Foxy Brown 

Rap star and magnet for legal troubles, Foxy Brown very well may have faded into hip hop oblivion when she left Def Jam records in 2003. She received a second chance, however, when she signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. Failing to make headlines with any professional news, Brown remains a topic of discussion by virtue of her endless legal altercations.

Inga Marchand is known popularly by the Pam Grier inspired name, Foxy Brown. She was born September 6 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. The exact year of her birth is a matter of dispute. While Brown maintains on her MySapce account she was born in 1979, official police reports put the date at 1978. Further complicating matters, Brown claimed in 2006 she had been rapping for fourteen years, entering the scene at fourteen. This put her age at twenty eight.

Regardless of her age, one thing is agreed upon. Brown entered the industry at a young age in a somewhat unusual manner. Winning a talent contest, she secured the opportunity to perform at a local concert starring KRS One. Scouting young talent, LL Cool J’s production team was there to see Brown perform. They immediately offered her a role in Cool J’s single, “I Shot Ya.”

Several high profile gigs followed including guest appearances on tracks by Total, Da Brat, Lil Kim, Case, and Toni Braxton.

By 1996, Brown established herself as one of the bright, up and coming talents in the rap game. Def Jam Records squabbled and bid against several other labels before offering the highest price and winning the chance to produce and distribute her debut album.

Before the close of 1996, Ill Na Na hit the shelves. Although sales were strong and the album debuted in the Billboard top ten, critics were less enthused. In particular, they criticized Brown’s overtly sexual lyrics. Album guest stars such as Jay Z, Method Man, and Blackstreet helped curb the critics’ negative feedback and pushed the album into its platinum status.

Following on this success, Brown briefly entered a new group called The Firm. Fellow band mates included Nas, AZ, and Nature. Their album was produced with the help of rap icon Dr Dre. Although it peaked at #1 on Billboard charts, it quickly fell off, ultimately remembered as a flop.

Brown made history with her next album, Chyna Doll, when she became the first solo female rap star to debut at #1 on the Billboard charts. Unable to enjoy her success, Brown entered rehab just one year later to deal with clinical depression as well as an addiction to painkillers.

2001 brought her album Broken Silence to more success. Tensions began to strain at Def Jam, and she switched labels to Roc-A-Fella Records. She found little success here and her legal problems, including an altercation with Jacki O and a separate incident with two manicurists, began snowballing.

She is currently with Koch Records with a new album, Brooklyn Don Diva, expected for a December 2007 release.

Beginning September 7, 2007, she began serving a one-year prison sentence for violating her probation. In August, she announced her pregnancy, meaning she could quite possibly deliver under lock and key should she serve her full sentence.