Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, better known by her stage name Foxy Brown, is an American rapper. After signing to Def Jam in 1996, she released her debut album, Ill Na Na, later that year on November 19, 1996. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA and has sold over 7 million copies worldwide. She was also part of the hip hop supergroup the Firm, along with Nas, AZ and Cormega. The Firm's sole album arrived in 1997 and was released by Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records. In 1999, her second album Chyna Doll, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, making her the second female rapper to top the chart after Lauryn Hill in 1998.
Ill Na Na is the debut studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown, released on November 19, 1996, by Def Jam Recordings. It was reissued on September 29, 1997, in the United Kingdom with an addition of the 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.
Sharissa Dawes is an American singer. Born and raised in New York City's borough of Brooklyn, she began her musical career in the girl groups Triple Dose and 4Kast. 4Kast released their 1998 debut album, Any Weather, which was promoted with the singles "Miss My Lovin'" and "I Tried". After her time in the groups, Sharissa worked as a backing vocalist before she was discovered by Jimmy Henchman.
Case Woodard, known mononymously as Case, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for the 1990s hits "Touch Me, Tease Me", "Happily Ever After" and "The Best Man I Can Be", as well as the early 2000s hits "Missing You" and "Livin' It Up" with Ja Rule. The latter two earned him two Grammy Award nominations.
The Album is the only studio album by American hip hop group 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.
Chyna Doll is the second studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown. It was released on January 26, 1999, by Ill Na Na Entertainment, Violator Records and Def Jam Recordings. After the commercial success of her debut album, Ill Na Na (1996), Brown began working on her second record. This time, she insisted on being the executive producer to have a creative control over the album. She collaborated with a number of producers, such as Kanye West, D-Dot, Irv Gotti, Lil Rob, Swizz Beatz and Tyrone Fyffe, among others.
Broken Silence is the third full-length studio album and fourth recording by American female hip-hop artist Foxy Brown. It was released on July 17, 2001 by Violator and Ill Na Na Entertainment; distributed under Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 131,000 copies. It is certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies in the US. This is Foxy's only album to be released in the 2000s, and is currently her most recent release, as of 2022.
American rapper Lil' Kim has released five studio albums, one remix album, four mixtapes, forty-two singles, and thirteen promotional singles. In 1994, Kim was a member of the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Their first album, Conspiracy, was released in August 1995, and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned the gold and platinum-certified top-twenty singles, "Player's Anthem", "Get Money", and "I Need You Tonight".
More… is the second studio album by American singer Montell Jordan, released on August 27, 1996 through Def Jam Recordings. Though the album performed not as well on the US Billboard charts as his previous album, only making it to #47 on the Billboard 200, More… nevertheless was certified gold by the RIAA on May 21, 1997. The album also spawned three hit singles, "I Like", "Falling" and "What's on Tonight", the later two being certified gold by the RIAA. "Bounce 2 This" also appeared on the ending credits to The Nutty Professor.
"Ain't No Nigga" is the second single from the American rapper Jay-Z's first album, Reasonable Doubt, and is featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 Eddie Murphy movie, The Nutty Professor. It was released on March 19, 1996. The track features Foxy Brown, and uncredited vocals by Jaz-O.
The Professional is the debut studio album by American record producer DJ Clue?. It was released on December 15, 1998 via Roc-A-Fella Records.
"Ain't Nobody" is an R&B/hip hop soul mid-tempo song produced by Dallas Austin for American R&B singer Monica. It was featured on the Nutty Professor official soundtrack, and also was released as Miss Thang's fourth and final single on a double A-side with "Why I Love You So Much" on May 20, 1996. The double-A-side single became Monica's fourth top ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (Consecutive), reaching number 9 and number 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Cradle 2 the Grave is the soundtrack to Andrzej Bartkowiak's 2003 action film Cradle 2 the Grave. It was released on February 18, 2003 through Bloodline Records and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Quad Recording Studios, at Teamwork Music Studios, at Chung King Studios, at Right Track Recording, at Sony Music Studios, at Sound On Sound, at The Hit Factory, at Soul Clap Studios, and at Gold Mine Studios in New York, at the Room Lab in Hackensack, at the Studio in Philadelphia, at Soundcastle in California, at Enterprise Studios in Burbank, at Larrabee West in West Hollywood, and at Battery Studios in Chicago.
"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.
High School High: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Hart Bochner's 1996 film High School High. It was released on August 19, 1996 through Big Beat Records, and consists of hip hop and R&B music. The album features performances by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Artifacts, Changing Faces, D'Angelo, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, Facemob, Faith Evans, Grand Puba, Jodeci, KRS-One, Large Professor, Lil' Kim, Pete Rock, Real Live, Sadat X, Scarface, Spice 1, The Braxtons, The Braids, The Click, The Roots, Quad City DJ's, and Wu-Tang Clan members.
Def Jam's How to Be a Player soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1997 comedy film, Def Jam's How to Be a Player. It was released on August 5, 1997, through Def Jam Recordings.
Big Momma's House: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to Raja Gosnell's 2000 comedy film Big Momma's House. It was released on May 30, 2000 via So So Def Recordings and consisted of hip hop and R&B music. Production was primarily handled by Jermaine Dupri. The soundtrack was a minor success, making it to 41 on the Billboard 200 and 12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and featured three singles, "Bounce with Me", "I've Got to Have It" and "Get Up".
"Candy" is a song by American rapper Foxy Brown featuring American singer Kelis, released by Def Jam on August 21, 2001, as the third single from her third studio album Broken Silence (2001). A dance-pop and R&B track, it was produced by the Neptunes duo Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, who co-wrote the song alongside Brown and Juan Manuel Cordova. Brown raps on the verses while Kelis, a frequent collaborator with the Neptunes, performs the hook. The song was recorded in Virginia Beach and mixed in New York City. "Candy" premiered at the Broken Silence listening party in June 2001, and although it did not receive an official music video, a portion of it was played in the video for the album track "Tables Will Turn".
"Knocks Me Off My Feet" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. It was not released as a single, though it was released as a B-side to "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" four years later, in 1980. The song has also been covered by numerous artists, including R&B singer Donell Jones, who released his version as a single in 1996. Other notable recordings include those by Tevin Campbell and Luther Vandross, both also released in 1996.
"Touch Me, Tease Me" is a 1996 song by American R&B singer and songwriter Case. It serves as the second single from his self-titled debut album (1996). The single proved successful, it reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, was ranked 63rd in the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1996 and was Gold certified by the RIAA. It further reached number 26 in the UK charts.
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