Foxy Brown

Brooklyn's Don Diva certainly has spunk to spare. The diva in question is Miss Foxy Brown. She's been saddled with controversy in recent years, and she's seemed extremely quiet musically, since 2005's "Come Fly With Me" single. Now, she's back with a new album on Koch, and though it's not mindblowing, Foxy makes a respectable return to form on Diva. Her trademark don't-screw-with-me-cuz-there's-a-gat-in-my-handbag rhymes drive the album. The title track kicks off the record with a big beat and newscasters describing Foxy's release from jail. She turns up the heat with a vitriolic rap that sounds like a death march through NYC. She exclaims, "Fly bitch, still ghetto," and there's no reason not to believe her. However, it becomes a theme throughout that Foxy's attempting to prove how "gangster" she still is. "We Don't Surrender" and "We're On Fire" both couple club-ready beats and Foxy's gruff delivery for danceable results. However, both songs see Foxy once again justifying her "thug," even though a reggae-style chorus saves "We're On Fire."

Of course, she drops in some dirty rhymes at various spots. Let's face it; it wouldn't be a Foxy Brown record if she didn't. For proof, bump "Dreams of F****** A D-Boy" and "When The Lights Go." Both incorporate some understated moaning and panting for added effect. Elsewhere on the record, "Too Real" features a great guest spot from labelmate and longtime hustler AZ. Definitely, Don Diva has its moments, but it lacks that fresh vitality that made Foxy's early records hits. Her delivery feels muted, and she falls back on too many old tricks, rather than employing new ones. "Star Cry" shows some vulnerability, by baring Foxy's soul a little bit. She proclaims herself "Hip hop's bad girl for ten fuckin' years." That may be the case in some ways, but the Diva's got a little work to do to get back on top.

—Rick Florino
05.29.08

You'd think seven years -- turbulent years that involved a bout with near-total deafness and in-public temper issues that led to some time behind bars -- would allow Foxy Brown more than enough time and experiences to make Brooklyn's Don Diva anything but a reheated version of 2001's Broken Silence, but that is what it most resembles, as opposed to a bold step forward or a reclamation of her power. A couple tracks and a few stray lines aside, these verses could have been dashed off by the MC at just about any earlier point in her career -- a shame since the hypnotizing likes of "Too Real," featuring snaking and skanking production from Statik Selektah (and a verse from AZ), and "Star Cry" hint at how potent the album could've been, given the soul-searching tension between anger, sadness, and swaggering combativeness. During the latter, she temporarily rejects her possessions and fame, fights back tears through "I'm just like y'all, but I probably hurt more/After 13 years I feel I deserve more." But these moments are few and far between, moderately satisfying only for those who have been eager to get their hands on a new Foxy Brown album since the 2005 single "Come Fly with Me" (unfortunately not included here). Retraced steps, backed by an assembly line of knockoff production work, are the rule. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide