Foxy Brown album Chyna Doll

Foxy Brown
album Chyna Doll
Release Date: January 26, 1999
Label: Def Jam

Review :

Joining a cadre of similar-sounding and conceptually cloned efforts, Foxy Brown’s Chyna Doll takes its place among a field of equally mundane offerings. While Brown has shown some maturation, especially on cuts like the surprisingly personal "My Life," she’s still talking about her "ill na na" ("Tramp") or making pretentious bids for big Willie (Wilma?) status ("4-5-6").

Mostly, though, Chyna Doll just sounds like any number of New York-based rap albums, especially with its commercial formula of shuffling high hats, catchy hooks, and recycled funk loops. In the end, Brown’s self-exploitive (sexually and racially) cover art is likely to offer more provocative statements than the album itself.

Foxy Brown’s Chyna Doll isn’t nearly as bad as most people make it out to be. In Fact this cd isn’t bad at all and still gets many spins from me. People are quick to compare Foxy to Lil Kim when in reality she would eat Lil Kim alive in a battle. I can honestly say that Foxy is at least five times better than Lil Kim. Personally, I don’t see how or why people hate this album so much. This cd is in some ways better than her debut cd, but not quite as good as Broken Silence. I believe Foxy Brown has gotten better with each subsequent album.

The beats on Chyna Doll are a lil bit commercialized, but does that make it a worse record? I Don’t think so. The first single off the album, Hot Spot, is a classic club party starter. Foxy Brown continues to grow as an artist and her lyrics are better on this album. Her delivery has improved and her beat selection is a notch above the spotty production found on Ill Na Na. Dog and A Fox featuring DMX is excellent but also is the song that started the rumors that something was going on between DMX and Foxy.

This song in part inspired Foxy’s breakup with ex-fiance’ and lyrical member of the Dogg Pound Kurupt. Kurupt saw something a lil deeper than just the song and decided to address it on the song Callin Out Names from his 1999 LP Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha, where you can tell he was obviously enraged and hurt. This and other events I won’t discuss caused Foxy to go into a state of depression and basically lit the fuel for her best album Broken Silence. Enough about that, let me get back on topic. If you want more on this you can email me.

She collabs with Total on the albums standout `I Can’t’ which rocks an excellent sample of "Everything she Wants", and is Total’s last significant contribution to the hip hop and R&B world. JOB featuring Mya makes use of another great sample of "Aint Nothing Goin On But The Rent". She collabs with Jay-Z on the scandalous Bonnie & Clyde Part II which is tight. 4-5-6 has Foxy outshining a hungry Beanie Sigel and a young Memphis Bleek, who drops one of the best verses I have ever heard from him over a thuggish street cipher beat. She gets down and Dirty on the collaboration "Ride" with Eightball, MJG, and Juvenile. The beat is one of the Suave House’s greatest and is really hitting. She reps her "woman" status with Gangsta Boo and Mia X on BWA; each lady shows their lyrical skills. It’s Hard being Wifee is another insanely tight song that features Noreaga dropping an excellent chorus and the beat is just excellent as well.

This album is a great advance from her debut album Ill Na Na. Off the strength of albums, Foxy Brown is one of the best out right now. She keeps improving her music and lyrics every album and that is an accomplishment that many can’t seem to grasp. This disc is painfully underated and hated on for no apparent reason. Despite the haters and dream takers this cd is well worth your time and money. I recommend it.

Tracklisting :

1. Birth of Foxy Brown
2. Chyna Whyte
3. My Life
4. Hot Spot
5. Dog and a Fox
6. Job
7. Bomb A**
8. I Can’t
9. Bonnie and Clyde, Pt. 2
10. 4-5-6
11. Ride (Down South)
12. Can U Feel Me Baby
13. Baller B****
14. BWA
15. Tramp
16. Baby Mother
17. It’s Hard Being Wifee