Foxy Brown's sophomore outing,
Chyna Doll, entered the U.S. album charts at number one, then quickly plummeted, largely due to its lack of imaginative beats, insightful rhymes, and a real hit single. The album opens with an introduction consisting of
Brown's mama giving birth to li'l
Foxy, all the while yelling obscenities and "I own the hookers, I own the pimps," then giving what she owns to her baby. Lovely indeed.
Brown's reputation as a hoodish sex kitten, played to the hilt on this album, comes off as more pornographic than sexy, evident on the track "Dog and a Fox" (with
DMX). Other tracks, such as "Job," which features
Mya and samples
Gwen Guthrie's "Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent," and "I Can't," which features
Total and samples
Wham!'s "Everything She Wants," are completely lackluster, despite the presence of well-known hooks and R&B singers. There are a couple of interesting tracks, such as lead single "Hot Spot," "Can U Feel Me Baby," and the early rap retro-sounding "Tramp," but for the most part, this album is full of unappealing, pornographic raps, lame beats, and pathetic gangster posturing. The sophomore slump is evident here, but the charismatic
Brown fortunately redeemed herself in 2001 with
Broken Silence. [
Chyna Doll was also released in a "clean" edition, containing no profanities or vulgarities.] ~ Jose F. Promis