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It had to be the winter of 1995. Back then, I could watch rap videos and not be disappointed of what I was going to see. A black and white video came on the screen and the first person I see is "The Most Beautifulliest Thing In This World," Keith Murray.
Now from reading the artist of the video and song, it simply read, LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya." It didn't say anything about any features, didn't say anything about Keith Murray. So what the hell was he doing in this video. After him, it was little ass Prodigy. Okay, I'm cool with Mobb Deep. No problem so far. Beat knocks, lyrics were up to par and I hated Tupac and thought this was a jab at him. Then next came Fat Joe, another emcee I had no problem with. Okay, LL! I see what you're doing. Came out with that sucker shit with Boyz II Men and now you're trying to come hard with this one.
Let me make this clear, I was never an LL fan to begin with. I may have liked a few songs here and there, but to compare him to my favorites at the time of Redman, KRS-One and G Rap is funny. Mind you every Tuesday, I was either buying or stealing my favorite's artist's CD's from the local retail store. But back to I Shot Ya. Next up with this black girl I had never seen before. Fine as fuck. Back then, red and white bitches were off limit. It was all about the ghetto looking, gum popping, jacks playing girl I used to like in middle school. My random escapades with random white girls were only told to my closest homeboys, Travis and Derek. But back to this black girl. This girl was fine.
"Thug niggaz give they minks to chinks. To' down we sip drinks, rockin minks, flashin rings and things."
Those were the first words I heard coming from this girl's mouth. Who the fuck is this girl? Since the video didn't list any names, I was left in mystery. All I knew was she had the best verse on the entire song and I went to school, bugging out. Lunch room arguments over hip-hop and this girl. What verse was better, her verse or Lil' Kim's verse on "Player's Anthem." All I knew was, I was in love with this mystery girl!
Months would pass and the mystery girl was popping up on everything.
I'm not even including the song she did with Toni Braxton or Horace Brown. (Who?) But by this time, I knew her name. Foxy Brown. No, not Pam Grier, but Foxy Brown, the one who made Jay-Z famous! I know, I know. Jay-Z is worshiped among the hip-hop community. But lets be honest; Foxy Brown was the only reason why people loved "Ain't No Nigga." Look at Case. Hasn't been much about shit since "Touch Me, Tease Me." But Foxy was doing it. She was everywhere. I remember reciting her lyrics from "Ain't No Nigga" when I was working at Olive Garden with my close friend, Shavone. I was a goner. I remember seeing ads in the source during the summertime of '96 for when her album was dropping. By this time, Lil' Kim was doing her thing. But it was all about Foxy. I mean, Kim did some things to keep my interest.
But it was about Foxy! Summertime came and went and no album. What the fuck? Where's my girl at? I did hear her on Nas's album "It Was Written" and she hasn't dropped her album yet? "Watch Them Niggas" and "Affirmative Action" were my shit! But where's my girl?
To my dismay, Lil' Kim dropped a few singles first and was getting a buzz. She did a cut from the Don't Be a Menace soundtrack that was decent. But when she did "Queen Bitch" from the High School High soundtrack, I knew Foxy better bring it when she dropped her single. But Kim was like, "Hold on, bitch! These are soundtrack cuts. Let me hit you with the official single."
Yep. Foxy was in trouble. So finally one day in my 12th grade year, I got a call from Shavone."
"Yo, you heard it?"
"Heard what?"
"The Foxy Brown song. She finally has a solo song."
"Word! How is it?"
"Blackstreet is singing on it."
"No Diggity Blackstreet. Teddy Riley Blackstreet?"
So I listened to the radio that day, searching for the song. You could listen to the radio back then. And then, I heard the song.
"WHAT THE BLOOD COT BOOMB'COT!"
Where was that hard shit? Where was the "Ain't No Nigga" Foxy? "I Shot Ya" Foxy? "Get Me Home?" What the fuck?
So Foxy had a release date in November and I remember picking it up the same day as Mobb Deep's "Hell On Earth." I remember Kim's CD came out the week before and her shit was tough. Foxy? Just okay. But still, Foxy was my girl.
Years went on and Foxy put out a terrible follow up and fell back for a little bit. Kim was dogging her every chance she could and Puffy was telling females, "Stop trying to sound like her, bitches."
Where was my girl? Where was Foxy? Seemed like she had a fallout from the guy she put on the map (Jay-Z) and was no where to be seen. And then, I had my hand on a DJ Clue mixtape. Capone-N-Noreaga featuring Foxy Brown. "Bang, Bang."What could this song be about. Pressed play on the tape deck.
Rewound Foxy's verse I don't know how many times. My girl was back! Kim was a goner after this verse. So suddenly, Foxy starts dropping singles. Good singles at that. "Oh Yeah" and "BK Anthem" was tough. Her 3rd album wasn't bad, either. She had some joints on there.
And that was it. I'm talking about 2001. Since 2001, if you heard about Foxy, it wasn't about any damn music. It was about her acting a fool. Shit, that was before 2001 as well. Spitting on bitches, beating on Chinese women, etc. In 05, she dropped "Come Fly With Me" which was tough.
My girl was about to drop some shit. But God had other plans.
"You know all these years of you acting a fool? Let me get that hearing."
And that was pretty much it from Foxy when it comes to music. She got her hearing about and when it comes to music, my girl has been incognito. Foxy, wherever you are, the game needs you when it comes to females. You were one of the illest when it came to females. You were eating men up on their own songs. Without you, there would be no Jay-Z. Yes, I said it. No Jay-Z. Rah ain't rapping like that no more and neither is Heather B. And Kim? She isn't doing much either. So I beg you. If you see Foxy at a wing spot, cash register at Wal-Mart, anywhere you might spot her, tell her the game needs her. Until then, I got back to 96 and look and wonder. Someone misses you, baby.
