Foxy Brown
Chyna Doll
RAL/Mercury
April 1999 / Issue #115

Source Mic rating: 3 1/2

Record Report
The significance of Chyna Doll isn't its banging beats or that Foxy Brown shamelessly bites Lil' Kim's signature ad libs. Chyna Doll is important because it provides a roadmap through the mind of a Black girl whose self-esteem seems to lie largely in money. For example, "My Life," a rare glimpse into the heart of a very paid Foxy Brown, suggests that Inga Marchand didn't receive enough love at critical points of her development: "Asked Mommy every day, 'When Daddy gon' come?'/ But he never showed up/ I repent for them/ Became demented/ then men, resented them/ just the scent of them made me earl/ especially the baller ones tryin to buy me the pearls/ All I needed was love, all I wanted was love." This autobiographical manifesto almost inspires empathy.

But introspective Inga aside, there's an obnoxious Foxy Brown to contend with. For instance, Foxy breaks down her scandalous, all-too-common game on "I Can't," a mid-tempo R&B track sampled from Wham's "Everything She Wants" that's enhanced by Total's harmonies: "Before I let a nigga just stab the box, I got to have some rock/ Even then, all I do is get they asses hot...By the way baby boy, would you like a taste?/ Let me tell you what I need on those license plates."

Of course Foxy Brown isn't the only one putting down instruction manuals for the aspiring glorified ho. But her conceit and repeated references to haters make hers a bit harder to bare. On "BWA," Foxy even brags about "catchin cases for spittin' in faces" but excuses her disrespectful behavior by claiming that men act up all the time in "My Life."

In the end, Chyna Doll's meticulously produced beats will probably desensitize you to Foxy's often grating lyrics (written by her, Sean Carter and others). With standouts like "BWA," "Ride (Down South)" and "4-5-6," Chyna Doll certainly rocks the body. But it also insults the mind and taxes the soul. Contrary to the all-too popular belief, selling your ass-to "niggas" or the record-buying public-isn't an acceptable means for attaining "money, power, cars and diamond rings." And it damn sure doesn't compensate for real love.

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