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Chris Brown
Studio album by
Chris Brown
ReleasedNovember 29, 2005
RecordedFebruary–May 2005
GenreR&B[1]
Length59:01
Label
Producer
Chris Brown chronology
Chris Brown
(2005) 		Exclusive
(2007)
Alternative cover
International cover
Singles from Chris Brown
  1. "Run It!"
    Released: June 30, 2005
  2. "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)"
    Released: December 13, 2005
  3. "Gimme That (Remix)"
    Released: May 7, 2006
  4. "Say Goodbye"
    Released: August 8, 2006
  5. "Poppin'"
    Released: November 21, 2006

Chris Brown is the debut album by American singer Chris Brown, released on November 29, 2005, through Jive Records. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Scott Storch, Cool & Dre, Oak Felder, Bryan-Michael Cox and the Underdogs among others. The album also features guest appearances by Juelz Santana, Lil Wayne, Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri.

Chris Brown was supported by five singles: "Run It!", "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)", "Gimme That (Remix)", "Say Goodbye" and "Poppin'". The album was a commercial success and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 154,000 copies in its first week. It has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[2] At the 49th Grammy Awards, the album earned Brown his first two Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Background and recording

[edit]

At age 13, Brown was discovered in Virginia by Hitmission Records, a local production team that visited the gas station where his father worked, while searching for new talent.[3] Hitmission helped to arrange a demo package, under the name of "C. Sizzle", and approached contacts in New York.[3]

Tina Davis, senior A&R executive at Def Jam Recordings, heard the demo package that Brown's local team had sent to Def Jam, and among the artists contained in the CD she was impressed by Brown with his track "Whose Girl Is That".[4] Davis later had Brown auditioning in her New York office, and she immediately took him to meet the former president of the Island Def Jam Music Group, Antonio "L.A." Reid, who offered to sign him that day, but Brown refused his proposal because Reid wouldn't talk to his mother.[5] Brown then started to sojourn in Harlem, New York, to seek a record deal.[6] The negotiations with Def Jam continued for two months, and ended when Davis lost her job due to a corporate merger. Brown asked her to be his manager, and once Davis accepted, she promoted the singer to other labels such as Jive Records, J-Records and Warner Bros. Records. "I knew that Chris had real talent," says Davis. "I just knew I wanted to be part of it."[7]

According to Mark Pitts, in an interview with HitQuarters, Davis presented Brown with a video recording, and Pitts' reaction was: "I saw huge potential ... I didn't love all the records, but I loved his voice. It wasn't a problem because I knew that he could sing, and I knew how to make records."[8] Brown ultimately signed with Jive Records on Christmas Eve of 2004. Brown stated, "I picked Jive because they had the best success with younger artists in the pop market, [...] I knew I was going to capture my African American audience, but Jive had a lot of strength in the pop area as well as longevity in careers."[7] At the time, he dropped out of tenth grade at his Essex High School in Virginia, in favor of tutoring.[9]

Brown developed the concept for the album along with Mark Pitts and Tina Davis, and began recording it in Miami, Florida. The singer worked with several producers and songwriters—Scott Storch, Cool & Dre, Sean Garrett and Jazze Pha among them—commenting that they "really believed in [him]".[10] In 2023, Brown described working on his first album as a "learning experience".[11] The singer worked on 50 songs before coming to a final 14 tracks to be included on his first album. Brown co-wrote half of the tracks.[12] "I write about the things that 16 year olds go through every day," says Brown. "Like you just got in trouble for sneaking your girl into the house, or you can't drive, so you steal a car or something."[12] The whole album took less than eight weeks to produce.[12] Brown's original intention on the album was to both rap and sing on the records, but Pitts convinced him to stick to just singing, he said that "I was trying to keep it at, ‘You’re a singer’ I was caught up in the idea of ‘Stay in your lane’".[13] The album was initially supposed to be titled Young Love, however, that idea for the album title has been discarded as being "too kiddie".[14]

Promotion

[edit]

Through the winter, Brown joined the Scream V Encore Tour, featuring Ciara, Bow Wow, Omarion and Marques Houston, as a supporting act. Later, he headlined the Xbox 360 Presents: Chris Brown Tour, supported by T-Pain.

On June 13, 2006, Brown released a DVD entitled Chris Brown's Journey, which shows footage of him traveling in England and Japan, getting ready for his first visit to the Grammy Awards, behind the scenes of his music videos and bloopers. On August 17, 2006, to further promote the album, Brown began his major co-headlining tour, The Up Close and Personal Tour.

