On her fourth studio album, “Brooklyn Don Diva,” scandal-plagued, Bedford-Stuyvesant-born rapper Foxy Brown (nee Inga Marchand) doesn’t waste any time addressing the rumors that have swirled around her over the years. On the album’s title track, Brown raps over news reports of her beating manicurists with her BlackBerry and throughout the album, she spits insults at gossip columnists and her parole officer.
For all her PDA-hurling antics, Brown does manage to deliver on her first album since 2001’s “Broken Silence.” Tracks like “We’re On Fire” have strong beats and the fuzzy dancehall feel that can turn into a summertime hip-hop hit, while “We Don’t Surrender” and “How We Get Down” are hard-edged and catchy; they’re not dance club material but showcase the best of what Brown and her collaborators have to offer.
Although “Brooklyn Don Diva” was recorded before Brown went to prison — and she recently split with her manager over issues stemming from its production — it’s a strong comeback for our hometown girl, proving that the “Ill Na Na” singer has still got it.
“Brooklyn Don Diva” ($17.98, Black Roses) is available at Target (139 Flatbush Ave. at Atlantic Avenue in Fort Greene). For information, visit www.myspace.com/foxybrownmusic.
