Chris Brown was once simply a young, pretty boy singer and dancer. Now he is something that more closely resembles his rap counterparts. Brown’s transformation from innocent (mostly) to bad boy has come full circle with his latest release, F.A.M.E.
The album opens on a fiery note with the emotional “Deuces” featuring rappers Tyga and Kevin McCall. The song, which originally appeared on his mixtape, Fan of a Fan, is an honest take on the struggles of getting over a relationship. But as Brown “chucks the deuces” to an old girlfriend and relationship, he is also saying goodbye to his former persona and typical expectations of his sound.
F.A.M.E is Brown’s first album to feature a parental advisory sticker for its explicit content. Chris Brown makes good use of this warning to parents on “No Bullshit,” his ode to the late-night affairs of clubgoers. Brown’s tone here is different from anything we’ve heard from him before: “Three in the morning and you know I’m horny / So won’t you come over my place, and put smile on my face.” Songs like this, “Deuces” and his second official single, “Look at Me Now,” show Brown at his music-making best. He’s fully embraced his new persona, and that confidence is evident on F.A.M.E.
But still, F.A.M.E. feels forced. The songs don’t really go together, like they’re just a collection of artists and beats. Take “Yeah 3x,” the album’s first single which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, for instance. The song recalls “With You” and “Forever,” two of Brown’s biggest hits to date. But “Yeah 3x” sounds like an attempt to recreate a Brown that is so obviously no longer there.
Even excusing Brown and his label’s attempt to reproduce the magic of the past, the rest of the album frankly isn’t that good — the songs sort of mindlessly run together after a few listens. There’s a Michael Jackson remake (“She Ain’t You”), a song with Justin Bieber (“Next to You”) and an overly and unnecessarily sexed-up song featuring Ludacris (“Wet the Bed” — I’ll let you guess what this song is about).
Though there are plenty of potentially chart-topping songs on the album, but several weak links make the album uneven and mediocre.
Despite that, Chris Brown is back to his hit-making best—which doesn’t necessarily mean a completely solid release. With three songs in the Billboard Hot 100 at F.A.M.E.‘s release, it’s clear that Chris Brown knows how to craft a radio friendly song.
But as Brown ages, his subject matter does too, and not for the better. Instead of addressing some of the issues that have surrounded his career (e.g. his alleged assault on Rihanna), Brown has taken to singing about partying, finances and sexual prowess. Maybe that’s just the price of F.A.M.E.
