On her sophomore effort, Foxy Brown doesn't just present her self-proclaimed "bitch-with-an-attitude" image, she beats you over the head with it. How many times can we hear her say that her "na na" is the illest and that she's incessantly money-hungry? Hearing the same sentiments, often thrown in for no apparent reason, gets very tired very quickly.

Luckily for Brown, one of the redeeming songs comes early in the recording. On the second tune, "My Life," she articulates some of her painful experiences and the downside of fame. In doing so, Brown reveals that she has more to offer than materialism and sexual explicitness (much the way she did on the unjustly overlooked "If I...," an ode to simpler days from her debut album).

On "My Life," Brown raps "...some say it's lewd, but if I was a dude, they'd all be amused. But I'm a woman, so I'm a bitch, simple as that. Double standards, call him a mack, call me a ho..." Her words are unmistakably accurate in their assessment of the sexist attitudes that women in the male-dominated rap game must face.

Brown also addresses the crumbling of her relationship with unnamed former best friend Lil' Kim. She says, "now friends (are) intimidated, hate it that I'm in the same game as them with more fame than them." Brown throws an unfair, and highly inaccurate, accusation Kim's way by implying that their friendship suffered because of the latter's jealousy.

This makes no sense when you consider that both of the rappers' debut albums went platinum, and each has had a top-10 pop single. One can hardly empathize with Brown given her unbelievably innocent air; the song only makes you eager to hear Kim's side of the story.

At times, Brown delivers her signature sassy rhymes in a way that showcases her true lyrical talents. Examples include the otherwise lackluster "It's Hard Being Wifee (featuring Noreaga)" and the crude battle of the sexes "Dog & A Fox (featuring DMX)."

Brown also displays strong rapping skills on "Baller Bitch," which features Too Short and her brother Pretty Boy, but you soon realize that this has little to do with Brown: Too Short appears only in the chorus, and Pretty Boy's weak delivery make you think that having the Pillsbury Doughboy rap wasn't such a bad idea.

The track "Can U Feel Me Baby," on which Brown's sibling takes center stage while she raps only on one verse, is simply disastrous. His attempts at sounding suave are laughable as they do nothing hide his inability to carry an entire song. You feel relieved to hear Brown come in near the end of the song. You don't even mind that her lyrics are among the weakest she has to offer - you're just glad not to hear Pretty Boy and the annoying high-pitched female voice in the chorus for a while.

While the album has its finer moments, including the cleverly smooth-yet-aggressive "I Can't (featuring Total)" and the irresistibly bumping "Hot Spot," it does not have enough to make for a solid recording. Interestingly, a few simple words from "Hot Spot" give insight into a major problem with this release. Brown utters the words, "with my grown a**," with the false air of maturity that plagues most young adults. Most of her the album's lyrics come straight from the mouth of someone who mistakenly thinks that being able to see NC17 films and having passed puberty automatically makes a person a mature adult.

Maybe by the time of her next release, Brown will truly become one.

I was very surprised by this CD. I bought "Ill Na Na" and sold it in a matter of days to a record store that buys used CDs. This one has better music and her vocals are not near as vague. Also, this time, she stands on her own two feet and doesnt talk about the "Firm" for the whole record. One of my favorite songs is "In My Life". She talks about how hard it is and Lil Kim ( I think. ) Now, after 4 years of thinking Lil Kim VERY much superior, I think they are equal. I recommend this to all real hip-hop fans.

Foxy Brown - Chyna Doll (Def Jam, 1998)

Foxy sounds too much like Lil' Kim on this album, from her "whoas" to her higher-pitched voice to her flow. Her lyrics and songs are very subpar compared to her previous album, Ill Na Na. Truly, the guest stars and production save this album from the drink coaster treatment, including Memphis Bleek, Juvenile, DMX, and of course, Jay-Z. A sophomore album that faced the sophomore jinx due to a sophomoric performance. -EJR

It is good but like some other reviews state, it is a bit too heavy on male guest rappers. Excellent album liner notes and photos. I give this album 5 stars based on the mostly quality commercial Hardcore Rap production which I believe is lot better than the mostly annoying rap production in lately! The lyrics tend to be hit or miss, even within the same song. This is no dissappointment to me for the most part, however it could have been better. So, I give 3.5 for the lyrics. Here is my breakdown of each track:

1. The Birth of Foxy Brown 2/5. (Starts off bad, ends off okay).

2. Chyna Whyte 4/5. (Hot track, questionable lyrics. It does not make much sense. It is like a freestyle but it's good).

3. My Life 5/5. (This song seems to talk about her struggles with a friendship, men, and life as a female rapper. This song make you think. Excellent).

4. Hot Spot 4/5. (Not bad for a first single, but sounds like it would have been better done by Lil' Kim).

5. Dog & A Fox feat. DMX 4/5. (This song is all about being a playa and sex. This would be very at home on an H.W.A or 2 Live Crew CD, very obsene).

6. JOB feat. Mya 4/5. (This is the second single from the album that only became a moderate hit. It samples Gwen Guthrie's mid-80's R&B hit "Ain't Nothin' Going on But the Rent." Good rapping and Mya smooth vocal complement it).

7. Bomb Ass 3/5. (An okay obsene 57 second interlude).

8. I Can't feat. Total. 6/5 (The third & largest hit from the album is memorable. This was the last time we saw the Total together before they disappeared. Foxy have a good flow on this one. It samples "Everything She Wants" by the Pop group Wham).

9. Bonnie & Clyde Part II feat. Jay-Z. 4/5. (I don't know when there was a part one to this song. Maybe it was "I'll Be" from "Ill Nana." Nice track with good raps by both Foxy and Jay).

10. 4-5-6 feat. Beanie Siegel & Memphis Bleek 5/5. (This song has is a cool music with really good raps by Beanie, Memphis & Foxy. Good Hardcore rap song).

11. Ride (Down South) feat. Eigthball, MJG & Junvenile 3/5. (This song has good production with good raps, however, it is too long. So, one begins to lose interest after the 4 minute point).

12. Can U Feel Me Baby feat. Pretty Boy 3/5(This one grows on you. It takes a few listens to enjoy it).

13. Baller B*tch feat. Too Short. 3.5/5. ( Too Short does the hook. Good).

14. BWA feat. Mia X & Gangsta Boo 4/5. (A catchy Hardcore Rap song which may be too explicit for some. It's good and attitude-ladden).

15. Tramp 5/5. (One of the highlights on this album with old school beats and good raps. The hook is sampled from a Salt N' Pepa song also called "Tramp").

16. Baby Mother 3/5 (This interlude has shock-value. It's good if you enjoy crude humour).

17. It's Hard Being Wifey feat. Noreaga 2/5. (This comes off as contrived and faux. It's alright buy hardly any good. It is pretty obsene). This is a flawed but good album with too much lyrical filler.

First off....Foxy is one of the best, If not the best rapper out there. If you wanna fault anybody about the way the album is, Fault Jay Z. Everybodys say'n he pen'ed most of this album and Ill Na Na. Think about.... After the album dient sell like he thought it should, He was no where to found. Thats the same thing he did to Amil. With out a doubt, he put her on and after she dient sell she was droped from roc a fella. The thing is he was all about a doller and at the same time messed up there careers . Fox was strong enough to overcome that and still rise above! DONT GET ME WRONG, the album is hot and its worth every penny!