F.A.M.E. (album)
Encyclopedia
F.A.M.E. is the fourth studio album
by American recording artist Chris Brown, first released on March 18, 2011 by Jive Records
. Brown worked with several record producers and songwriters for the album, including Kevin McCall
, Jean Baptiste
, Brian Kennedy
, DJ Frank E
, The Underdogs
and The Messengers
, among others. The album featured several guest appearances, including McCall, Tyga
, Lil Wayne
, Busta Rhymes
, Ludacris
, Justin Bieber
, Benny Benassi
, Wiz Khalifa
, Game, Timbaland
and Big Sean
.
Musically, F.A.M.E. combines the musical genres of R&B
, pop
, hip hop
and euro
. Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from most music critics, who were ambivalent towards its songwriting and material. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
chart, with first-week sales of 270,000, Brown's first number-one album in the United States. It was certified gold
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), for selling more than 500,000 copies.
The album spawned three hit singles, "Yeah 3x
", "Look at Me Now
" and "Beautiful People
". "Yeah 3x" and "Beautiful People" were commercially successful in Oceania
and some European regions. In the United States, "Look at Me Now" reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
and Hot Rap Songs
charts. To support the album, Brown embarked on his F.A.M.E. Tour
in Australia and North America.
revealed that Brown had begun work on his fourth studio album, and mentioned that he had been recording music with Brown and Timbaland
for the album. On September 18, 2010, Brown announced that the album would be titled, F.A.M.E. The acronym of the title has two meanings, "Forgiving All My Enemies" and "Fans Are My Everything". On Christmas Day 2010, Brown confirmed via Twitter
that he would be collaborating on a track with Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber
. He also shared plans of a possible collaboration with Bruno Mars
, stating "ME and BRUNO MARS are doing an incredible record soon ... (like 2011 ELVIS and MICHAEL) gonna be a movie!!!!".
Wiz Khalifa
, Asher Roth
and Game were also known to have been working with Brown on the album. In describing the album, Brown said, "On this album some of the songs are more grown-up. There are songs from all genres: from street records to others that are real soul, 808 heavy that you'll hear in the club, and then others are strictly for the heart; songs that your mom and grandma can listen to and love. Collectively, F.A.M.E. is me giving fans every aspect of who I am as far as my art, my culture, and my concepts."
, pop
, hip hop
, reggae
and euro
. The opening track, "Deuces
", which features Kevin McCall
and Tyga
, is a slow, downtempo
R&B track that "tells the story of a failed relationship". Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted that the song shows off Brown's "silky-smooth vocals". "Up 2 You" is an R&B ballad
, which follows on from the break-up theme. The song was likened to the musical styles of Bobby Brown
and Usher
. "Next 2 You
", featuring Justin Bieber
, is a "thumping mid-tempo" pop track. In the song, they both sing about their love for a girl. Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe
wrote that the song "offers one of Brown's most tender vocals to date". The third track, "No Bullshit
", is an R&B song, which features a "classic 90's feel".
The album's up-tempo tracks, "Yeah 3x
" and "Beautiful People
", both feature electro house and europop influences. "Yeah 3x" was compared to Brown's single "Forever
" (2008), and was likened to the musical styles of The Black Eyed Peas
, Usher and Jay Sean. The fourth track, "Look at Me Now
", which features American rappers Lil Wayne
and Busta Rhymes
, is a "dirty south-inspired" hip hop song, featuring "fast-rapping" from Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. The song was musically compared to Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
's work and Cali Swag District
's "Teach Me How to Dougie
" (2010). The fifth track, "She Ain't You
", is a ballad which samples Michael Jackson
's "Human Nature
" (1983) and SWV
's "Right Here
" (1993). The ninth track, "All Back", is a rock
ballad that features "raw vocals and prominent guitar". It was musically compared to Ryan Tedder
's work. Brown revisits his rapping skills on the tracks, "Say It With Me" and "Oh My Love". Dorken described the former as a "fast-paced track with a dance feel", and likened the song's musical style to Justin Timberlake
, because of it's "high-pitched chorus." "Bomb", which features Wiz Khalifa
, contains reggae influences, and was musically compared to Beenie Man
's work.
To promote the album, Brown performed "Yeah 3x
" and "No Bullshit
" on Saturday Night Live
on February 12, 2011. During the week leading up to the US release of the album, Brown treated fans to a series of secret listening sessions, and gave them an exclusive bonus track and music video
. It was a campaign that Brown launched on behalf of his worldwide fan base, nicknamed "Team Breezy". The first listening session was held on March 14 in Los Angeles. It was then followed by consecutive sessions in Atlanta (March 15), Washington, D.C. (March 16) and New York City (March 17). Each session was held at a secret location and was hosted by Brown and the "Team Breezy" team leaders in each city.
