Brandy is rappin, y’all! I remember a couple years ago on one of those VH1 reality shows, Brandy was yammering on about recording a rap album. I never thought she would actually get it all together. And yet here she is with a single produced by one of the best in the game, Timbaland. Like it or not she’s making us listen.
Production-wise this is pretty standard fare for Timbaland, embellishing the track with his trademark synths. Timbo’s intro verse over brandy’s breathy vocals looped ad infinitum isn’t really interesting and if it wasn’t for the fact I so desperately wanted to hear Brandy’s verse, I would have skipped the track.
Brandy doesn’t come in until 1:27 in and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. She actually accomplishes the task of speaking in metered verse. That fact alone far exceeded my expectations. The singer sounds like an amorphous mix of Lil Kim, Foxy Brown and Nikki Minaj all rolled together in a vaguely interesting fashion. As for her potential as a rapper: Only the future can truly tell what will become of “Brand’Nu”, Brandy’s rap alter-ego. I’ll just say good for her for trying.
You can download the track after the jump. [click to continue…]