Foxy Brown Brooklyn's Don Diva CD

Personnel: Arnold Mischkulnig (keyboards, programming); Gintas Janusonis, Shaun Darson (drums).
Audio Mixer: Arnold Mischkulnig.
Recording information: Big Yard Studio, Kingston, Jamaica; Blackhand Studio; Deseca Studio, Kingston, Jamaica; TrackFire Studios, Hillside, NJ; Tuff Gong Studios, Kingston, Jamaica.
After eight months in the belly, the Ill Na-Na returned with plenty of stress to get off her chest. Packed with memorable guest appearances, catchy radio-ready hooks, and hardcore street anthems, BROOKLYN'S DON DIVA sees the female MC return to the same level of mic command that she displayed on her debut. As always, Foxy's approach is aggressive and battle-hungry and her sex appeal and appetite for seduction constitute much of her boast-based lyricism, occupying the space that most testosterone-fueled rappers reserve for drug-sales, gun skills, and money stacks. Production comes courtesy of Street Radio, Jamal Doctor, Stereotype, Young Gavin, Will Fulton, Statik Selektah, and Fizzy Womack of M.O.P. AZ, Dwele, Mavado, Jay Rush, DeMarco, Morgan Heritage, Spragga Benz, Kira, Prinz, Lil Mo, and Grafh are featured.
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