On March 22, 2011, Brown appeared on Good Morning America
to perform "Yeah 3x", and later appeared on 106 & Park
, where he performed "Deuces
", "Look at Me Now
" and "Ain't Thinkin' 'Bout You
". On March 29, 2011, a pre-taped performance of Brown performing "Yeah 3x" and a medley of "Forever
" and "Beautiful People
", was broadcast on Dancing with the Stars (US). On June 26, 2011, he performed "She Ain't You
", "Look at Me Now" and "Paper, Scissors, Rock" live at the 2011 BET Awards
. On July 15, 2011, Brown appeared on The Today Show, as part of the show's concert series, which took place at the Rockefeller Plaza
in New York City. Brown performed "Yeah 3x", "I Can Transform Ya
", "She Ain't You" and "Forever" at the concert. On August 28, 2011, Brown performed a medley of "Yeah 3x", "Protect Ya Neck
", "Smells Like Teen Spirit
" and "Beautiful People" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
.
" was released as the album's lead single
on October 25, 2010. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its production and lyrics. The song peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100
, and number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100
. It reached the top-ten on the singles charts of Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. "Look at Me Now
", which features American rappers Lil Wayne
and Busta Rhymes
, was released as the album's second single on February 1, 2011. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary
radio in the United States on February 8, 2011. Music critics noted "Look at Me Now" as the standout track on the album, and praised Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne's rap verses. The song peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it Brown's highest chart position since "Forever
" (2008). It reached number one on the US Rap Songs
and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
charts.
"Beautiful People
", featuring Benny Benassi
, was released as the album's third single on March 11, 2011. The song was well received by most music critics who praised its production and lyrics. "Beautiful People" reached the top-ten in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and became the first number-one single for both Brown and Benassi. "She Ain't You
" was released to urban radio
in the United States on March 28, 2011, as the fourth US single from F.A.M.E.. It peaked at number five on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 17 on the US Pop Songs chart, and number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Next 2 You
", which features Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber
, was released as the fourth international single on June 24, 2011. Most music critics positively reviewed the song, complimenting the blending of Brown and Bieber's vocals. The song reached the top-twenty in Austria, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and the top-thirty in Australia, Germany, Ireland and the United States. "Wet the Bed
", which features American rapper Ludacris
, was sent to US urban radio on September 13, 2011, as the album's fifth US single. It peaked at number six on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
, Havana Brown
, and Justice Crew
, served as the supporting acts on all dates of the Australian leg. 32 show dates in North America were later added to the tour, which began in September 2011. Kelly Rowland
, T-Pain
, Bow Wow
and Tyga
served as the opening acts of the North American leg.
, with first-week sales of 270,000 copies, serving as Brown's first number-one album in the United States. Its first week sales also served as the second-largest one-week sales of 2011 in the United States alone. On the US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
, F.A.M.E. also debuted number one, giving Brown his third non-consecutive number-one album on the chart. It has since been certified gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America
.
s. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 52, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Andy Gill of The Independent
called F.A.M.E. "equal parts bubblebath boudoir soul and more bullish beat-driven floor-fillers", criticizing its content regarding "paranoia, reproach and bogus regret, along with the standard 'aspirational' bragging about money and sex". Los Angeles Times
writer Margaret Wappler gave it two-and-a-half out of four stars and commented that it "feels strained and sometimes downright desperate", stating "the album leaves not an impression of one singular style but of the great effort required to mix and match so many times". The Observer
s Ally Carnwath wrote that Brown "still sounds hamstrung by a fear of trying anything too edgy". Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club
wrote favorably of the album's "effervescent slow jams and up-tempo R&B struts", but criticized its "oversold ballads". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
wrote unfavorably of Brown's performance and stated "Mostly, he has a really charmless way with a lyric". The Boston Globe
s Sarah Rodman commented that "only a handful of tracks truly showcase Brown’s strengths" and criticized his singing "crudely about sex, emptily about partying, and lazily about romance". David Amidon of PopMatters
found Brown's vocal "apathetic" and panned the songs as "childish and trite".
