The Chance We Never Gave To Chris Brown & Tyga

Hear me out; Fan of a Fan was a classic. Anyone whose heart bleeds music notes that Chris Brown simply has never made a bad song. He is so talented creativity wise that whatever he touches, will be “good” at the least. Despite his personal troubles in his relationships and in the courtroom, the only thing that has never really taken a hit has been his music. Now, Tyga, that’s another story if we’re being completely honest… Back in 2008, his career looked promising along with the rest of Young Money but now, we won’t even click a song that has Tyga in it, much less his own music. Tyga with Chris Brown though is an entirely different story. In fact, the idea that Chris Brown is so musically gifted may have propelled Tyga to present the best version of himself because together, they make hits.

8 years ago… damn… 8 years ago Chris Brown and Tyga dropped their first collaborative mixtape entitled Fan of a Fan. I remember logging onto Datpiff and seeing the mixtape drop with many questions arising in my head. In a just a couple of weeks, Fan of a Fan would go on to reach double platinum on Datpiff, meaning the project received over 500,000 streams. Confused to see the two making music together, I finally clicked the mixtape and was absolutely shocked to see what I had just come across. This project in itself gave me hope to Tyga’s career, as he sounded like he was back on his Well Done shit, and shed even more light on the versatility of Chris Brown being able to spit actual bars whether than just singing radio hits. “What They Want”, “Droptop Girl”, and “Make Love” serve as the pure reflection of blissfulness coming out of this mixtape. These two together turned out to be the collaboration we never knew we needed.

 

5 long years later, on this date, Chris Brown and Tyga followed up by dropping Fan of a Fan: The Album; most people probably didn’t even notice because there was a certain lack of attention. With such a hiatus in between projects, no one was waiting for or expecting the two to drop another project. At this point, Tyga was essentially irrelevant to the rap scene, and Chris’ personal life yanked the spotlight away from damn near everything he was dropping. However, for those few young fans who remembered Fan of a Fan, we were excited for the gift we received on a random winter day in February. The first few songs let us know immediately that this album was dropped during the wrong time period. With heavy production from the west coast’s DJ Mustard and London dubstep producer Jess Jackson, the beats simply didn’t match the lower temperatures of the month, no matter where you were. It was clearly a summer album that never really had an opportunity to pop, and didn’t have the “longevity” to last until… Despite the album sales, this album was actually solid. On the three year anniversary of Fan of a Fan: The Album, let us pay homage to the heat we may have overlooked just some years ago.

 

“Westside”: “Westside” is arguably the best song on the album. I’m not going to lie, it starts off a little rough because of the negative connotation behind Tyga in general but his verse is pretty solid. The chorus is smoother than a hot comb on nappy hair; as Y’all know Chris is the chorus/feature king. What stands out even more on this song is the rapping by Chris in the second verse. As the album begins, this song gives listeners enough insight to know that predictability is not a thing. This is one of the best opening songs on a hip-hop album I have ever heard. If you had any prior doubts that Chris Brown and Tyga make good music together, this one for you.

 



“Nothin’ Like Me” featuring Ty Dolla Sign:

“She don’t think that I can change/ so I switch from a Benz to a Range…”

Yeah, it’s pretty typical but it certainly does hit. As one can assume from the title, “Nothin’ Like Me” is all about being an upgrade from a woman’s ex. Who would be better to have on this track other than Mr. Player, Ty Dolla Sign himself, because he seems to have the art of not being shit mastered to a tee? This is one of those chorus’ that will be stuck in your head all day until you actually listen to the song. In addition to the lyrics, “Nothin’ Like Me” screams west coast with the production. With one listen, this track will have you feeling like you’re riding in a drop-top around Hollywood with your homeboy and two shorties.

 

“Remember Me”: Chris saved it; the first 40 seconds sounds like it’s straight out of Heartbreak On A Full Moon. The entire album barely has any slow/overtly sexual songs but if you had to lay someone down to one, it would be this song. Tyga’s verse is completely centered and focused, creating full execution from the start to the finish. “Remember Me” is still versatile with all of this being said. You can bump this in your headphones just as fast as you would bump it in the bedroom.

 

“Bitches N Marijuana” featuring Schoolboy Q: When analyzing the musical success of this album, we cannot ignore the fact that Tyga is actually from California, hence his comfortability on these west coast beats. We got “Faded” Tyga on this one, and for those of you who remember, that is the Tyga that went without slander. Speaking of the west coast, Schoolboy Q fit this track more perfect that a plug in a socket. He adds the perfect amount of grit and flexibility because, in all, each and every person’s flow on this song is captivating. “Bitches N Marijuana” is that track you play at the summer pool party, setting the vibe for the rest of the evening.

 

“She Goin’ Up”: Slap is defined as the following, “suddenly and directly, especially with great force”; also known as the effect of “She Goin’ Up”. I can’t believe I’m saying this but Chris was actually unneeded in this song. On an even realer tip, they should’ve taken him out. Similar to Fan of A Fan (the mixtape), Tyga and Chris should have had their own individual songs. Chris could’ve been kept for the chorus but we can’t ignore that fact that this song was made by Tyga. If your mood is high and your confidence is propelling too high for your own good, this one’s for you.

 

Let me jog your memory, or give you one to create; click here!

 

– By K. High