Biography of Jay-Z

With the help of his gold-certified 1996 single -- a duet with Foxy Brown entitled "Ain't No N-G-A (Like the One I Got)" -- Brooklyn's Jay-Z (b. Sean Carter) signed a contract with the Priority label that same year and released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. The single "Can't Knock the Hustle" hit the R&B Top 40, pushing Reasonable Doubt into gold territory once again. In 1997, Jay-Z resurfaced with In My Lifetime; the best-selling Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life followed a year later. The release of 1999's Volume 3: The Life & Times of S. Carter was preceded by news that on December 2, Jay-Z was arrested and charged with stabbing record executive Lance "Un" Rivera at a party. ~ John Bush

Biography of Foxy Brown

Before she had released any material at all, Foxy Brown appeared on several 1995-1996 platinum singles, including her first credit, LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya," as well as Total's "No One Else" remix of Jay-Z's "Ain't No...," Toni Braxton's "You're Makin' Me High" remix, and Case's "Touch Me, Tease Me." The incredible success led to a major-label bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and by March, Brown had signed with the Def Jam label as another in the ranks of young and hard female rappers.The Brooklyn native -- separate from a similarly named reggae artist -- was born in 1979; in 1994, while still a teenager, she won a talent contest in Brooklyn, and was invited to freestyle on stage. At that time, Trackmasters were working on LL Cool J's Mr. Smith album, and they decided to let her rap over "I Shot Ya." The single became a hit, prompting Brown's work with Total, Braxton, and Case, as well as her induction into the Firm posse (led by Nas and also including AZ and Cormega). Brown's debut album, Ill Na Na, was produced by Trackmasters, and featured appearances from Blackstreet, Method Man, and Kid Capri. It hit number seven its first week on the album charts. China Doll followed in early 1999 and the provacativity continued on 2001's Broken Silence. ~ John Bush