However, Allmusic editor Andy Kellman gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "variety of styles", writing that "it hints that Brown’s best is yet to come". Entertainment Weekly
s Brad Wete complimented its "intoxicating hooks" and commented that the album "shines brighter than anything he produced before". Steve Jones of USA Today
found it "edgier" than Brown's previous work and called it "the strongest album of his career". BBC Online's Nick Levine viewed that he lacks an "artistic identity", but complimented its "club-pop" songs and stated "despite [...] lapses in taste, and a glut of unadventurous mid-tempo RnB cuts, F.A.M.E. is no catastrophe". Rolling Stone
writer Jody Rosen
commented that "Brown has a good nose for production" and called F.A.M.E. "a pop 'n' b album with something for everyone". Sean Fennessey of The Washington Post
called the album "unapologetically defiant", but expressed a mixed response towards its production and wrote that "the transitioning heartthrob vacillates between petulance and punch throughout". Slant Magazine
's Eric Henderson commented that "The cute-to-ick ratio is significantly more favorable than it was last time around", but called the album "good for impressionable ears, but dull for discerning ones [...] a collection of avoidant club jams [...] and indirect overtures of love/lust".
. On November 27, 2011, it won Album of the Year at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards
. F.A.M.E. and its second single "Look at Me Now", has earned Brown three Grammy Award
nominations, including Best R&B Album
. "Look at Me Now" is nominated for Best Rap Performance
and Best Rap Song
.
Notes
Sample credits
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American recording artist Chris Brown, first released on March 18, 2011 by 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...
. Brown worked with several record producers and songwriters for the album, including Kevin McCall
Kevin McCall
Kevin Lamar McCall, Jr. , better known as Kevin McCall or K-Mac, is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and rapper signed to Universal Music Group and CBE . He wrote on "Last Train to Paris", and was nominated with Chris Brown for Deuces on the 2011 Grammys.- Mixtapes :*Un-invited Guest Kevin...
, Jean Baptiste
Jean Baptiste Kouame
Jean Baptiste Kouame, often referred to simply as Jean Baptiste, is a songwriter and record producer.-2009:*The Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D.**"Boom Boom Pow" *Blake Lewis - Heartbreak on Vinyl**"Left My Baby for You"-2006:...
, Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy (producer)
Brian Kennedy Seals is an American songwriter, record producer and musician from Kansas City, MO. Revered as a piano prodigy, he has been making music tracks since 2001...
, DJ Frank E
DJ Frank E
Justin Franks, also known as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado. He began mixing records and later progressed to producing remixes in 2003....
, The Underdogs
The Underdogs (duo)
The Underdogs is an R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.-Biography:Harvey Mason, Jr. is the son of Harvey Mason, Sr., a noted session drummer...
and The Messengers
The Messengers (producers)
The Messengers is a Grammy nominated Canadian songwriting and production team currently based in Los Angeles, California. The duo consists of singer/lyricist Nasri and multi-instrumentalist/arranger Adam Messinger....
, among others. The album featured several guest appearances, including McCall, Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
, 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...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, Benny Benassi
Benny Benassi
Marco Benassi , better known as Benny Benassi, is a Grammy Award winning Italian disc jockey and record producer of electro house music. He is best known for his 2002 summer club hit "Satisfaction"...
, Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
, Game, Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and Big Sean
Big Sean
Sean Michael Anderson , better known by his stage name Big Sean, is an American rapper. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's G.O.O.D...
.
Musically, F.A.M.E. combines the musical genres of R&B
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...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and euro
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
. Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from most music critics, who were ambivalent towards its songwriting and material. The album debuted at number one on the US 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...
chart, with first-week sales of 270,000, Brown's first number-one album in the United States. It was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
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 selling more than 500,000 copies.
The album spawned three hit singles, "Yeah 3x
Yeah 3x
"Yeah 3x" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was written by Brown, Justin Franks, Kevin McCall, Amber Streeter, and Richard Adam Wiles, and produced by DJ Frank E. The song was released as the lead single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on October 25, 2010...
", "Look at Me Now
Look at Me Now (Chris Brown song)
"Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south-inspired" hip hop song that features American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. According to Chad Grischow from IGN, the song features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds." Electronic background mixes are also present in the song...
" and "Beautiful People
Beautiful People (Chris Brown song)
"Beautiful People" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown featuring Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was written by Brown, with Jean Baptiste, Marco Benassi and Allessandro Benassi, with the latter two also handling its production. The song was released as the third single from Brown's...
". "Yeah 3x" and "Beautiful People" were commercially successful in Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
and some European regions. In the United States, "Look at Me Now" reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
and Hot Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
charts. To support the album, Brown embarked on his F.A.M.E. Tour
F.A.M.E. Tour
The F.A.M.E. Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Chris Brown to support his fourth studio album, F.A.M.E. . The tour began in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia in April 2011, and Brown headlined 32 concerts in North America starting in September 2011.- Background :On January 19,...
in Australia and North America.