Music

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Chris Brown is an R&B and hip hop soul album, that was described by Pitchfork's critic Jules Verano as "the perfect epitome of 2000's R&B music sound" along with Ne-Yo's debut album In My Own Words.[15] The album is essentially about teenage lovelife, mixing themes of first approaches to love involvement, infatuation, physical attractiveness and coolness. The album also has few episodes where the singer mentions sex with older women, explains his growing up, portrays his "young street credibility", and talks about his relationship with his mother.[16]

Singles

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Brown's official debut single from Chris Brown, "Run It!" was released on June 30, 2005, in the United States. The song features guest vocals from an American rapper Juelz Santana, while the production that was handled by Scott Storch. It reached number one in Australia, New Zealand and on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for over five weeks, and also achieved continuous airplays, also topping on the airplays for the Billboard Hot 100. The song also topped Billboard's Pop 100 chart and entered the top forty on the majority of the chart that it appeared on, further reaching top ten in several countries, including Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[17]

The album's second single, "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" discusses the first conversation someone has with a girl.[17] Produced by duo Dre & Vidal, it was released on December 13, 2005. The song charted in the top ten on the US Hot 100 in the US, peaking at number seven, and became a top ten hit in Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" was followed by "Gimme That." A remix featuring guest vocals from a fellow American rapper Lil Wayne was released as the album's third single on May 7, 2006, and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Fourth single "Say Goodbye" was released on August 8, 2006. Produced by Bryan-Michael Cox, it became another top ten hit for Brown in the US. The album's fifth and final single, "Poppin'" was released on November 21, 2006, and became a top five hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Blender[18]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[19]
Evening Standard[20]
The Guardian[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Vibe[23]

Andy Kellman of AllMusic said that the album "almost always involves an even push-and-pull between what appeals to kids who don't consider street credibility and those who do," praising Brown's introduction in R&B music as "a refreshing presence, a high-schooler who's neither as family friendly as Will Smith nor as comically vulgar as Pretty Ricky."[16] Chris Elwell-Sutton from The Evening Standard found that "Brown's sweet, soaring tenor – like Usher's, but with more vigour – carries" tracks such as "Run It!". There are other hip-hop-tinged points, such as "Gimme," on which the cheeky scamp attempts to seduce an older woman. The album has just enough raunch to please kids and not upset parents."[20] Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a short, mixed review, saying that the album is "perfect for the homecoming dance, but you’ll need a chaperone."[19]

Christian Hoard, writing for Rolling Stone, felt that Chris Brown was "innocuous enough for the Teen People set, which is part of the problem. Brown's voice suggests both Usher and a young Jacko, but his charms are often lost in the album's plush, listless production and undercooked songs."[22] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian described the album as "promising stuff" but noted "a deft purveyor of mid-tempo, hip-hop-inspired pop whose lyrics never stray into naughty post-watershed territory. Love of the puppy variety is Brown's area of expertise, but there's a sweetness to his voice that keeps the likes of "Young Love" from being too sickening."[21] Sullivan's colleague, Decca Aitkenhead, later defined Chris Brown as "a smooth slice of commercial R&B."[24] In 2015, Vibe praised the album for showcasing the singer's "intriguingly robust level of talent," noting how the album made him being "quickly stamped as the future of R&B."[25] In a further retrospective review, Mya Singleton from Yardbarker listed the album among "the best R&B albums of the 2000s," stating that the singer with the self-titled album "helped usher in a newer generation of R&B artists".[26]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Chris Brown debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 154,000 copies in its first week.[27] This became Brown's first US top-ten debut.[27] The album also debuted at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming his first number one on that chart.[28] On December 18, 2006, the album was a certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies.[29] By April 2011, the album had sold 2.1 million copies in the United States alone[2] and over three million copies worldwide.[30]

