Less than two years ago, Chris Brown was the 16-year-old boy next door, a teenager from the small town of Tappahannock, VA (population: 2,000), with a world of talent and big dreams, fueled by the artists he grew up with, from Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway to Michael Jackson and Usher.
With the release of Exclusive, his sophomore album for Jive Records (certified platinum), Chris Brown is ready to take his place alongside those heroes.
"Exclusive is something that not everybody can get," he says, explaining the title. "I feel it's an album especially for my fans. It's not for the critics or the haters... it's only for those who truly want to hear my music."
Exclusive is the follow up to his self-titled debut Chris Brown. Chris Brown was released in November 2005; it debuted at #2 in Billboard and was recently certified double-platinum, having sold 1.9 million copies in the U.S. and more than three million worldwide.
The CD spawned the #1 smash "Run It!" , the Top 10 pop singles "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme That," along with the Top 20 "Say Goodbye." Brown's year was capped off with a pair of Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Contemporary Album in addition to a nationally televised performance on Awards night with Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson singing a medley of their respective hits.
Exclusive features collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, fellow platinum artist T-Pain ("Kiss, Kiss") as well as hit songwriter/producers Sean Garrett ("Wall to Wall"), the Underdogs ("Get at 'Cha" and "Take You Down") and Adonis and Bryan-Michael Cox ("Tho'd," "Fallen Angel"). The songs show how far Chris Brown has come since his last album. This time around he is co-writing on several tracks.
The first single, "Wall to Wall," is a cheeky look at how success attracts admirers ("I don't hear nothing but ladies calling"), while Brown shows his appreciation for the opposite sex in the tongue-in-chic "Picture Perfect," a collaboration with will.i.am and Tank.
"Tho'd" is a nod to the D.C. go-go scene of Brown's youth, the rhythmic, syncopated dance-floor beat he dubs "like reggae, depending on how you listen to it."
"The song is about just loving the fact you're with this girl," says Brown. "'Tho'd' means being uncontrollable, your mind boggled to the point where you're just, 'Wow.'"
Brown also has tracks that appeal to his female fans. "Kiss, Kiss," his second single from the album "is about what we like in girls," laughs Brown. The single was just nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration!
"Get at 'Cha" is Brown in pursuit mode, chasing after the girls as he teases himself by referencing his first big hit: "I know they're waiting on me/To run it."
The budding superstar continues to fuse his R&B soul roots with a hip-hop edge on the stunning old-school ballad, "Fallen Angel," as he reaches out to embrace someone who's been misunderstood.
In addition to his burgeoning music career, Chris Brown is also branching into acting, with appearances on TV shows The O.C. and UPN's One on One, as well as the hit feature film, Stomp the Yard, and a role in the blockbuster hit This Christmas, a holiday film with Loretta Devine, Delroy Lindo, and Regina King.
"I want to show people I'm not just a singer, but an all-around entertainer," he says.