Background and development
In September 2010, Kevin McCallKevin McCall
Kevin Lamar McCall, Jr. , better known as Kevin McCall or K-Mac, is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and rapper signed to Universal Music Group and CBE . He wrote on "Last Train to Paris", and was nominated with Chris Brown for Deuces on the 2011 Grammys.- Mixtapes :*Un-invited Guest Kevin...
revealed that Brown had begun work on his fourth studio album, and mentioned that he had been recording music with Brown and Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
for the album. On September 18, 2010, Brown announced that the album would be titled, F.A.M.E. The acronym of the title has two meanings, "Forgiving All My Enemies" and "Fans Are My Everything". On Christmas Day 2010, Brown confirmed via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that he would be collaborating on a track with Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
. He also shared plans of a possible collaboration with Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
, stating "ME and BRUNO MARS are doing an incredible record soon ... (like 2011 ELVIS and MICHAEL) gonna be a movie!!!!".
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
, Asher Roth
Asher Roth
Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper.-Early life:Asher Roth was born and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia. His mother, Elizabeth , is a yoga instructor, and his father, David Roth, is the executive director of a design firm...
and Game were also known to have been working with Brown on the album. In describing the album, Brown said, "On this album some of the songs are more grown-up. There are songs from all genres: from street records to others that are real soul, 808 heavy that you'll hear in the club, and then others are strictly for the heart; songs that your mom and grandma can listen to and love. Collectively, F.A.M.E. is me giving fans every aspect of who I am as far as my art, my culture, and my concepts."
Composition
F.A.M.E. combines the musical genres of R&BContemporary 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...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and euro
Europop
Europop refers to a style of pop music that first developed in today's form in Europe, throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and ’90s...
. The opening track, "Deuces
Deuces (song)
"Deuces" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, taken from his mixtape Fan of a Fan . It was written by Brown, Tyga, and Kevin McCall, with the latter also producing the song. The R&B ballad also features guest vocal performances from Tyga and McCall. Lyrically, the song is about...
", which features Kevin McCall
Kevin McCall
Kevin Lamar McCall, Jr. , better known as Kevin McCall or K-Mac, is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and rapper signed to Universal Music Group and CBE . He wrote on "Last Train to Paris", and was nominated with Chris Brown for Deuces on the 2011 Grammys.- Mixtapes :*Un-invited Guest Kevin...
and Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
, is a slow, downtempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
R&B track that "tells the story of a failed relationship". Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted that the song shows off Brown's "silky-smooth vocals". "Up 2 You" is an R&B ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, which follows on from the break-up theme. The song was likened to the musical styles of Bobby Brown
Bobby Brown
Robert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
and Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
. "Next 2 You
Next 2 You (Chris Brown song)
"Next 2 You" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, included as a track on his fourth studio album, F.A.M.E., released on March 18, 2011. The song features Canadian singer Justin Bieber and was produced by Nasri Atweh and Adam Messinger of The Messengers, who wrote the song with Brown,...
", featuring Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, is a "thumping mid-tempo" pop track. In the song, they both sing about their love for a girl. Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
wrote that the song "offers one of Brown's most tender vocals to date". The third track, "No Bullshit
No Bullshit
"No Bullshit" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, released as the second single from his second official mixtape Fan of a Fan . The song was originally recorded for and included on Brown's previous mixtape In My Zone , and was later included on Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E....
", is an R&B song, which features a "classic 90's feel".
The album's up-tempo tracks, "Yeah 3x
Yeah 3x
"Yeah 3x" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was written by Brown, Justin Franks, Kevin McCall, Amber Streeter, and Richard Adam Wiles, and produced by DJ Frank E. The song was released as the lead single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on October 25, 2010...
" and "Beautiful People
Beautiful People (Chris Brown song)
"Beautiful People" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown featuring Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was written by Brown, with Jean Baptiste, Marco Benassi and Allessandro Benassi, with the latter two also handling its production. The song was released as the third single from Brown's...
", both feature electro house and europop influences. "Yeah 3x" was compared to Brown's single "Forever
Forever (Chris Brown song)
"Forever" is a song by American R&B singer Chris Brown. It is produced by Polow da Don. It is the first single from the repackaged Exclusive: Forever Edition, and is the fifth overall single by Brown from his second studio album, Exclusive with uncredited backing vocals from Keri Hilson...
" (2008), and was likened to the musical styles of The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
, Usher and Jay Sean. The fourth track, "Look at Me Now
Look at Me Now (Chris Brown song)
"Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south-inspired" hip hop song that features American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. According to Chad Grischow from IGN, the song features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds." Electronic background mixes are also present in the song...
