Brooklyn Rapper Foxy Brown had an emotional interview on BET’s Mo’Nique Show earlier this week.  She came out on the stage and immediately started crying as she embraced Mo’Nique and sat by her idol and “second mother” Pam Grier.  During the interview, she talked about how she decided to use the name “Foxy Brown” and how she lost her hearing and eventually gained it back . Excerpts:

Foxy Brown on why she decided to take on the name
My second mother. I love her so much and I have always idolized [her] She epitomizes what black women should stand for. Intelligence, beauty, strength, tenacity. I couldn’t find a name and I was 14, 15 years old and Jay-z and I was in the studio. We had this hit record and he says “What’s your name gonna be” and Ididn’t know what I to say. And I was always a fan of Pam so they were like why don’t you be “Coffee”, or “Friday Foster” or “Sugarbaby” and I was like “No, i have to be Foxy Brown baby. The one and only!”.

Foxy on how she is currently doing
I am blessed. Just happy to hear again and humbled to be on stage with two women I have admired since I was a little girl. So everything I’ve gone through. The trials and tribulations.Just knowing that God had me. I’d wake up all the time and said “God Why me? Why me?” and one day he said “Why not you?”.

Foxy on losing her hearing
100% all gone. Overnight. They didn’t even know why. Wednesday night, I was out shooting the cover of XXL with Jay-z, Kanye and Lebron and Thursday morning I woke up and couldn’t hear anything. I was completely deaf, 100%

I just knew that God had gotten me then. I kept running and dodging him and he kept giving me signs and little warnings. They said God will get you first in private and if he don’t get you then he’ll get you in public.