Never have I read such a good piece of writing that compares rappers Lil Kim and Foxy Brown. I found an essay entitled “What is Freedom? A critique of Foxy Brown and Lil Kim.” This essay makes so many valid points on the ongoing debate about who is the better MC. The two rappers are usually compared because of their similar image and style. Both represent a woman that flips the script and acts like one of the boys in rap while maintaining a sexy image, but Lil Kim has had more success. 
Bell hooks says this about Lil Kim, “Donning blond wigs and getting a boob job so that she can resemble a cheap version of the white womanhood she adores wins her monetary success in the world of white supremacist, patriarchal capitalism and helps her cover up the fact that she has no self-worth.”
This is a harsh and cynical evaluation of Lil Kim but raises good questions about why Lil Kim is so much more successful than Foxy Brown. One theory is that Lil Kim is more attractive by White America’s standards of beauty. She has lighter skin, blonde hair, and resembles white beauty far more than Foxy does. Kim also built her career with the help of the Notorious B.I.G. With such a rap icon as this in her corner, it is not surprising that she has succeeded. Foxy had no assistance that compares in magnitude to the support given to Kim.
Bell Hooks also points out that early on in Kim’s career, she confessed that she did not know what love was. This may have also influenced her detached, extremely sexual persona. The absence of love has caused her to become impervious about the significance of love and sex. Instead of embracing the idea of love, she dismisses these feelings and reduces sex to an act that can empower or degrade an individual. If one thinks about sex as operating in this fashion, their views are distorted. Therefore, her music can only accomplish a comparison between the sexes that measures power.
This essay questions whether either artist has freedom, pointing out that each needs to sell records in order to be successful and this may lead to a distortion of self. The media, combined with the way that these women are marketed, has had a profound impact on how people view Foxy Brown and Lil Kim. It has also determined how available their work is to the masses. One guy made a comment on the article quoted above, saying that he liked Lil Kim better and noticed that it was harder for him to find Foxy’s albums because they are not easily accessible like Kim’s. Maybe he likes Lil Kim better because she is more popular and her image is thrown in his face, unlike Foxy.
In the eyes of Rolling Stone and other high profiled publications, it seems as though Kim is the winner and better MC. She sells more records, her image is more acceptable and therefore heavily promoted and visible, and her name rings more bells. Each artist uses a combination of things to gain “power” and “freedom.” Their voices, bodies, and experiences all contribute to how they are perceived as each tries to outsmart the other lyrically.
After reading this essay, it appears that neither woman is victorious since both women have conformed to what the business of rap wanted to endorse. Some people have a hard time acknowledging the agency of these rappers which is understandable, but we also have to take into account that maybe these women want to be seen in such a light. This thought rarely runs through people’s minds.
So we come back to the same question: Who is the better MC? Well I guess it depends on how you define better. Or is this just one of those comparisons that females are so infamous for making?…..…..
May 16, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Hmm yes, we MUST compare them because we always compare black women against each other. Because why in the hell would we want TWO successful black women?! Plus, you know we are too damn bitchy to get along anyways [insert neck roll here].
okay. i’m done, i promise.
Hm, they are both alright rappers. honestly I dont even follow either, because they don’t come off as artists to me– simply products. I mean, Lil Kim had it right in her “How Many Licks” video when they were packaging up the different Lil Kim barbie dolls. However, Foxy does seem less processed than Kim, but that definitely has to do with who gets more sales (Kim) and therefore more media attention and attention from A&R.
but that was a great article. You should read this article by Danyel Smith over at Vibe (i think she’s still the EIC). About a decade ago, she wrote an article called “Foxy Brown Is the Illest”–a profile on the female rapper after having hung out with Brown for a week…Great journalism right there! So great, infact, that Miss Foxy decked Smith in her face next time she saw her in the street (in Brooklyn outside of a manicure salon) TRU STORY!!
but yea…great post Teana! Clearly i’m a fan of your blog =]
*luv Patti- a ride or die chick at heart*
September 9, 2008 at 2:30 am
foxy had jay-z as a protege at one time, as well as nas back in the day. truly she never enjoyed as mainstream success. I would say Foxy is the better MC, at least in the streets.
Though, Kim has more hits, so it depends on your standard of success like you mentioned. Hooks raises critical issues, the more white culture is appropriated & co-opted then the nore agency these artists enjoy. Cornel West says “were all duplicit in our oppression.”
Good read!
August 13, 2009 at 10:50 am
I definitley think Lil’ Kim is more marketable image wise (now that she’s made several adjustments). Foxy keeps it real by staying true to her “natural” beauty. Looks don’t mean anything to me, if I like the beat and rap, I’ll listen to it, I don’t care who’s spitin’ it. But on a marketing view, Kim is more marketable. She’s built a business out of herself and took necessary steps to make that market successful. I wouldn’t totally diss on Foxy, she’s had several obstacles she’s needed to overcome since she debut. This has caused delay’s in her career. However, Foxy is the only female rapper ever to have debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number one (that’s the chart that really matters), and Kim’s never had number one on that chart….