", which features American rappers 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 Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, is a "dirty south-inspired" hip hop song, featuring "fast-rapping" from Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. The song was musically compared to Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
Soulja Boy
DeAndre Cortez Way , better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, entrepreneur, and internet personality....
's work and Cali Swag District
Cali Swag District
Cali Swag District is an American hip hop group from Inglewood, California, founded by former Death Row Records artist Big Wy and Dairold Potts. The group's members are rapper-DJ C-Smoove and rappers, Yung and JayAre...
's "Teach Me How to Dougie
Teach Me How to Dougie
"Teach Me How to Dougie" is a song recorded by American hip hop group Cali Swag District. The track was produced by Runway Star for Cali Swag District's debut studio album, The Kickback . The song was written by Chanti Glee, Charon Childs, and Corey Fowler...
" (2010). The fifth track, "She Ain't You
She Ain't You
"She Ain't You" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. The mid-tempo R&B, pop-flavored ballad was written by Brown, Jean Baptiste, Ryan Buendia, Kevin McCall and Jason Boyd, and was produced by Free School. It was sent to urban contemporary radio in the United States on March 28, 2011,...
", is a ballad which samples Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Human Nature
Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)
"Human Nature" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written and composed by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the fifth single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Initially, Porcaro had recorded a rough demo of the song on a...
" (1983) and SWV
SWV
Sisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is an American female R&B trio from New York. Formed in 1990 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here/Human Nature", "I'm So Into You", and "You're the One"....
's "Right Here
Right Here (SWV song)
"Right Here" is the title of the debut single released by the group SWV. It charted on the Billboard charts as a double-A-side with "Downtown". A remixed version, commonly referred to as "Right Here/Human Nature", became a number-one R&B single...
" (1993). The ninth track, "All Back", is a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ballad that features "raw vocals and prominent guitar". It was musically compared to Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
's work. Brown revisits his rapping skills on the tracks, "Say It With Me" and "Oh My Love". Dorken described the former as a "fast-paced track with a dance feel", and likened the song's musical style to 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...
, because of it's "high-pitched chorus." "Bomb", which features Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
, contains reggae influences, and was musically compared to Beenie Man
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
's work.
Release and promotion
The standard edition of the album was released simultaneously with the deluxe edition from March 18, 2011. The deluxe edition included five additional tracks. The album cover, designed by Ron English, was revealed on February 14, 2011. The cover features a multi-colored, neon portrait of Brown striking a serious pose, while two identical images of him sporting a baseball cap face opposite directions on each shoulder. The official track listing for the album was then revealed on February 22, 2011.To promote the album, Brown performed "Yeah 3x
Yeah 3x
"Yeah 3x" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was written by Brown, Justin Franks, Kevin McCall, Amber Streeter, and Richard Adam Wiles, and produced by DJ Frank E. The song was released as the lead single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on October 25, 2010...
" and "No Bullshit
No Bullshit
"No Bullshit" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, released as the second single from his second official mixtape Fan of a Fan . The song was originally recorded for and included on Brown's previous mixtape In My Zone , and was later included on Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E....
" on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on February 12, 2011. During the week leading up to the US release of the album, Brown treated fans to a series of secret listening sessions, and gave them an exclusive bonus track and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. It was a campaign that Brown launched on behalf of his worldwide fan base, nicknamed "Team Breezy". The first listening session was held on March 14 in Los Angeles. It was then followed by consecutive sessions in Atlanta (March 15), Washington, D.C. (March 16) and New York City (March 17). Each session was held at a secret location and was hosted by Brown and the "Team Breezy" team leaders in each city.
On March 22, 2011, Brown appeared on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
to perform "Yeah 3x", and later appeared on 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
, where he performed "Deuces
Deuces (song)
"Deuces" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, taken from his mixtape Fan of a Fan . It was written by Brown, Tyga, and Kevin McCall, with the latter also producing the song. The R&B ballad also features guest vocal performances from Tyga and McCall. Lyrically, the song is about...
", "Look at Me Now
Look at Me Now (Chris Brown song)
"Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south-inspired" hip hop song that features American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. According to Chad Grischow from IGN, the song features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds." Electronic background mixes are also present in the song...
" and "Ain't Thinkin' 'Bout You
Ain't Thinkin' 'Bout You
"Ain't Thinkin' 'Bout You" is a song by rapper Bow Wow. This song features Chris Brown. An early version originally appeared on Brown's collaborative mixtape with Tyga, Fan of a Fan.-Music video:...
