At just seventeen, this Brooklyn-bred rapper more than lives up to her namesake
Foxy Brown has achieved more in one year than most MC's achieve, period. She guested on singles with
LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Toni Braxton, and Case all before the release of her debut album, "Ill Na Na" in
November, which peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Top 200. In spite of the powerful voice and expert
rhyme skills that belie her age, much ado has been made of Brown's come hither looks, exposed flesh,
and abundantly sexual lyrics. Inappropriate to some, certainly a source of sensate joy to others, she sees
her image as an expression of personal freedom, feminism, and blatant self-promotion. Like her
namesake, the otherworldly, no-nonsense heroine (played by friend and mentor Pam Grier) in the
blaxploitation classic, "Foxy Brown," this Brown is every bit as alluring, excessively straight-forward, and
serenely self-confident. Looking back on her first year in the biz, Brown has little to regret. She's too
busy.
RSO: I hear you're between promotional tours.
Foxy Brown: Yeah, I'm about to pack. I just finished a tour up in Canada, and I'm going to Japan next
week. Do you know that I just got added to the Lollapalooza tour? They have one rapper a tour and they
only want Foxy. So how is it? Is it like alternative groups? I've never heard of it.
Pretty much.
(Thoughtfully) Okay. That's a whole different market.
Do you have any more collaborations on the horizon?
Yeah, they're trying to put a song together with me and Alanis Morissette. I *love* her. Her and Courtney
Love, but they trying to get that Alanis thing going.
Would you teach her to rap?
(Laughs) I know, right, that would be the funniest thing ever.
Did you have time to finish high school last year?
I did, last June. But I couldn't stay there! I was going to school up until Case's video for "Touch Me,
Tease Me" was out on MTV, then I started to get stalkers. I had this one crazed person following me. I
guess people sit in class with you and then they go home, you're on MTV and they're like 'Yo, what the
f--k.' No matter how much you try to keep it real, it was never keepin' it real enough. So I had to quit
school for the last 6 months and did a take home class. I didn't even get to walk down the aisle. I just got,
'Here's your diploma, peace in the Middle East.'
So how many times have you seen the movie Foxy Brown?
Oh, man, I was watching it last night! It's my favorite movie, definitely. You'd be surprised what an
impact Pam Grier has had on me. I think she's just the ultimate bitch. She's this sassy, sexy, will like
shoot you in a minute, no bullsh-t bitch. In person, she's like my second mother. I know she'll always be
there for me.
You're friends?
She's like my mother. She'll tell you. We just did a Vibe cover together, and it was like Foxy meets the
Baby Foxy. She has no kids - so it's I'm like her daughter and she's gonna make sure I'm protected in this
industry. For my third video, she's gonna be in the beginning, sittin' at a bar with a cigar. She's gonna say,
'You know what Foxy? I've been watching you, and I think you're ready. Foxy Brown I'm passin' it
down to you.' And she'll hand me a torch. It's gonna be real dope.
How did you meet?
When LL [Cool J] released "I Shot Ya" she was like, "I want to know who this Foxy is." She just called
me and said, "Foxy, this is the O.G. Foxy," and we clicked. She's 47, and quick to tell you, but she looks
like 20. No kids, still acting -- she's got her own production company. We might do some acting together -
[Def Jam CEO] Russell [Simmons] wants me to get on "New York Undercover." But just one thing at a
time, I'm in no rush. I have bags under my eyes. Literally. I have a cold too. But I had to do some
shopping today.
What do people misinterpret about you the most?
The stereotypical things about Foxy Brown -- they talk about materialistic subject matters. And my lust
for being open with my sexuality. I think they misinterpret that as being raunchy, but I think it's just
identifying with yourself. You see, I've had a different success story. For years and years, women had to
dress down to be noticed in hip hop. Now that Little Kim and I are doing this whole sex and feminism
thing and it's starting to come back to hip hop. People aren't ready to accept it yet, I think.
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
To the fullest. I've never had to go through like, 'Oh, she's a girl, she's wack,' because I've been accepted,
but I just think that if men can say, excuse my language, 'f--k a bitch,' why can't I say, excuse my
language, 'f--k a nigger.' You know what I mean? I just want to be accepted, not for a female or a male,
just accepted, period. For being me.
Do you think that you lose any respect because of the way you dress?
Some people call me scantily clothed, but, like I say, on a regular day, I'm all covered up. It's marketing,
it's promotion, and no one can ever say they're not in hip hop for the money. Or music for the money. I
mean, be real. I'm just real. This is what I want to talk about, this is how I feel. If people can identify
with it, then hey. Just look at the females that are winning right now, like Madonna. Some people can do
it and some people can't.
Millie Jackson, Madonna, even Bessie Smith, back in the' 20s and '30s. And Pam Grier, for instance. I'm
not saying you have to exploit yourself and go down to the total dogged-out bitch era with no clothes on,
but if that's the way you feel like expressing yourself, there's no problem.
Is it strange to be in the public eye at 17?
It works and it doesn't. I got pulled over by the cops yesterday, I think just because they saw a '97 Benz
with a young girl in it. And I was with my boyfriend. So they pulled us over and I didn't have my license
with me. The cop recognized me, and was like, 'Wait a minute, you're 17, you can't even get a license." I
tried to tell him I just turned 18. He was like, 'Nah, I'm gonna let you go.' So it works in the way that
people feel sorry for you. And you know, I guess I'm more mature than 17. If you sat down with me and
we hung out, you would never even think I was 17.
I bet a lot of guys don't like to hear that you have a serious boyfriend.
Yeah, he's on the road with me now. We got engaged. (Giggling) We got engaged! We've been together
almost a year. I've never been open with it, but they've seen us in public now. On Hot 97 they were
saying like, 'Foxy has this massive diamond ring.' I've never met anybody like him. He's supportive, he
understands. I'll come home one day, be crying, because one day can be the best day in the world and the
next can be the worst. He'll be like, 'Well here's what you gotta do, and you gotta stay on top of your
this.' He's so supportive.
Who would you like to work with in the future?
Mary J. Blige, definitely. But she surprised me and put me on her new album. Still, that would be dope. I
don't want to do too many more features. I want to just hold my own next album. And I mean, who's
left? I guess the next person is Whitney. I have Toni, so the next person is Whitney. I got everybody else.
ANTHONY BOZZA for Rolling Stone (Feb.7, 1997)