Chris Brown (album)
Encyclopedia
Chris Brown is the eponymous debut album by American R&B
singer Chris Brown, released on November 29, 2005 in the United States
on Jive Records
. It was a commercial success, certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for scanning two million in the United States, and sold over three million copies worldwide.
In 2006 a CD/DVD set entitled Chris Brown's Journey was released, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and commentary from Brown. Chris Brown was also released twice in DualDisc
format.
, Virginia
, started as a rapper. He switched over to singing in his preteen years when his mother Joyce Hawkins noticed his talent and soon begun looking for local producers. At age 13 in 2002, Brown was discovered in his birth father's gas station by a production team who were looking for local talent.His father later got married to Olivia Angall. They have three children together. They were connected with Timmy Allen, a music producer for Jive Records
who lived in the Harlem
neighborhood in New York City
, New York
. Brown moved in, only returning to Virginia for holidays, school and basketball season. He bonded with Allen's son, T.J., an aspiring rapper who went under the name "T-Breezy", as Allen begun to shop both of their demo CDs
around to music labels.
By August 2004, Brown, who had adapted the stage name "C Sizzle", and T.J. attracted the attention of Tina Davis, Def Jam Recordings
' senior A&R executive, and auditioned them in front of Island Def Jam Music Group CEO Antonio "L. A." Reid. Afterwards, Reid offered to sign both of them on the spot but Brown claimed Allen had become "greedy" during the prolonged negotiations that spanned two months. Davis advised Brown not to sign the deal. Davis later lost her job due to restructuring
after Island Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records
merged. That same day, Brown hired her as his manager and moved in into her New Jersey
home. After weeks of label searching, Brown had a deal with Jive Records, known for their pop and R&B artists such as Britney Spears
, Justin Timberlake
and R. Kelly
, by Christmas Eve 2004. He also dropped out of the 10th grade at Essex High School
in Virginia in favor of tutoring. Brown recorded the album in Miami with Mark Pitts, the Jive A&R who signed Brown to the label. They recorded up to 50 songs.
", which features rapper Juelz Santana
and was produced by Scott Storch
and Moe Faisal. It received continuous airplay
(topping the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay), and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
, where it stayed for five weeks. It replaced "Gold Digger
" by Kanye West
featuring Jamie Foxx
, and was replaced by Mariah Carey
's "Don't Forget About Us
". It also topped Billboard Pop 100
. Other singles released from the album include "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)
", another U.S. top ten hit for Brown, as well as "Gimme That
", released as a remix
featuring rapper Lil Wayne
, and the fourth single, "Say Goodbye", which peaked at number ten in the U.S. The fifth and final single from the album, "Poppin'", charted outside the U.S. top forty.
with first-week sales of 154,000 copies. It was certified double platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA). As of April 2011, the album has sold 2.1 million copes in the United States alone. Worldwide, it has sold more than three million copies.
Samples credits
, Bow Wow, Omarion
and Marques Houston
, as a supporting act. Later, he headlined the Xbox 360
Presents: Chris Brown Tour, supported by T-Pain
.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Chris Brown, released on November 29, 2005 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. It was a commercial success, certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for scanning two million in the United States, and sold over three million copies worldwide.
In 2006 a CD/DVD set entitled Chris Brown's Journey was released, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and commentary from Brown. Chris Brown was also released twice in DualDisc
DualDisc
DualDisc was a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group and later under the aegis of the Recording Industry Association of America...
format.
Background
Chris Brown, born in small-town TappahannockTappahannock, Virginia
Tappahannock is the oldest town in Essex County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,068 at the 2000 census. Located on the Rappahannock River, Tappahannock is the county seat of Essex County...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, started as a rapper. He switched over to singing in his preteen years when his mother Joyce Hawkins noticed his talent and soon begun looking for local producers. At age 13 in 2002, Brown was discovered in his birth father's gas station by a production team who were looking for local talent.His father later got married to Olivia Angall. They have three children together. They were connected with Timmy Allen, a music producer for Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
who lived in the Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
neighborhood in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Brown moved in, only returning to Virginia for holidays, school and basketball season. He bonded with Allen's son, T.J., an aspiring rapper who went under the name "T-Breezy", as Allen begun to shop both of their demo CDs
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
around to music labels.
By August 2004, Brown, who had adapted the stage name "C Sizzle", and T.J. attracted the attention of Tina Davis, Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
' senior A&R executive, and auditioned them in front of Island Def Jam Music Group CEO Antonio "L. A." Reid. Afterwards, Reid offered to sign both of them on the spot but Brown claimed Allen had become "greedy" during the prolonged negotiations that spanned two months. Davis advised Brown not to sign the deal. Davis later lost her job due to restructuring
Restructuring
Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs...
after Island Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records is a record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Island Def Jam Motown Music Group.-Formation and Early Years:...
merged. That same day, Brown hired her as his manager and moved in into her New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
home. After weeks of label searching, Brown had a deal with Jive Records, known for their pop and R&B artists such as Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
and R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
, by Christmas Eve 2004. He also dropped out of the 10th grade at Essex High School
Essex High School (Virginia)
Essex High School is a high school located in the town of Tappahannock, in Essex County, Virginia.-Notable alumni:* Chris Brown – Grammy nominated R&B/pop singer* Stacy Tutt – Former NFL Football Player* Darryl Hammond – Arena Football League Player...
in Virginia in favor of tutoring. Brown recorded the album in Miami with Mark Pitts, the Jive A&R who signed Brown to the label. They recorded up to 50 songs.
Singles
The album's lead single was "Run It!Run It!