". On March 29, 2011, a pre-taped performance of Brown performing "Yeah 3x" and a medley of "Forever
Forever (Chris Brown song)
"Forever" is a song by American R&B singer Chris Brown. It is produced by Polow da Don. It is the first single from the repackaged Exclusive: Forever Edition, and is the fifth overall single by Brown from his second studio album, Exclusive with uncredited backing vocals from Keri Hilson...
" and "Beautiful People
Beautiful People (Chris Brown song)
"Beautiful People" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown featuring Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was written by Brown, with Jean Baptiste, Marco Benassi and Allessandro Benassi, with the latter two also handling its production. The song was released as the third single from Brown's...
", was broadcast on Dancing with the Stars (US). On June 26, 2011, he performed "She Ain't You
She Ain't You
"She Ain't You" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. The mid-tempo R&B, pop-flavored ballad was written by Brown, Jean Baptiste, Ryan Buendia, Kevin McCall and Jason Boyd, and was produced by Free School. It was sent to urban contemporary radio in the United States on March 28, 2011,...
", "Look at Me Now" and "Paper, Scissors, Rock" live at the 2011 BET Awards
BET Awards of 2011
The 2011 BET Awards took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on June 26, 2011. The awards recognized African-Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. Actor Kevin Hart hosted the event for the first time. ...
. On July 15, 2011, Brown appeared on The Today Show, as part of the show's concert series, which took place at the Rockefeller Plaza
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
in New York City. Brown performed "Yeah 3x", "I Can Transform Ya
I Can Transform Ya
"I Can Transform Ya" is a song by American singer Chris Brown. The song features Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz. It was written by Brown, Wayne and Beatz, and produced by the latter. Originally known simply as "Transformer", the song was Brown's first official release since his altercation with former...
", "She Ain't You" and "Forever" at the concert. On August 28, 2011, Brown performed a medley of "Yeah 3x", "Protect Ya Neck
Protect Ya Neck
"Protect Ya Neck" is the debut single by hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The song is from the group's critically acclaimed first album Enter the Wu-Tang and is one of the group's most popular singles...
", "Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
" and "Beautiful People" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
.
Singles
"Yeah 3xYeah 3x
"Yeah 3x" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was written by Brown, Justin Franks, Kevin McCall, Amber Streeter, and Richard Adam Wiles, and produced by DJ Frank E. The song was released as the lead single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on October 25, 2010...
" was released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
on October 25, 2010. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its production and lyrics. The song peaked at number 15 on the US 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...
, and number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. It reached the top-ten on the singles charts of Australia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. "Look at Me Now
Look at Me Now (Chris Brown song)
"Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south-inspired" hip hop song that features American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. According to Chad Grischow from IGN, the song features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds." Electronic background mixes are also present in the song...
", which features American rappers 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 Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, was released as the album's second single on February 1, 2011. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
radio in the United States on February 8, 2011. Music critics noted "Look at Me Now" as the standout track on the album, and praised Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne's rap verses. The song peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it Brown's highest chart position since "Forever
Forever (Chris Brown song)
"Forever" is a song by American R&B singer Chris Brown. It is produced by Polow da Don. It is the first single from the repackaged Exclusive: Forever Edition, and is the fifth overall single by Brown from his second studio album, Exclusive with uncredited backing vocals from Keri Hilson...
" (2008). It reached number one on the US Rap Songs
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
charts.
"Beautiful People
Beautiful People (Chris Brown song)
"Beautiful People" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown featuring Italian DJ Benny Benassi. It was written by Brown, with Jean Baptiste, Marco Benassi and Allessandro Benassi, with the latter two also handling its production. The song was released as the third single from Brown's...
", featuring Benny Benassi
Benny Benassi
Marco Benassi , better known as Benny Benassi, is a Grammy Award winning Italian disc jockey and record producer of electro house music. He is best known for his 2002 summer club hit "Satisfaction"...
, was released as the album's third single on March 11, 2011. The song was well received by most music critics who praised its production and lyrics. "Beautiful People" reached the top-ten in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, and became the first number-one single for both Brown and Benassi. "She Ain't You
She Ain't You
"She Ain't You" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown. The mid-tempo R&B, pop-flavored ballad was written by Brown, Jean Baptiste, Ryan Buendia, Kevin McCall and Jason Boyd, and was produced by Free School. It was sent to urban contemporary radio in the United States on March 28, 2011,...
" was released to urban radio
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
in the United States on March 28, 2011, as the fourth US single from F.A.M.E.. It peaked at number five on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 17 on the US Pop Songs chart, and number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Next 2 You
Next 2 You (Chris Brown song)
"Next 2 You" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, included as a track on his fourth studio album, F.A.M.E., released on March 18, 2011. The song features Canadian singer Justin Bieber and was produced by Nasri Atweh and Adam Messinger of The Messengers, who wrote the song with Brown,...
", which features Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, was released as the fourth international single on June 24, 2011. Most music critics positively reviewed the song, complimenting the blending of Brown and Bieber's vocals. The song reached the top-twenty in Austria, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and the top-thirty in Australia, Germany, Ireland and the United States. "Wet the Bed
Wet the Bed
"Wet the Bed" is a song by American R&B recording artist Chris Brown featuring American rapper Ludacris, from his fourth studio album F.A.M.E. . It was written by Brown, Derrick "Bigg D" Baker, Kevin McCall, Amber Streeter, Andre Merritt, Joseph Bereal and Christopher Bridges, and produced by Bigg D...
", which features American rapper Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, was sent to US urban radio on September 13, 2011, as the album's fifth US single. It peaked at number six on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Tour
Brown embarked on his F.A.M.E. Tour in April 2011 in Australia. Jessica MauboyJessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
, Havana Brown
Havana Brown (DJ)
Havana Brown , is an Australian DJ and recording artist. She is signed to Universal Music Australia, and has been releasing her Crave compilation series ever since. Brown has also toured with artists such as, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Enrique Iglesias and the Pussycat Dolls...
, and Justice Crew
Justice Crew
Justice Crew are an all-male hip-hop dance and pop music group based in Sydney. They are most notable for winning the fourth season of Australia's Got Talent in 2010. The group consists of Emmanuel Rodriguez, Samson Smith, Len John Ruela Pearce, John Len Ruela Pearce, Lukas Bellesini, Paulie...
, served as the supporting acts on all dates of the Australian leg. 32 show dates in North America were later added to the tour, which began in September 2011. Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, 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,...
, Bow Wow
Bow Wow
Shad Gregory Moss , better known by his stage name Bow Wow , is an American rapper and actor. As Lil' Bow Wow, he released his first album, Beware of Dog in 2000 at age 13, which was followed by Doggy Bag 2001...
and Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
served as the opening acts of the North American leg.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number one on the US 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 270,000 copies, serving as Brown's first number-one album in the United States. Its first week sales also served as the second-largest one-week sales of 2011 in the United States alone. On the US 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...
, F.A.M.E. also debuted number one, giving Brown his third non-consecutive number-one album on the chart. It has since been certified gold in the US 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...
.
Critical response
F.A.M.E. received generally mixed reviews from music criticMusic criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
s. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 52, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
called F.A.M.E. "equal parts bubblebath boudoir soul and more bullish beat-driven floor-fillers", criticizing its content regarding "paranoia, reproach and bogus regret, along with the standard 'aspirational' bragging about money and sex". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Margaret Wappler gave it two-and-a-half out of four stars and commented that it "feels strained and sometimes downright desperate", stating "the album leaves not an impression of one singular style but of the great effort required to mix and match so many times". The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
s Ally Carnwath wrote that Brown "still sounds hamstrung by a fear of trying anything too edgy". Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
wrote favorably of the album's "effervescent slow jams and up-tempo R&B struts", but criticized its "oversold ballads". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote unfavorably of Brown's performance and stated "Mostly, he has a really charmless way with a lyric". The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
s Sarah Rodman commented that "only a handful of tracks truly showcase Brown’s strengths" and criticized his singing "crudely about sex, emptily about partying, and lazily about romance". David Amidon of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
found Brown's vocal "apathetic" and panned the songs as "childish and trite".
However, Allmusic editor Andy Kellman gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and complimented its "variety of styles", writing that "it hints that Brown’s best is yet to come". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Brad Wete complimented its "intoxicating hooks" and commented that the album "shines brighter than anything he produced before". Steve Jones of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
found it "edgier" than Brown's previous work and called it "the strongest album of his career". BBC Online's Nick Levine viewed that he lacks an "artistic identity", but complimented its "club-pop" songs and stated "despite [...] lapses in taste, and a glut of unadventurous mid-tempo RnB cuts, F.A.M.E. is no catastrophe". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen is an American journalist and author. He is the music critic for the online magazine Slate, and the author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song....
commented that "Brown has a good nose for production" and called F.A.M.E. "a pop 'n' b album with something for everyone". Sean Fennessey of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
called the album "unapologetically defiant", but expressed a mixed response towards its production and wrote that "the transitioning heartthrob vacillates between petulance and punch throughout". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Eric Henderson commented that "The cute-to-ick ratio is significantly more favorable than it was last time around", but called the album "good for impressionable ears, but dull for discerning ones [...] a collection of avoidant club jams [...] and indirect overtures of love/lust".
Accolades
F.A.M.E. was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the 2011 American Music AwardsAmerican Music Awards of 2011
The 39th American Music Awards was held on November 20, 2011 , at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles . The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 2011. Nominees were announced on October 11, 2011. The awards ceremony was host-free...
. On November 27, 2011, it won Album of the Year at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
. F.A.M.E. and its second single "Look at Me Now", has earned Brown three Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations, including Best R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre...
. "Look at Me Now" is nominated for Best Rap Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance was an honor presented to recording artists at the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989 and the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990 and again from 2012 for quality rap performances...
and Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...
.
Track listing
(co.) Co-producerNotes
- Track 14, "Bomb" (feat. Wiz Khalifa), was on iTunes StoreITunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
s for a limited time only.
Sample credits
- Track 5, "She Ain't You", samples "Human NatureHuman Nature (Michael Jackson song)"Human Nature" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written and composed by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the fifth single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Initially, Porcaro had recorded a rough demo of the song on a...
" as written by John Bettis and Steve Porcaro, and "Right HereRight Here (SWV song)"Right Here" is the title of the debut single released by the group SWV. It charted on the Billboard charts as a double-A-side with "Downtown". A remixed version, commonly referred to as "Right Here/Human Nature", became a number-one R&B single...
" as written by Brian Morgan. - Track 7, "Yeah 3x", contains elements of "I'm Not Alone" as written by Calvin HarrisCalvin HarrisCalvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
. - Track 14, "Bomb" (feat. Wiz Khalifa), samples "Bam Bam" as written by Winston Delano Riley.
Personnel
Credits for F.A.M.E. adapted from Allmusic.- Afrojack – producer
- Nasri Atweh – producer
- Derrick "Bigg D" Baker – producer
- Mark Beaven – assistant
- Alessandro "Alle" Benassi – producer
- Marco "Benny" Benassi – producer
- Timothy Bloom – producer
- David Boyd – assistant
- Chris Brown – creative director, executive producer, producer
- Kweli Calderon – grooming
- Kenneth Cappello – photography
- Antwoine "T-Wiz" Collins – producer
- Michael Congdon – assistant, engineer
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Michael Daley – assistant
- Tina Davis – executive producer
- Diplo – producer
- Lamar Edwards – keyboards
- Ron English – cover painting
- Dustin Faltz – assistant
- Iain Findlay – assistant
- Justin Franks – producer
- Free School – producer
- Jesus Garnica – assistant
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Dabling Harward – engineer
- Justin Henderson – producer
- Andrew Hey – engineer
- Ghazi Hourani – assistant
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing
- Marcus Johnson – assistant
- K Mac – producer
- Ryan Kelly – assistant
- Brian Kennedy – producer
- Mike Layos – assistant
- Lonnie-Smoek-Stinson – grooming
- Justin Merrill – assistant
- Adam Messinger – producer
- The Messingers – producer
- Mark Pitts – executive producer
- Harmony Samuels – producer
- Brian Springer – engineer, mixing
- Brian Stanley – mixing
- Amber Streeter – background vocals
- Anthony Taglianetti – assistant
- Team Breezy – art direction, creative director, design, executive producer, stylist
- Tha Bizness – producer
- David Thomas – stylist
- The Underdogs – producer
- Courtney Walter – art direction, creative director, design
- Christopher Whitacre – producer
Charts and certifications
| Chart (2011) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart 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... |
3 |
| Australian Urban Albums Chart 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... |
1 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
33 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
51 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
6 |
| Danish Albums Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
33 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
16 |
| French Albums Chart 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... |
44 |
| German Albums Chart | 39 |
| 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... |
8 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart 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... |
7 |
| Scottish Albums Chart | 18 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 76 |
| 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... |
34 |
| 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... |
10 |
| UK R&B Albums Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
1 |
| US 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... |
1 |
| US 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 |
Certifications
| Country | Provider | Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Gold |
| United States | RIAA 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... |
Gold |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Edition(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | March 18, 2011 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Deluxe edition | Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
| Sweden | ||||
| Belgium | Standard, deluxe edition | |||
| Norway | ||||
| Netherlands | ||||
| France | March 21, 2011 | |||
| Finland | ||||
| New Zealand | Deluxe edition | |||
| United Kingdom | Standard, deluxe edition | RCA Records RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
||
| United States | March 22, 2011 | 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... |
||
| Canada | Sony Music Entertainment | |||
| Italy | ||||
| Spain | ||||
| Ireland | April 4, 2011 | Deluxe edition | ||
| Japan | April 6, 2011 | |||
External links
- F.A.M.E. at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...