Foxy Brown Deserves Her Flowers As A Pioneer During Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Queue Points reflects on the glaring omission of Foxy Brown during #HipHop50

Sep 05, 2023

As hip-hop celebrates 50 years, it’s been refreshing to see the celebrations of the Black women who’ve had major impacts on the culture at all levels. One glaring omission has been the career of Foxy Brown, who helped to revolutionize how women were regarded in hip-hop, and helped lead rap music to Pop domination in the late-1990s.

Foxy Brown's debut album, Ill Na Na, released in 1996, marked a defining moment in hip-hop, especially for women artists. At a time when the industry was predominantly male-dominated, Brown's assertive lyrics and audacious persona created a sensation, carving a space for women emcees to express themselves with unapologetic confidence.

With tracks like "Get Me Home" and "I'll Be," the album showcased her distinctive vocal style, seamlessly blending both street narratives and sultry R&B vibes. Beyond its commercial success, debuting at number seven on the Billboard 200 and securing a platinum certification, the album shifted the cultural conversation. It challenged perceptions of gender within the hip-hop community and set the stage for future women rappers to embrace their individuality, sexuality and lyrical prowess.

We discussed this record on Queue Points #25.

Chime in … what can Foxy Brown do to reclaim her legacy? Let us know in the comments.

What’s your favorite single from Ill Na Na?

Ill Na Na served us two singles, primarily lead by Trackmasters, that helped secure its platinum status. A third single from the era, “Big Bad Mama,” was released from the film How to Be a Player and subsequently added to a European version of the album.