Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress. She is often credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rap, and pioneering neo soul for mainstream audiences. In addition to being named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR, Hill was listed as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2015, she was named the greatest female rapper by Billboard. Her other accolades include eight Grammy Awards—the most for any female rapper.
Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Eve Jihan Cooper is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actress. Her debut studio album, Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady (1999) peaked atop the Billboard 200, received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned the hit singles "What Ya Want", "Love Is Blind", and "Gotta Man". That same year, she guest featured on the Roots' Grammy Award-winning single "You Got Me", as well as Missy Elliott's single "Hot Boyz", both of which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, better known by her stage name Foxy Brown, is an American rapper. Upon being signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1996, she released her debut studio album, Ill Na Na, in November of that year to critical and commercial success. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), sold over seven million units worldwide, and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "I'll Be".
Ill Na Na is the debut studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on November 19, 1996, and reissued on September 29, 1997, in the UK with an additional song "Big Bad Mamma". Brown began working on the album after being discovered by the production team Trackmasters and appearing on a number of singles by other artists, such as LL Cool J, Case and Jay Z. The immediate success of the singles led to a bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and in March, Def Jam Recordings won and signed the then 17-year-old rapper to the label. Mostly produced by Trackmasters, Ill Na Na features guest appearances from Blackstreet, Havoc, Method Man, Kid Capri and Jay Z. Lyrically, the album mainly focuses on themes of fashion, sex and mafia.
R. is the third solo album by American singer R. Kelly, released as a double album on November 10, 1998, by Jive Records. It marked the first time Kelly worked with other producers as opposed to producing the entire album himself. Its cover artwork uses the same image of Kelly from his 1993 debut 12 Play, only in silhouette form against a red and black background.
"Everything She Wants" is a single by the British pop duo Wham!, released in 1984 under Epic Records. The song was part of a double A-side release with "Last Christmas." Penned and produced by George Michael, a member of the duo, "Everything She Wants" garnered significant acclaim, marking Wham!'s third consecutive million-selling number-one hit in the United States.
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American rapper and singer Lauryn Hill from her debut solo studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as her solo debut and lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony Dent in 2002. At the age of 14, Hilson secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, who disbanded without any releases. She attended Oxford College of Emory University while contributing to material for popular artists, including Britney Spears, Usher, Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige; she joined the songwriting-production group, the Clutch in 2004.
Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady is the debut studio album by American rapper Eve. It was released by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records on September 14, 1999. All of the songs on the album were written by Eve herself. It sold over 200,000 copies in the first week. The album has sold over 2 million copies and was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album features singles such as "Gotta Man", and "Love Is Blind" with Faith Evans. Eve became the third female hip-hop artist to have her album peak at number-one on the Billboard 200.
The Album is the only studio album by American hip hop supergroup The Firm. It was released on October 21, 1997, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The project was created by rapper Nas, his manager Steve Stoute and producers Dr. Dre and Trackmasters, who came up with the idea of forming a hip hop supergroup. The original line-up included Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Cormega who were all featured on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' album It Was Written (1996). However, Cormega later left the group due to artistic differences between him and Nas, as well as contract disagreements with Stoute. He was replaced by Nature prior to recording of the album. The Album is a concept album that revolves around the themes of mafia and "gangsta" lifestyle. The songs on the album were mainly produced by Dr. Dre, Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Trackmasters, and feature guest vocals from Pretty Boy, Wizard, Canibus, Dawn Robinson, Noreaga and Half-a-Mill.
Broken Silence is the third studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown, released on June 5, 2001, by Violator and Ill Na Na Entertainment; distributed under Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 131,000 copies. It has been certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. This is Foxy's only album to be released in the 2000s, and remains her most recent release.
The discography of American rapper Foxy Brown contains three studio albums, one collaborative album, one mixtape, and 16 singles. Brown made her solo debut as a feature on "I Shot Ya" in 1995. Her debut album Ill Na Na released November 19, 1996, became the first female rap album to chart in the Top 10 of Billboard 200 and certified Platinum within three months of its release. Ill Na Na charted in the U.S, Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. She continued her success with The Firm: The Album in 1997 a collaborative album uniting Nas, Az, and Brown. It became her first #1 album on Billboard 200 and was certified Gold in Canada carrying on her international success. In 1998 she released her first single to her 2nd solo studio album Chyna Doll with "Hot Spot". In January 1999 she released Chyna Doll which became the first solo female rap album to debut at #1 on Billboard 200 landing a spot in the Guinness World Records of 1999. It was certified Platinum within two months by RIAA and became her highest charting album around the world. In July 2001 she released her long awaited third solo studio album Broken Silence which was certified Gold by RIAA. Two years later, "Na Na Be Like" despite being a non single from Broken Silence, became a Grammy nominated song for Best Female Rap Solo Performance. Her albums Ill Na Na 2: The Fever set to release in 2003 and Black Roses set to release in 2005 were shelved. In 2007 she was sentenced to prison in Rikers Island. During this time her mixtape Brooklyn's Don Diva was released.
"Hot Spot" is a song by American rapper Foxy Brown, released on November 10, 1998 as the lead single from her second album, Chyna Doll. The song was co-produced by Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob, with lyrics co-written by Brown and American rapper Jay-Z.
"I Can't" is a song recorded by American rapper Foxy Brown featuring the R&B girl group Total. It was released as the second single from her second studio album Chyna Doll in 1999 by Def Jam.
"I'll Be" is a song recorded by American rapper Foxy Brown for her debut studio album, Ill Na Na (1996), featuring Brooklyn-based rapper Jay-Z. It was released as the second single from the album on March 4, 1997, by Violator and Def Jam Recordings. The song was written by Shawn Carter, Jean-Claude Olivier, Samuel Barnes, Angela Winbush, René Moore, Bobby Watson and Bruce Swedien with production by Trackmasters, and samples René & Angela's 1985 song "I'll Be Good". It was recorded at Chung King Studios in New York City, while the mixing of the track was finished at The Hit Factory. "I'll Be" is a hip hop and R&B song with explicit lyrics that revolve around sex and money.
Ill Na Na 2: The Fever was intended to be the fourth studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown. The album was scheduled to be released on May 6, 2003 by Def Jam Recordings, Bad Boy Records and Ill Na Na Entertainment. However, the album was cancelled due to disagreements between Foxy Brown and executive producer Sean Combs.
"Oh Yeah" is the first single from Trinidadian American female hip-hop artist Foxy Brown's third album Broken Silence.
"Did You Ever Think" is a single by American musician R. Kelly, on his third solo studio album titled R. It was the seventh single on that album and charted at the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, at number 27. The remix features rapper Nas and a video has been made for the remix, but not the original. It charted at number eight on the R&B/Hip Hop chart and at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Lost Ones" is a diss song by American rapper and singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25, 1998, through Ruffhouse and Columbia Records. The song was written by Hill and produced by Hill, alongside Vada Nobles and Che Pope. It features an interpolation of "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy. Despite not naming him in the song, the song is widely presumed to be about Hill's former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean.
