Foxy Brown

Unsurprisingly, Foxy Brown's fourth album is as riddled with designer references as some hip-hop stories are with bullet holes. Which is not to say that Foxy is superficial or that her fashion statements are anything other than fighting words. After all, this is the woman who went to prison over a manicure-related crime. She's made a career with tough as (her) nails rhymes, and Brooklyn's Don Diva offers more of the same. But we find ourselves wishing Foxy would let her guard down more and really talk about what a rough time she's had, like on the almost heart-wrenching "Star Cry."

Midway through her fourth album, Foxy Brown claims that her "piss is clean" — a sensible
thing to boast, since she's addressing her parole officer. Recently released after eight
months in prison, the New York rapper spends much of Brooklyn's Don Diva covering her
pre-jail legal problems and pesky media coverage: On "We Don't Surrender," she raps, "I got
a 32-shot clip aimed at Page Six." Despite the tabloid-worthy subject matter, a co... More >