Now from reading the artist of the video and song, it simply read, LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya." It didn't say anything about any features, didn't say anything about Keith Murray. So what the hell was he doing in this video. After him, it was little ass Prodigy. Okay, I'm cool with Mobb Deep. No problem so far. Beat knocks, lyrics were up to par and I hated Tupac and thought this was a jab at him. Then next came Fat Joe, another emcee I had no problem with. Okay, LL! I see what you're doing. Came out with that sucker shit with Boyz II Men and now you're trying to come hard with this one.
Let me make this clear, I was never an LL fan to begin with. I may have liked a few songs here and there, but to compare him to my favorites at the time of Redman, KRS-One and G Rap is funny. Mind you every Tuesday, I was either buying or stealing my favorite's artist's CD's from the local retail store. But back to I Shot Ya. Next up with this black girl I had never seen before. Fine as fuck. Back then, red and white bitches were off limit. It was all about the ghetto looking, gum popping, jacks playing girl I used to like in middle school. My random escapades with random white girls were only told to my closest homeboys, Travis and Derek. But back to this black girl. This girl was fine.
"Thug niggaz give they minks to chinks. To' down we sip drinks, rockin minks, flashin rings and things."
Those were the first words I heard coming from this girl's mouth. Who the fuck is this girl? Since the video didn't list any names, I was left in mystery. All I knew was she had the best verse on the entire song and I went to school, bugging out. Lunch room arguments over hip-hop and this girl. What verse was better, her verse or Lil' Kim's verse on "Player's Anthem." All I knew was, I was in love with this mystery girl!
Months would pass and the mystery girl was popping up on everything.
I'm not even including the song she did with Toni Braxton or Horace Brown. (Who?) But by this time, I knew her name. Foxy Brown. No, not Pam Grier, but Foxy Brown, the one who made Jay-Z famous! I know, I know. Jay-Z is worshiped among the hip-hop community. But lets be honest; Foxy Brown was the only reason why people loved "Ain't No Nigga." Look at Case. Hasn't been much about shit since "Touch Me, Tease Me." But Foxy was doing it. She was everywhere. I remember reciting her lyrics from "Ain't No Nigga" when I was working at Olive Garden with my close friend, Shavone. I was a goner. I remember seeing ads in the source during the summertime of '96 for when her album was dropping. By this time, Lil' Kim was doing her thing. But it was all about Foxy. I mean, Kim did some things to keep my interest.
But it was about Foxy! Summertime came and went and no album. What the fuck? Where's my girl at? I did hear her on Nas's album "It Was Written" and she hasn't dropped her album yet? "Watch Them Niggas" and "Affirmative Action" were my shit! But where's my girl?
To my dismay, Lil' Kim dropped a few singles first and was getting a buzz. She did a cut from the Don't Be a Menace soundtrack that was decent. But when she did "Queen Bitch" from the High School High soundtrack, I knew Foxy better bring it when she dropped her single. But Kim was like, "Hold on, bitch! These are soundtrack cuts. Let me hit you with the official single."
Yep. Foxy was in trouble. So finally one day in my 12th grade year, I got a call from Shavone."
"Yo, you heard it?"
"Heard what?"
"The Foxy Brown song. She finally has a solo song."
"Word! How is it?"
"Blackstreet is singing on it."
"No Diggity Blackstreet. Teddy Riley Blackstreet?"
So I listened to the radio that day, searching for the song. You could listen to the radio back then. And then, I heard the song.
"WHAT THE BLOOD COT BOOMB'COT!"
Where was that hard shit? Where was the "Ain't No Nigga" Foxy? "I Shot Ya" Foxy? "Get Me Home?" What the fuck?
So Foxy had a release date in November and I remember picking it up the same day as Mobb Deep's "Hell On Earth." I remember Kim's CD came out the week before and her shit was tough. Foxy? Just okay. But still, Foxy was my girl.
Years went on and Foxy put out a terrible follow up and fell back for a little bit. Kim was dogging her every chance she could and Puffy was telling females, "Stop trying to sound like her, bitches."
Where was my girl? Where was Foxy? Seemed like she had a fallout from the guy she put on the map (Jay-Z) and was no where to be seen. And then, I had my hand on a DJ Clue mixtape. Capone-N-Noreaga featuring Foxy Brown. "Bang, Bang."What could this song be about. Pressed play on the tape deck.
Rewound Foxy's verse I don't know how many times. My girl was back! Kim was a goner after this verse. So suddenly, Foxy starts dropping singles. Good singles at that. "Oh Yeah" and "BK Anthem" was tough. Her 3rd album wasn't bad, either. She had some joints on there.
And that was it. I'm talking about 2001. Since 2001, if you heard about Foxy, it wasn't about any damn music. It was about her acting a fool. Shit, that was before 2001 as well. Spitting on bitches, beating on Chinese women, etc. In 05, she dropped "Come Fly With Me" which was tough.
My girl was about to drop some shit. But God had other plans.
"You know all these years of you acting a fool? Let me get that hearing."
And that was pretty much it from Foxy when it comes to music. She got her hearing about and when it comes to music, my girl has been incognito. Foxy, wherever you are, the game needs you when it comes to females. You were one of the illest when it came to females. You were eating men up on their own songs. Without you, there would be no Jay-Z. Yes, I said it. No Jay-Z. Rah ain't rapping like that no more and neither is Heather B. And Kim? She isn't doing much either. So I beg you. If you see Foxy at a wing spot, cash register at Wal-Mart, anywhere you might spot her, tell her the game needs her. Until then, I got back to 96 and look and wonder. Someone misses you, baby.
