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Foxy Brown vs Lil’ Kim 
Friends Turned Foes
the most NOTORIOUS female rap feud
A Thread:
Friends Turned Foes
the most NOTORIOUS female rap feud
A Thread:
No one truly knows how the feud between these two started. Did issues arise because they were professional competitors? Or was there much more going on in their feud, which spanned more than 20 years? Lets get into it
Foxy and Kim initially met through a mutual friend named Tasha. According to Tasha, Foxy was more the leader of her crew, while Kim was the more laidback one in her crew, respectively. They then ended attending the same high school, Brooklyn College Academy, for a period time.
Keep in mind, Kim is a little older than Foxy by 2-3 years & Kim dropped out of school for a period of time due to issues she was having at home with her abusive father (she’s spoken abt this), so they most likely didn’t spend ALOT of time in high school together.
Fast forward to early 1995, Foxy is a junior in high school at this point. Kim had already graduated (she ended up going back & getting her diploma) They would end up meeting again but this time in the neighborhood studio, Daddy-O’s.
They started recording demos in Daddy-O’s basement. They became friends, & would talk on the phone regularly about how they wanted to get signed, how they’d look out for one another when they get on & stuff like that. Un Rivera was also managing the both of them at the time.
BIG was forming Junior Mafia around this time & one day at Daddy-O’s, there was a record label there that was interested in signing them. Foxy came by but they wouldn’t let her in. Daddy-O claims she caught an attitude & things got very heated. This would be the 1st incident:
As we all know, Kim was BIG’s mistress while he was married to Faith Evans. Faith didn’t find out about Kim & BIG’s affair until MUCH later (thats a whole diff story), however she did witness how rough & abrasive BIG was toward Kim.
One time Faith witnessed a bad argument between Kim & BIG at his mother’s home, where he left Kim in tears:
Im sure that made Kim feel some type of way. She already felt hurt & betrayed since he went & married Faith, then he turns around & threatens to replace Kim with Foxy in Junior Mafia. Foxy has told a similar story about BIG wanting her to join JM.
Kim ended up securing her spot as the only female artist in Junior Mafia & by this time they had got a record deal on Big Beat/Undeas/Atlantic.
Kim makes her first official debut on “Players Anthem” in May of 1995:
One night during a conversation over the phone with fellow Brooklyn rapper AZ, Kim would give Foxy a call to hop on the line & spit a freestyle for him:
Not long after that AZ introduces Foxy to Nas, & they formed hip-hop supergroup ‘The Firm.’ Safe to say Kim sort of had a hand in the formation of The Firm.
Fast forward to November 1995, Foxy makes her first official debut on LL Cool J’s “I Shot Ya (Remix)” thanks to Chris Lighty & the Trackmasters:
By late 1995, both girls were on the rise to fame. Kim had 2 hot records out (Players Anthem & I Need You Tonight) & Foxy’s verse on “I Shot Ya (Remix)” caught many peoples attention.
The new year 1996 approaches, Kim & Foxy are now plotting their takeover. Foxy’s career took off from her features, remixes & freestyles, while Kim was having success with Junior Mafia. BIG sees that Kim has star quality & gets her a solo deal.
Fun Fact: Kim & Foxy tried to get deals on BadBoy in 95, but Puff turned them both down because he “didn’t know how to market female rappers” (or maybe he just didn’t think they were gonna blow up) He’d later on try to sign Foxy to Bad Boy in 96, but she chose Def Jam instead.
They ended up being featured on Total’s “No One Else (Remix)” in early 1996. This would end up being the only song they ever appeared on together. Although they both appear in the video, they never appear in a single scene together. They were still friends though during this time
At this time, Foxy & Kim are also working on their highly-anticipated debut albums. BIG was working with Kim on hers, while then newcomer Jay-Z was working with Foxy on her album.
BIG & Jay knew each other from Brooklyn and they were pretty tight. They also had a friendly level of competition with one another and it is said that they would sometimes joke about “who had the hotter bitch”
Kim & Foxy remained tight throughout 96 though. They shouted each other out in TV/Magazine interviews, performed together, took pictures together, did an interview with Angie Martinez on Hot 97 TOGETHER, etc.
Kim giving Foxy a shoutout while introducing her video on Yo! MTV Raps (1996)
Foxy on herself & Lil Kim pushing the envelope & embracing their sexuality FEARLESSLY.
November 1996. Kim’s debut album dropped on November 12th, selling 78k in the first week. Foxy’s debut dropped exactly a week later on November 19th, selling 109k copies the first week. BOTH shouted each other out in the Thank You section of their albums:
Foxy shouting out Kim on the title-track ‘Ill Na Na.’ “Waitin for Kim album to drop, knowing its tight” Foxy also claims she purchased Hard Core the same day it dropped to support her homegirl.
They remained tight & supported each others albums, however it wouldn’t take long for critics/media to start the comparisons. One major comparison is the fact that they wore the same exact outfit in their album sleeves. Rumor has it one borrowed it from the other.
