spawned the
Blackstreet and Foxy Brown smash duet, "Get Me Home".
A year after her work with The Firm, Foxy Brown released her second solo effort, Chyna Doll.
No disappointment to former Foxy Brown fans, the freestyler continued to rap about exactly what she wants from men, and continued
to emphasize her love for high-fashion.
And this album is chock-full of guests as well; some old, some new. Chyna Doll welcomes
Total, Eightball, Juvenile, and her mentor, Jigga Man. The album, which has gone on to sell more than 800,000 copies,
is just as mature as its predecessor, while Foxy's materialistic loving, Prada and Benz, sexually explicit lyrics feature
a Foxy Brown well beyond her years.
THE FIRM
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In the years that followed, Foxy made guest appearances on several singles, such as
Sisqo's "Thong Song" remix, and most notably, CNN's "Bang Bang." During this time, she also pursued a modeling career, landing
campaigns with Calvin Klein and Christian Dior, among others. On July 17, 2001, Foxy Brown released her third solo album,
Broken Silence, after a yearlong delay. The critically acclaimed album debuted at number five on the Billboard charts.
. In early 2002, Brown re-signed with Def Jam Records in a joint venture with P. Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment and negotiated
an Ill Na Na Entertainment label deal with the Universal Music Group. She began work on a fourth album, entitled Ill Na
Na 2: The Fever. In February 2003, Foxy was nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Female Rap Solo category for her
song "Na Na Be Like," but lost to Missy Elliot at the ceremony. In May, she released "I Need A Man," the lead single from
Ill Na Na 2: The Fever. Disputes with Def Jam CEO Lyor Cohen delayed the album's release, and, in October, Foxy announced
that she had been released from her contract with Def Jam, her album shelved indefinitely. In late October, Foxy Brown shared
the details of her departure with radio and television personality Wendy Williams in a tell-all interview and announced several
projects under development, including a new recording contract with an unnamed label, a starring role in a motion picture,
an MTV reality series, and a fur outwear line.
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