NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Before there was Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, or Nicki Minaj, there was Foxy Brown and Lil Kim. Two female MCs from Brooklyn, NY who set the Hip-Hop world on fire with their delivery, skill, and appeal.
While women were already a force in Hip Hop thanks to MCs such as Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo, MC Lyte and others, Foxy and Kim changed the game in more ways than one. During the 90s, they were the two biggest female rappers in the game and they were just scratching the surface.
Being from the same city one would think that they would join forces. Not just coming from Brooklyn but with Kim being under Biggie and Foxy under Jay Z, their pairing was pretty much a no-brainer. However, it never came to be.
Somewhere along the way, the two ladies became enemies. Not like what we see today, they hated each other for real. No longer willing to hide their feelings, they took to their music to express their feelings.
On the track “Notorious Kim” off her second album, Kim took a shot a Foxy
This chick running around with this stink ass gapAnd them fake ass raps having panic attacksYou ain’t a star and your record company know thatHow you make all this money you just fart and blow it?I’m a business woman now so I’m not concernedI’d bet on Lil’ Cease before you and your firmIf this was back in the days I would’ve been snatched youI’m getting money now, them bitches in the hood they can have youStop paying these niggas to write y’all shitFor the right cream I’d write a hot sixteenBetter be careful what you say to meThat same shit you shit, I’mma make you sniff
Foxy, returned fire with a brutal verse on Capone & Norega’s “Bang Bang” track
Ain’t you supposed to have a little bitta Bed-Stuy in ya?Brooklyn don’t raise hoes, just slip, and graze hoesWhat bitch? You’re soft and your pussy name hoesSo fuck ya niggas too, them niggas can get it tooThem faggots act more bitch then youLet the nigga rest in peace, and hop off his dick, bitch do youAnd ya’ll hoes is like “Fuck Fox, ” well screw ya’ll tooLet’s be truthful, give a fuck if your album push backOr when it hit the streets, bitch, you’re still weak
But this wasn’t your ordinary beef. This war of words would extend well beyond the booth. While shots were fired on the mic, it caused real shots to be fired outside of Hot 97 in which Lil Kim would end up spending 1 year in prison behind.
Who won the war? Well, you may get a different answer each time. As far as lyrics go, My finger has to point in the direction of Foxy. That verse was just lethal. Regardless if either female wrote their bars or not, they both spit flames.
Did Lil Kim Get The Best Of Foxy Brown
While their verbal beef was good for Hip Hop and helped usher in a new breed and era of female MCs, their feud also deprived the Hip Hop community of a great album.
Def Jam supposedly offered the two MCs a large sum of cash to do a joint album that would have been titled “Thelma and Louise”. However, due to egos, the two could not work together. At that stage in their careers, this would have been the female version of a Bigge and Pac or Jay and Nasir collaboration.
To this day, the two are not on speaking terms. It’s a shame how a friendship turned sour and how Hip Hop was robbed. Lim Kim and Foxy Brown should have been bigger than what they were. They ruled the charts, had the streets, and had the backing of major players in the game, but they couldn’t get past their issues.