Track listing

[edit]
Chris Brown track listing[31][32]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
Eddie Hustle0:57
2."Run It!" (featuring Juelz Santana)
  • Storch
  • Garrett[a]
3:50
3."Yo (Excuse Me Miss)"
Dre & Vidal3:49
4."Young Love"
3:38
5."Gimme That"
  • Storch
  • Garrett
  • Storch
  • Garrett[a]
3:07
6."Ya Man Ain't Me"
  • The Underdogs
  • Dixon[a]
3:34
7."Winner"
4:04
8."Ain't No Way (You Won't Love Me)"
  • Garrett
  • Felder[a]
3:23
9."What's My Name" (featuring Noah)
Cool & Dre3:52
10."Is This Love?"
  • Mason Jr.
  • Thomas
  • Mason
  • Dawkins
  • Russell
The Underdogs3:17
11."Poppin'"
  • Austin
  • Davis
  • Harris
Dre & Vidal4:25
12."Just Fine"
  • Lawrence
  • Winans
  • Bennett
3:52
13."Say Goodbye"
  • Cox
  • Jevon
  • Shropshire
Cox4:50
14."Run It!" (Remix) (featuring Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri)
4:04
15."Thank You"
Taylor4:27
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Gimme That" (Remix) (featuring Lil Wayne)
  • Storch
  • Garrett[a]
3:57
Total length:59:01
Expanded edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."So Glad"
Carvin & Ivan2:57
16."Seen the Light" (featuring Rico Love)
  • Craig Groove
  • Moox
  • Shuga Bear
4:09
17."Thank You"
  • Brown
  • Taylor
  • Fleming
  • Davis
Taylor4:27
Total length:60:02

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies co-producer(s)
  • ^[b] signifies additional producer(s)

Samples credits

  • "Run It!" contains a portion of the composition "I Know What Boys Like" as written by Chris Butler.
  • "Young Love" contains a sample from "Sideshow" as written by Bobby Eli and Vinnie Barrett and performed by Blue Magic.
  • "Ain't No Way (You Won't Love Me)" contains a portion of the composition of "Song of the Dragon & Phoenix" as written by Zhang Fuquan.
  • "Run It! (Remix)" contains a sample from "Jam Master Jay" as performed by Run DMC.
  • "So Glad" contains a sample from "It's Great To Be Here" as performed by The Jackson 5.
  • "Seen the Light" contains a sample from "I See the Light" as performed by Billy Paul.

Personnel

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  • Executive producers: Chris Brown, Tina Davis, Mark Pitts
  • Art direction: Courtney Walter
  • A&R: Leticia Hilliard, Matt Schwartz
  • Assistant recording engineers: Val Brathwrite (track 7), Vadim Chislov (2, 5, 16), Anthony G. Crisano (1, 5, 9, 12, 15–16), Patrick Magee (2, 5, 16), Lucas McLendon (1), Tadd Mingo (14), Aaron Renner (4, 6, 10)
  • Bass: David Cabrerra (track 9)
  • Design: Courtney Walter
  • Recording engineers: Wayne Allison (tracks 2, 5, 16), Vincent Dilorenzo (3, 11), Conrad Golding (2, 5, 16), Dabling "Hobby Boy" Harward (4, 6, 10), John Horesco IV (14), Eddie Hustle (music 1), Charles McCrorey (2, 5, 9, 16), Oak Felder (8), Carlos Paucar (5, 16), Keith Sengbusch (9, 12), Kelly Sheehan (4, 6, 10), Shea Taylor (15), Alonzo Vargas (12), Sam Thomas (7, 13)
  • Guitar: Val Brathwrite, Aaron Fishbein (tracks 2, 5, 16), David Cabrerra (9)
  • Keyboards: Kendrick Dean (tracks 7, 13), Shea Taylor (15)
  • Mastering: Herb Powers
  • Mixing: Kevin "KD" Davis (track 8), Vincent Dilorenzo (3, 11), Jermaine Dupri (14), Jean-Marie Horvat (7, 13), Eddie Hustle (1), Rich Keller (12), Phil Tan (14), The Underdogs (4, 6, 10), Stephen "Stevo" George (15), Brian Stanley (2, 5, 9, 16)
  • Mixing assistant: Val Brathwaite (tracks 2, 5, 16), Steve Tolle (9), Mike Tschupp (2)
  • Multi instruments: Bryan-Michael Cox (tracks 7, 13), Vidal Davis (3, 11), Andre Harris (3, 11), Shea Taylor (drum machine 15)
  • Photography: Clay Patrick McBride
  • Remix producer: Jermaine Dupri (track 14), L-Rock (14)
  • Background vocals: Steve Russell (track 10)
  • Vocal producer: Lamont "LA" Flemming (track 15), Shannon "Slam" Lawrence (12)
  • Vocal recording: Charles McCrorey (tracks 1, 15), Stephen "Stevo" George (additional 15)
  • Vocal tracking: Ian Crosse (track 8)

