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Ill Na Na

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Ill Na Na
Studio album by
Foxy Brown
ReleasedNovember 19, 1996 (1996-11-19)
Recorded1995–1996
Studio
GenreHip hop[1]
Length41:11
Label
Producer
Foxy Brown chronology
Ill Na Na
(1996) 		The Album
(1997)
Singles from Ill Na Na
  1. "Get Me Home"
    Released: September 15, 1996
  2. "I'll Be"
    Released: March 4, 1997
  3. "Big Bad Mamma"
    Released: July 28, 1997

Ill Na Na is the debut studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on November 19, 1996, and reissued on September 29, 1997, in the UK with an additional song "Big Bad Mamma". Brown began working on the album after being discovered by the production team Trackmasters and appearing on a number of singles by other artists, such as LL Cool J, Case and Jay Z. The immediate success of the singles led to a bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and in March, Def Jam Recordings won and signed the then 17-year-old rapper to the label. Mostly produced by Trackmasters, Ill Na Na features guest appearances from Blackstreet, Havoc, Method Man, Kid Capri and Jay Z. Lyrically, the album mainly focuses on themes of fashion, sex and mafia.

Ill Na Na debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 with 128,000[2] copies sold in its first week. It has sold over a 1.4 million copies and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also includes other certifications such as; Gold in Music Canada (MC) for selling over 50,000 and Silver in British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 60,000.

Three singles were released from the album. "Get Me Home" was released on September 15, 1996. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Radio Songs chart. The second single, "I'll Be", also noted a commercial success, was released on March 4, 1997. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Brown's highest charting single. The song was ranked number 52 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs. Another song, "Big Bad Mamma" was released July 28, 1997, and was featured on the soundtrack to the film How to Be a Player (1997). Though not released on the original album, it was added to the European reissue in 1997. It peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album pushed and broke boundaries for female rappers. It became the first female rap album to debut in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, the first female rap album to have certified plaques outside the U.S., and highest selling and fastest female rap album of 1996 to go Platinum within 2.7 months.

Background and recording

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Between 1995 and 1996, Brown went into the recording studio to record her debut studio album, originally set to be released in October 1996. The album featured guest appearances by Blackstreet, Havoc, Method Man, Kid Capri, and Jay-Z with a majority of the production by the Trackmasters. Ill Na Na produced two hit singles, "Get Me Home" featuring Blackstreet, and "I'll Be" featuring Jay-Z. Ill Na Na was re-released in 1997. The song "I'll Be" was ranked number 52 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs" list in 2008.[3]

Singles

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"Get Me Home" is the first single from Ill Na Na. The song peaked at number 42 on the U.S. Billboard Radio Songs charts and number 10 on the U.S. Billboard R&B charts.

"I'll Be" is the second single released from Ill Na Na, produced by the Trackmasters and featuring Jay-Z. Released on March 4, 1997, "I'll Be" quickly became a hit, peaking at 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, at the time becoming both Foxy Brown and Jay-Z's highest charting single. Two months after its release on May 2, "I'll Be" was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies. To date it remains Foxy Brown's only song to earn a certification.

"Big Bad Mamma" is the final single on the Ill Na Na, performed by American rapper Foxy Brown and American R&B group Dru Hill and from the soundtrack to the 1997 film, How to Be a Player. The song also appeared on the re-issue of Ill Na Na. The song, which was produced by the Trackmasters and based around an interpolation of Carl Carlton's "She's a Bad Mama Jama", became a semi-successful hit, peaking at 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, Foxy's second highest charting single as a solo artist. The single was released with the then reunited EPMD's "Never Seen Before" as the B-side.

Commercial performance

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In the United States, Ill Na Na debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 and at number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 128,000 copies in its first week,[4] and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within three months of its release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold over 1,450,834 copies in the United States.[5] In Canada, it was certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA). In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 98 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Worldwide, the album sold over 7 million copies to date.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[1]
Muzik5/10[8]
RapReviews7/10[9]
USA Today[10]
The Village Voice(dud)[11]

USA Today wrote: "While she spends too much time on interludes about her crew, Brown rhymes smoothly on everything from raw sex to the glamorous life."[10]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro...Chicken Coop"
  • Rich Nice
3:17
2."(Holy Matrimony) Letter to the Firm"
3:26
3."Foxy's Bells"
  • Trackmasters
3:20
4."Get Me Home" (featuring Blackstreet)
3:49
5."The Promise" (featuring Havoc)
4:20
6."Interlude...The Set Up"
  • Jackson
  • Olivier
  • Barnes
  • Nice
  • George Pearson
  • Trackmasters
1:00
7."If I..."
  • Trackmasters
3:42
8."The Chase"
  • Marchand
  • Olivier
  • Barnes
  • Trackmasters
3:18
9."Ill Na Na" (featuring Method Man)
  • Charly "Shuga Bear" Charles
3:06
10."No One's"
  • China Black
  • Divine Allah
3:42
11."Fox Boogie" (featuring Kid Capri)
  • Marchand
  • Olivier
  • Barnes
  • Trackmasters
4:31
12."I'll Be" (featuring Jay Z)
  • Trackmasters
2:58
13."Outro"
  • Hayes
  • Jackson
  • Nice
0:42
Total length:41:11
1997 European reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Big Bad Mamma" (featuring Dru Hill)
  • Trackmasters
3:53
Total length:45:04

Sample credits

Notes

  • Some enhanced editions of the album include the music videos for "I'll Be" & "Get Me Home" as tracks fifteen and sixteen.

Personnel

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Adapted from the Ill Na Na liner notes.[12]

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 60,000*
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,450,834[5]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Bernard, Jim (December 13, 1996). "Music: Foxy Brown – Ill Na Na". Entertainment Weekly. No. 357. New York: Time Inc. p. 82. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  2. ^ Faison, Datu (December 7, 1996). "Rhythm Section". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 49. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 26.
  3. ^ Singh, Amrit (September 29, 2008). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  4. ^ Faison, Datu (December 7, 1996). "Rhythm Section". Billboard. p. 26. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Odum, Shanel (October 2007). "Where My Ladies At?". Vibe. p. 50. ISSN 1070-4701. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2015 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "Where is Foxy Brown Now? Know All About Her - News". June 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ill Na Na – Foxy Brown", AllMusic, All Media Network. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  8. ^ Ashon, Will (February 1997). "Foxy Brown: Ill Na Na" (PDF). Muzik. p. 111. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  9. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (August 16, 2022). "Foxy Brown :: Ill Na Na". RapReviews. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Jones, Steve (November 19, 1996). "Foxy Brown, Ill Na Na". USA Today. p. 6D.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert (January 28, 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. p. 56. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  12. ^ Foxy Brown (1996). Ill Na Na (liner notes). Def Jam.
  13. ^ "Top Selling Albums: Issue 9804". RPM ". Library and Archives Canada. February 10, 1997. Retrieved April 11, 2023. See LW column for peak position.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Foxy Brown – Ill Na Na" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Foxy Brown – Ill Na Na" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  16. ^ "Foxy Brown | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  17. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  18. ^ "Foxy Brown Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  19. ^ "Foxy Brown Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  21. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  22. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  23. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Foxy Brown – Ill Na Na". Music Canada. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  24. ^ "British album certifications – Foxy Brown – Ill Na Na". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  25. ^ "American album certifications – Foxy Brown – Ill Na Na". Recording Industry Association of America.
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