The year 1997 approaches. The comparisons & rumors continue, but they remain cool despite the he say/she say
Foxy on Rap City (1997) speaking on people constantly comparing her & Kim:
February 1997. The ICONIC moment they covered the Source Magazine together:
More photos from The Source magazine:
Somewhere in mid 97’ there friendship started to crumble. Why? No one knows the exact reasons. Kim’s road manager/homegirl Shaka Don claims Foxy was trashing Kim’s name out in the streets then turning around & smiling in her face. This is Shaka:
Shaka claims Kim told her to tell Foxy to stop calling her phone. TO ME, that doesn’t make much sense being that Kim could’ve told Foxy that herself. But anywho
Many of their friends/peers noticed that their was tension between the two. Foxy’s manager felt they were both constantly trying to outdo each other, however they weren’t full on beefing.....yet
They also shared the same designers Misa Hylton & Hector Xtravaganza. Hector Xtravaganza claims:
Around this time Kim & Foxy were offered $500,000 each to record a joint album titled “Thelma & Louise.” However being that they weren’t on speaking terms, neither showed up to the studio to record their verses
After the album didn’t happen, Foxy’s manager put together a phone call between Foxy & Kim. It was a “I heard you said this!” “Well I heard you said that!” type of conversation. No issues were resolved.
Kim’s side on how that convo went down:
Foxy’s side on how the convo went down:
I forgot to mention, the year is now 1998. Foxy & Kim are both featured on Diddy’s “No Way Out” tour. This is where the drama really starts.
Foxy & Kim performing on the No Way Out tour. At this point they have no dealings with each other whatsoever.
On this tour, there was a lot of drama between the two. Foxy & her team felt like Kim was getting special treatment on the tour such as larger production & longer sets, even though Ill Na Na sold more than Hard Core at the time.
Kim was asked to change up her sets a little bit for Foxy, but she refused.
Kim gets interviewed on the No Way Out Tour and she speaks on Foxy:
There were rumors that Foxy stole some of Kim’s outfits on the tour, and Kim stole Foxy’s mic at a show they did in Philly
Mary J. Blige, Salt, Missy Elliott & Foxy Brown did an interview special called “Ladies Night” in 1998. While speaking about collaborating with other women, Mary brings up Lil Kim. All of the ladies spoke about Kim, except Foxy.
The new year 1999 approaches. Foxy’s sophomore album dropped Jan 26. On this album she addresses the situation with Kim on the song “My Life” :
Fans/Media criticized Foxy Brown for “trying to sound like like Lil’ Kim”
Around this time Kim is becoming more popular mainstream due to her unique fashion sense. Foxy is still doing her thing as well. Foxy always kinda kept a low profile though.
It wasn’t until June of 1999 when then actual disses started coming. Kim & Puffy took the first jabs at Foxy on Lil Cease’s ‘Play Around’ “stop tryna sound like her too bitches”
Both Charli & Foxy had modeling contracts in 1999 with Davoucci and Calvin Klein, respectively.
2000 approaches and Foxy fires back with a verse on CNN’s “Bang Bang.” It is said that Foxy spent 40 minutes in the bathroom writing this verse and CNN actually had her remove some lines bc they felt she was going too far. This took their beef to a whole different level.
In the summer of 2000, Lil Kim released her highly-anticipated sophomore album ‘Notorious KIM’ This album is full of Foxy disses. “Notorious KIM,” “Single Black Female” & “Who’s Number One” all contain disses aimed at Foxy.
Charli Baltimore & Foxy team up on “Mind Right”
On February 25, 2001 Lil Kim did an interview on Hot 97. CNN were scheduled for an interview right after hers. While Kim is leaving out of the building, Gutta from Junior Mafia & Capone from CNN exchanged some words. Next thing you know, there’s a full blown shootout.
Extra news report on the incident:
Seeing that things have gone too far, Foxy extends an olive branch to Kim, however Kim didn’t want any communication with Foxy whatsoever. During this time Foxy is gearing up for the release of her third-studio album.
July 17, 2001 Foxy’s third studio album ‘Broken Silence’ was released. On this album she was alot more vulnerable & open about her personal life. It wasn’t about the braggadocious rhymes anymore, however does takes a few shots at Kim on this album.