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Chris Brown
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[58] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[59] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] 2× Platinum 30,000‡
South Africa (RISA)[61] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[63] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Chris Brown: The downfall of the disgraced R&B hit-maker". The Guardian. May 14, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Grein, Paul (March 23, 2011). "Week Ending March 20, 2011: Songs: The Chris Brown Matter". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Brown runs with it". October 2006.
  4. ^ "Episode 319 w/ Chris Brown". Apple Music.
  5. ^ "Chris Brown Said He Said 'No' To Def Jam Because Refused To Explain The Contract To His Mom – "The man wouldn't talk to my mama"". Apple Music. September 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Johnson, Brian (September 2005), "Another One of Our Own Has Made it", VA Vibe, pp. 5–8
  7. ^ a b Hildebrand, Lee (October 1, 2006). "Brown runs with it". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  8. ^ "Interview with Mark Pitts". HitQuarters. April 24, 2006. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  9. ^ "TLS – Times Literary Supplement". Archived from the original on June 17, 2011.
  10. ^ "At 16, Chris Brown 'runs' the charts". Microsoft Corporation. Msnbc. October 1, 2006. Retrieved December 8, 2005.
  11. ^ "Chris Brown Joins Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay Podcast", therewxndz.com, September 13, 2023
  12. ^ a b c Brandee J. Tecson. "Chris Brown". MTV Networks. MTV. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  13. ^ "Freedom, Fatherhood & the Future: Chris Brown is Breaking Bad". December 23, 2015.
  14. ^ Guzmn, Rafer (April 13, 2006). "COOL@NIGHT, CHRIS BROWN: Letting his feet do the talking, Only 16, he has moves like Michael and a No. 1 record". Newsday. Fred Groser.
  15. ^ "Vibe". May 2006.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ a b c Kellman, Andy. "Chris Brown – Chris Brown | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (October 5, 2005). "Chris Brown Dancing His 'Run It!' Straight Up The Charts". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  18. ^ Eells, Josh. "Virginia youngster debuts with boot-knockin' R&B for the learner's-permit set". Blender. Archived from the original on January 31, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Endelman, Michael (November 25, 2005). "Chris Brown". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Elwell-Sutton, Chris (February 3, 2006). "Music Reviews". Evening Standard. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline (February 3, 2006). "Review: Chris Brown, Chris Brown". The Guardian. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Hoard, Christian (November 28, 2005). "Chris Brown". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013.
  23. ^ Checkoway, Laura (January 18, 2006). "Chris Brown – Chris Brown (Jive)". Vibe. Archived from the original on November 3, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  24. ^ Aitkenhead, Decca (October 4, 2013). "Chris Brown: 'It was the biggest wake-up call'". The Guardian. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  25. ^ Robertson, Iyana (December 2, 2015). "In 10 Years, Chris Brown Single-Handedly Transformed R&B". Vibe. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  26. ^ Singleton, Mya (October 22, 2023). "The best R&B albums of the 2000s". Yardbarker. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Gary Trust (December 6, 2006). "Incubus Lands First No. 1 Album". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  28. ^ Gary Trust (November 9, 2017). "Chris Brown Scores Seventh No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart With 'Heartbreak on a Full Moon'". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  29. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved January 20, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  30. ^ "Biography", People, archived from the original on August 30, 2016, retrieved October 18, 2016
  31. ^ "BMI | Repertoire Search". repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  32. ^ "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  33. ^ "Week Commencing ~ 20 February 2006 ~Issue #833" (PDF). ARIA charts. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  34. ^ "ARIA Urban Album Chart – Week Commencing 9th June 2008" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (954): 19. June 9, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Pandora Archive.
  35. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Chris Brown – Chris Brown" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  36. ^ "Ultratop.be – Chris Brown – Chris Brown" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  37. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. January 29, 2006. Archived from the original on February 8, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  38. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chris Brown – Chris Brown" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  39. ^ "European Top 100 Albums – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
  40. ^ "Lescharts.com – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  41. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chris Brown – Chris Brown" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  42. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Chris Brown". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  43. ^ "クリス・ブラウン" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  44. ^ "Charts.nz – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  45. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  46. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  47. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  48. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  49. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  50. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  51. ^ "Chris Brown – Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Catalog Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  52. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Urban Albums Chart 2006". ARIA Charts. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  53. ^ "2006 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  54. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  55. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  56. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  57. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  58. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  59. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". Music Canada.
  60. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". Radioscope. Retrieved December 25, 2024. Type Chris Brown in the "Search:" field.
  61. ^ "South Africa certifications". Recording Industry of South Africa. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  62. ^ "British album certifications – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". British Phonographic Industry.
  63. ^ "American album certifications – Chris Brown – Chris Brown". Recording Industry Association of America.
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