Foxy Brown’s
signing to S. Carter Records was welcoming news to the Hip-Hop community and while
its official,
the female rap mistress has been selfish with details.
“I can’t
comment on the deal with S. Carter. What I can tell you is between The Fugees,
Foxy Brown and Jay-Z, 2005 is about to be the great year in Hip-Hop,”
she told AllHipHop.com.
Prior to an abrupt
departure from Def Jam, she completed Ill Na Na 2: The Fever, an album
critically regarded as her finest work, even though it was bootlegged and leaked
on the internet. Brown recorded the shelved album for Def Jam, before becoming
embroiled in a feud with Lyor Cohen, who was chairman of the label at the time.
“There’s
no more Fever album,” Brown told AllHipHop.com. “That’s
on Def Jam and I left them a year ago. I’m in a new situation.”
The new situation
she is referring to is her signing to S. Carter Records, the latest venture
by Jay-Z.
Sources stated
that Brown received a $500,000 advance, but she refused to comment on the details
of the deal. Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Carter, heads up Roc-A-Fella Records
with Dame Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke.
Rumors of a strained
relationship between Jay-Z and Dame Dash have been reported for over a year,
even though both deny a rift between each other.
Jay-Z has increased
his holdings outside of Roc-A-Fella over the last few years. His businesses
include his S.Carter sneaker collection with Reebok, the S. Carter Records label,
the 40/40 club and a minority stake in the New Jersey Nets.
Sources also stated
that Jay-Z is looking to move into the world of boxing, expressing interest
in upcoming Olympic boxer Devin Vargas, as part of a possible deal with cable
premium channel HBO.
Reports have been
circulating that the Roc-A-Fella label is close to being sold to Def Jam, in
a deal that is estimated to be valued between $10 and $20 million, reports say.
Other numbers have soared to $40 million or more.
When recently asked
by Newsday about Jay-Z’s status with Roc-A-Fella, Dame Dash remained elusive.
"Those are
just rumors," Dash said. "But if Jay-Z leaves, he leaves."