I forgot to mention before the last tweet that Foxy did an interview with the Source Magazine in June of 2001 shortly before her album dropped. She spoke about the record “Bang Bang”:
Foxy then did an interview with Wendy Williams shortly after her album dropped and they spoke on Kim:
Wendy Williams then interviews Kim in Sept. 2001 and she speaks on Foxy (PT 1):
Kim speaking on Foxy (PT 2):
Time goes on & the year 2002 arrives. Foxy does an interview in July 2002 with XXL as she was working on her 4th album ‘Ill Na Na 2: The Fever.’ During this interview she speaks on female rappers, and she actually gives Kim her props:
The Hot97 shootout was the last straw for Kim bc after that incident, everyone involved was under investigation. Kim also ended up falling out with Puffy, then drama with Junior Mafia started in 02. In the Source magazine Nov. 2002, she speaks about it:
She also speaks on the feud with Foxy in this interview:
Kim & Foxy around this time are both working on new music. Kim’s working on LaBella Mafia, while Foxy’s working on The Fever. They continue to send shots at each other in their music
March 4, 2003 Lil Kim dropped her third album LaBella Mafia. On this album she takes a shot at Foxy on the song “Came Back For You.” She also dissed her on the Queen Bitch Radio skit at the end of ‘Magic Stick’:
In an interview in April of 2003 with Honey Magazine Kim addresses dissing Foxy & Eve. She also briefly discusses Charli Baltimore.
Foxy’s fourth album “Ill NaNa 2: The Fever” was supposed to be released in May of 2003, however it was cancelled due to disagreements she had with Diddy & Lyor Cohen. Though it was shelved, many songs from her album were leaked. She addressed Kim on the song “Memory Lane”:
Foxy talks about Kim in a 2003 Doug Banks interview:
Kim didn’t address the beef again until Sept. 2005 when her fourth album “The Naked Truth” dropped. She disses Foxy & Junior Mafia on the song “Quiet” Foxy had issues with rapper Jacki-O at the time & she also had some legal troubles in 2004:
A few months prior to that song being released, Foxy suffered from sudden hearing loss. One morning she woke up and just was not able to hear anything. Not her TV. Not her car horn. Nothing:
Kim was convicted of 3 counts of conspiracy & one count of perjury for lying about her & her crew’s involvement in the Hot97 shooting. She was sentenced to 366 days in prison, 30 days house arrest upon release, and 3 years of probation. Her album dropped while she was in prison.
These terrible situations taking place impacted BOTH of their careers. Kim wasn’t able to properly promote her album, which resulted in it underperforming. Foxy was still suffering from hearing loss up until June 2006.
Foxy was also working on an album titled Black Roses but due to hearing loss she had to stop. After getting her hearing restored in 06, she planned on releasing it, but her label was disappointed in her “lack of productivity” on the album. The album was eventually cancelled by 07
Kim was released from prison in July of 2006. She was having issues with her label. She didn’t release any new music of her own but did make a an appearance on “Let It Go” by Keyshia Cole. She also started working on her first mixtape, “Ms. GOAT” by 2007.
In July of 2007, Foxy did an interview on Sub0 where they ask her about Kim/Hot97 shootout. She says it was hard seeing Kim have to go to prison, and she still hoped to one day squash the beef:
Foxy signed an independent deal on Koch in August of 2007. In September of 07 Foxy was sent to prison for violating her probation, however she was later released on good behavior in April of 2008. She then released her street album “Brooklyn’s Don Diva” in May of 2008.
Kim’s Mixtape “Ms. GOAT” is released in June of 2008. She interviews with DJ Whoo Kid & during the interview they speak on Kim’s beef with Foxy & Remy Ma (at the time) They made jokes about Foxy’s hearing loss & Kim also referred to Remy Ma as “Remy Man”
During this time Foxy would begin building a friendship with an unsigned artist from Queens known as Nicki Minaj. Nicki & Foxy on the Come Up DVD:
Kim & Foxy’s beef died down for a while. It wasn’t until 2010, when Nicki Minaj blew up, that they would start back up with cattiness. Kim & Nicki start having their own beef & Nicki claims Foxy was one of the people who told her that Kim didn’t like her.
Foxy denied that convo between her & Nicki ever happened, however in a 2011 interview she spoke about the Kim & Nicki beef stating “When you’re a boss bitch, you give it up. Send her [Nicki] a chanel bag or something. If you’re winning, you’re winning. Thats just how I see it.”
![Foxy denied that convo between her & Nicki ever happened, however in a 2011 interview she spoke about the Kim & Nicki beef stating “When you’re a boss bitch, you give it up. Send her [Nicki] a chanel bag or something. If you’re winning, you’re winning. Thats just how I see it.”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHQ5q_xXkAI5VgL.jpg "Foxy denied that convo between her & Nicki ever happened, however in a 2011 interview she spoke about the Kim & Nicki beef stating “When you’re a boss bitch, you give it up. Send her [Nicki] a chanel bag or something. If you’re winning, you’re winning. Thats just how I see it.”")
![Foxy denied that convo between her & Nicki ever happened, however in a 2011 interview she spoke about the Kim & Nicki beef stating “When you’re a boss bitch, you give it up. Send her [Nicki] a chanel bag or something. If you’re winning, you’re winning. Thats just how I see it.”](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHQ5q_wX4AI5y9W.jpg "Foxy denied that convo between her & Nicki ever happened, however in a 2011 interview she spoke about the Kim & Nicki beef stating “When you’re a boss bitch, you give it up. Send her [Nicki] a chanel bag or something. If you’re winning, you’re winning. Thats just how I see it.”")
