Broken Silence

1	Intro - Broken Silence 2:15
2	Fallin' 3:09
3	Oh Yeah / Spragga Benz 4:20
4	B.K. Anthem 4:19
5	The Letter / Ronald Isley 6:58
6	730 4:12
7	Candy 3:43
8	Tables Will Turn / Baby Cham 3:32
9	Hood Scriptures 3:46
10	Run Dem / Baby Cham 3:58
11	'Bout My Paper / Mystikal 3:59
12	Run Yo S*** / Capone-N-Noreaga 4:22
13	Na Na Be Like 3:35
14	Gangsta Boogie 4:14
15	I Don't Care 2:19
16	So Hot 3:43
17	Saddest Day / Wayne Wonder 4:44
18	Broken Silence 4:58

Barnes & Noble

Alongside her rap nemesis Lil' Kim, the teenage Foxy Brown emerged in the mid-'90s as a designer-clad neo-feminist rhyme temptress on her debut Ill Na Na. Then, as Kim reconstructed herself as a Black Barbie and cover-girl fashionista with blonde weaves and blue contact lenses, Foxy's rap cache dwindled after her solid sophomore effort, Chyna Doll, was overshadowed by her headline-grabbing run-ins with the law and a stint in drug rehab. But with her ambitious third disc, Broken Silence, a more focused Fox Boogie is back to reclaim her title as one of hip-hop's dopest female MC's. The Brooklyn native name-checks her borough with the subterranean bass-thuds of "BK Anthem." Rapping in a patois style, she also big-ups her Caribbean heritage on several dancehall reggae-flavored tracks, including the bass-booming single "Oh Yeah," featuring Spragga Benz. Broken Silence is not, however, entirely a reggae sunsplash affair. A self-proclaimed "in the streets bitch," Foxy keeps her lyrics as grimy as ever on the new wave-tinged ode to oral sex, "Candy," featuring Kelis, and "730," where Foxy threatens her ex-boyfriend's (rapper Kurupt) new girlfriend (Natina Reid of the R&B girl group Blaque) with venomous lyrics like "I might not kill you/But I'll hurt you till you're dead inside," over spiraling electro-synths. Her thug life tendencies aside, Foxy does mark her maturity. On the soul-baring "The Letter" (featuring Ron Isley), she apologizes to her family for her past transgressions -- "Dear Mommy I apologize/I know it's 'cause of me that your life is traumatized" -- making it clear that Fox has learned from some of her early missteps. And fans will be grateful that she has finally broken her silence. Brett Johnson

All Music Guide

Foxy Brown is up to her old tricks on her third album, Broken Silence. She is still the undisputed queen of materialism, evident on "Fallin'," where she drops names of countless designer brands, rapping about Range Rovers, Gucci, Prada, etc. She is still taking aim at legions of triflin' ex-friends, including other rappers, ex-boyfriends, etc., etc. Brown is as hood and street as ever but, on this album, she extends her musical wings and embraces other styles to fine effect, making this her most entertaining and musically adventurous album to date. Reggae and dancehall influences abound, most notably on the terrific single "Oh Yeah" and "Tables Will Turn." The most interesting song, however, is "Hood Scriptures," which, like Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'," incorporates Eastern influences, adding a whole new dimension to hip-hop possibilities. "The Letter" is a sparse, mini-masterpiece, where Brown apologizes to her mother (in what could be interpreted as a thinly veiled suicide note) for the hell she's put her through, accompanied by a tinkling piano and Ron Isley's angelic vocals. Brown gets as sensitive and introspective as is possible, while still remaining as explicit as ever, as she reminisces over her defunct relationship with rapper Kurupt on "Saddest Day." Yes, Foxy Brown is street and she is the center of her world's rumor mill, but this album, ripe with tasteless materialism, explicit sexual references, and violent raps, can honestly be called a musical step forward, and is a compelling testament to the life of a girl from the hood. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide