Chris Brown (album)


Chris Brown is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer Chris Brown. It was released on November 29, 2005, by Jive Records. Receiving generally positive reviews from critics, the album was a commercial success. The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. It has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold over three million copies worldwide. The album also earned Brown his first two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 49th Grammy Awards.

Background

After weeks of label searching, Brown signed a deal with Jive Records on Christmas Eve of 2004. At the time, he dropped out of tenth grade at his Essex High School in Virginia, in favor of tutoring. Brown began recording his new debut album at Miami, Florida, with Mark Pitts, a Jive A&R representative who helped Brown sign to the label. Brown worked on 50 songs before coming to a final 14 tracks to be included on his first album. The album was initially titled Young Love, however, with that idea for the album title has been discarded as being "too kiddie".

Music

"Run It!" takes place in a party setting, with Brown explaining, "It's really a guy checking for a girl, or a girl checking for a guy...asking to see if they can run it. If they can be eligible to be your girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever. 'Let me see if you can run it; show me what you got.'" "Yo " discusses the first conversation someone has with a girl: "Fellas, first thing they say when they see a girl is 'Yo! Yo!'. I'm saying it like that, but technically not like that. She takes my breath away, all I can say is 'Yo, let me just talk to you for a minute. Chill with me for a minute.'"

Singles

His official debut single from the album, "Run It!" was released on June 30, 2005. The song features guest vocals from an American rapper Juelz Santana, with the production that was handled by a high-profile hip hop producer Scott Storch. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for over five weeks, and also achieved continuous airplays, also topping on the airplays for the Billboard Hot 100. As number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Run It! was preceded by Kanye West's "Gold Digger", and succeeded by Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us". The song also topped it on the Billboard Pop 100, a now defunct chart.
The album's second single, "Yo " was released on December 13, 2005. The song's production was handled by the duo Dre & Vidal. The song became Brown's yet another top 10 hit in his career.
The remix to "Gimme That", which features guest vocals from a fellow American rapper Lil Wayne, was released as the album's third single on May 7, 2006.
The album's fourth single, "Say Goodbye" was released on August 8, 2006. The song's production was handled by Bryan-Michael Cox. The song peaking at number 10 in the United States.
The album's fifth and final single, "Poppin'" was released on November 21, 2006. The production on this track was handled by Dre & Vidal. The song has been charted top 40 outside the United States.

Promotion

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

Commercial performance

Chris Brown debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 154,000 copies. On December 18, 2006, the album was a certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over two million copies. As of April 2011, the album has sold 2.1 million copies in the United States alone and over three million copies worldwide.

Track listing

Credits adapted from BMI and ASCAP.
Notes
Samples credits

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
US Billboard 200199
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 62

Certifications