"Run It!" is the debut single by American R&B singer Chris Brown, featuring American rapper Juelz Santana. It was written by Santana, Sean Garrett and Scott Storch, and produced by the latter. It was released in 2005 and is Brown's first career single, off his debut album Chris Brown...
", which features rapper Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana
LaRon Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...
and was produced by Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
and Moe Faisal. It received continuous airplay
Airplay (song)
Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...
(topping the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay), and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, where it stayed for five weeks. It replaced "Gold Digger
Gold Digger
"Gold Digger" is a song recorded by American rapper Kanye West featuring guest vocals by Jamie Foxx. Released as the second single from West's second album, Late Registration, "Gold Digger" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 2005, becoming West's and Foxx's second...
" by Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
featuring Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
, and was replaced by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's "Don't Forget About Us
Don't Forget About Us
"Don't Forget About Us" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin, and released as the fifth single for the re-issue of her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi...
". It also topped Billboard Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
. Other singles released from the album include "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)
Yo (Excuse Me Miss)
Not to be confused with Excuse Me Miss, a song by rapper Jay-Z."Yo " is the second single from Chris Brown's debut album Chris Brown, released in 2005 in the U.S. and 2006 worldwide. "Yo ", produced by Dre & Vidal, became Brown's second top ten hit in the U.S., peaking at number seven on February...
", another U.S. top ten hit for Brown, as well as "Gimme That
Gimme That
"Gimme That" is a song by American R&B singer Chris Brown from his eponymous album. The official remix, co-written by Wayne, Scott Storch and Sean Garrett, features American rapper Lil Wayne and was released as a single, although the remix doesn't appear on the standard version...
", released as a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
featuring rapper Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
, and the fourth single, "Say Goodbye", which peaked at number ten in the U.S. The fifth and final single from the album, "Poppin'", charted outside the U.S. top forty.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with first-week sales of 154,000 copies. It was certified double platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). As of April 2011, the album has sold 2.1 million copes in the United States alone. Worldwide, it has sold more than three million copies.
Track listing
- (co.) signifies a co-producer.
Samples credits
- "Run It!" – "I Know What Boys Like" by Christopher Butler
- "Young Love" – "SideshowSideshow (song)"Sideshow" is a song recorded by American R&B soul vocal quintet Blue Magic, released in 1974. It was first released on the album Blue Magic and when issued as a single it sold over a million copies, going to #1 R&B and #8 pop in the United States in the summer of 1974. It was covered as a reggae...
" by Blue MagicBlue Magic (band)Blue Magic is an American soul music group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972, they were originally composed of lead Ted Mills, Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton, and Richard Pratt... - "Ain't No Way (You Won't Love Me)" – "Song of the Dragon & Phoenix" by Zhang Fuquan
- "Run It! (Remix)" – "Jam Master Jay" by Run-DMC
- "So Glad" – "It's Great To Be Here" by the Jackson 5
Promotion
Through the winter, Brown joined the Scream V Encore Tour, featuring CiaraCiara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
, Bow Wow, Omarion
Omarion
Omari Ishmael Grandberry better known as Omarion, is an American R&B singer, actor, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and former lead singer of the R&B group, B2K. Omarion was spotted at a young age by a manager, Christopher B. Stokes, who took a liking to his vocal abilities...
and Marques Houston
Marques Houston
Marques Barrett Houston is an American R&B singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor. A member of the R&B singing group Immature/IMx until 2002, he went solo in 2003. He is also the cousin of J-Boog, former member of the R&B/Hip-Hop group B2K....
, as a supporting act. Later, he headlined the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Presents: Chris Brown Tour, supported by T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
.
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Album Charts ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
57 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 66 |
| Belgium Albums Chart (Flanders Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... ) |
47 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 47 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
42 |
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Albums Chart |
51 |
| German Albums Chart | 31 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
71 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Albums Chart |
8 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
18 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
29 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
Personnel
- Executive producers: Chris Brown, Tina Davis, Mark Pitts
- Art Direction: Courtney Walter
- A&R: Leticia Hilliard, Matt SchwartzMatt SchwartzMatt Schwartz is a multi-instrumentalist record producer a songwriter, an Artist, DJ, and a prolific audio engineer based in the UK.He has contributed to numerous records since 1995 as an engineer, producer, composer, musician and a songwriter, working with all the UK major record labels, he also...
- Assistant EngineersAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
: Val Brathwrite, Vadim Chislov, Anthony G. Crisano, Patrick Magee, Lucas McClelland, Tadd Mingo, Aaron Renner - Bass: David Cabrerra
- Design: Courtney Walter
- EngineersAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
: Wayne Allison, Vincent Dilorenzo, Conrad Golding, John Horesco IV, Eddie Hustle, Charles McCrorey, Oak, Keith Sengbusch, Sam Thomas - Guitar: Val Brathwrite, Aaron Fishbein
- KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
: Kendrick Dean - MasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
: Herb Powers - Mixing: Kevin "KD" Davis, Vincent Dilorenzo, Jermaine DupriJermaine DupriJermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
, Jean-Marie Horvat, Eddie Hustle, Rich Keller, Phil Tan, The Underdogs - Mixing Assistant: Val Brathwrite, Steve Tolle, Mike Tschupp
- Multi Instruments: Bryan-Michael Cox, Vidal Davis, Kendrick Dean, Andre Harris
- Photography: Clay Patrick McBridge
- Remix Producer: Jermaine Dupri, L-Rock
- Vocals (background): Steve Russell
- Vocal Producer: Lamont "LA" Flemming, Shannon "Slam" Lawrence
- Vocal Recording: Charles McCrorey
- Vocal Tracking: Ian Crosse