Fan of a Fan: The Album

Fan of a Fan: The Album[2] is a collaborative album by American singer Chris Brown and American rapper Tyga, billed together as Chris Brown X Tyga and was released on February 20, 2015, by RCA Records, along with affiliated record labels; including CBE Records, Last Kings Records, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. The album served as the sequel to their breakout mixtape Fan of a Fan (2010).[3]

Fan of a Fan: The Album
Standard edition cover. Deluxe edition cover features golden background and letters.
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 20, 2015 (2015-02-20)
Recorded2012–2015
Studio
  • Allure (Hollywood, California)
  • Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
  • Ameraycan Studios (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length48:24
Label
Producer
Chris Brown and Tyga chronology
Fan of a Fan
(2010)
Fan of a Fan: The Album
(2015)
Chris Brown chronology
X
(2014)
Fan of a Fan: The Album
(2015)
Royalty
(2015)
Tyga chronology
Hotel California
(2013)
Fan of a Fan: The Album
(2015)
The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty
(2015)
Singles from Fan of a Fan: The Album
  1. "Ayo"
    Released: January 6, 2015
  2. "Bitches N Marijuana"
    Released: May 26, 2015

A West Coast hip hop album with glimpses of R&B, Fan of a Fan: The Album focuses on gangsta rap themes. The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 and received mixed reviews from critics.

Background and recording

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In late 2012, Chris Brown announced that he and Tyga had started working on a sequel of their collaborative mixtape Fan of a Fan (2010), entitled Fan of a Fan 2, stating that they postponed the project because of them being busy with their solo careers.[4] Later the artists had sporadic recording sessions in 2013 and 2014, where they composed the album, ending its working in January 2015. During a 2015 interview, Brown explained why they decided to create the album:

We have a certain chemistry in the studio, coming up with the same ideas, being homies. Since our first mixtape contains records that are so appreciated, like "Deuces", we wanted to do an actual album, where we picture the imagery that inspired us to do it.[5]

Music and lyrics

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The lyrical themes of Fan of a Fan: The Album for the most part revolve around promiscuity, luxury, clubbing, and the duo's proficiency on the microphone.[6] XXL commented that the album features “playful, sex-driven records, all while adding in a mix of slower rhythmic efforts.”[7] The album's songwriting features a wide usage of braggadocio.[6] According to AllMusic, “much of the material is a reflection of the carefree (and early-'90s) look of the album's packaging”.[6] Musically, Fan of a Fan: The Album includes West Coast and DJ Mustard-styled productions, while the duo's performances alternate rapping from both of them, with Brown doing melodic flows and R&B hooks in different tracks.[6]

Singles

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"Ayo" was released as the lead single[8] on January 6, 2015. The track was produced by American record producers Mark Kragen and Nic Nac, whom Chris Brown and Tyga previously worked with on "Loyal".[9]

"Bitches N Marijuana", which features a guest verse from West Coast rapper Schoolboy Q, was released as a promotional single on February 6, 2015. It was later sent to rhythmic radio as the album's second single on May 26 of that same year.[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]
DJBooth     [11]
HipHopDX     [12]
Rolling Stone     [13]
XXLL (3/5)[14]

The album received mixed reviews from critics, that praised the duo's rapping, but found its lyricism to be too saturated in gangsta rap's commonplace.[15] George Black of DJ Booth said that the album is "entertaining", praising the artists' rap performances, and stating that "the project is full of perfect clubby play-bad-boy tales. Nothing more, nothing less".[11] Writing for Rolling Stone, Nick Murray said that "aside from the R&B apologetical cut "Better", nothing here overcomes what they previously did on their fluider previous mixtape".[13] Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times concluded that, "Overwrought with rap cliches, Fan of a Fan is a formulaic heaping of bouncy bangers primed for the strip clubs that likely inspired it. There isn't much here, besides expletive-filled musings on sex, drugs, cars and money".[16] Marcus Dowling of HipHopDX said that "their rapping is good, Brown's hooks stick to the ear, the producers did their job right, but everything here is just so repetitive".[12]

Commercial performance

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Fan of a Fan: The Album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 moving 66,000 album-equivalent units with 51,000 in pure album sales in the first week of release.[17][18] In the second week the album fell at number 24, with 21,000 album-equivalent units and 12,000 in pure album sales.[19] As of March 2015, the album has sold 72,000 copies and has been streamed 16 million times domestically. On October 1, 2021 the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[18]

In the United Kingdom, Fan of a Fan: The Album debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK R&B Albums chart. The album was eventually certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of over 60,000 copies in the UK.[20]

Track listing

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Fan of a Fan: The Album — Standard edition[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Westside"The Breed3:34
2."Nothin' Like Me" (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)
4:05
3."Ayo"
  • Brown
  • Stevenson
3:45
4."Girl You Loud"
  • Brown
  • Stevenson
Drumma Boy3:33
5."Remember Me"
  • Brown
  • Stevenson
4:13
6."I Bet" (featuring 50 Cent)
P-Lo4:02
7."D.G.I.F.U." (featuring Pusha T)
3:44
8."Better"
  • Brown
  • Stevenson
  • Arnold Hennings
  • Debra Killings
Jackson3:42
9."Lights Out" (featuring Fat Trel)
Jackson4:46
10."Real One" (featuring Boosie Badazz)
Doman4:59
11."Bitches N Marijuana" (featuring Schoolboy Q)
Nic Nac4:14
12."She Goin' Up"
  • Brown
  • Stevenson
3:47
Fan of a Fan: The Album — Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Wrong In the Right Way"
  • Brown
  • Stevenson
  • Rico Evans
4:30
14."Bunkin'" (featuring Jay 305 and T.I.)
Doman5:02
15."It's Yo Shit" (featuring Wale)
Mel & Mus3:47
16."Banjo"
  • Brown
  • Stevenson
DJ Mustard3:39
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer.
Sample credits

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Gold 35,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[51] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Gold 100,000
United States (RIAA)[53] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Country Date Format Label
Germany[54] February 20, 2015 RCA Records
United Kingdom[55] February 23, 2015
Canada[56] February 24, 2015
United States[57]

References

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  1. ^ "Album Review: Chris Brown and Tyga "Fan of a Fan: The Album" 5-out-of-5 stars @ARTISTdirect". Archived from the original on 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  2. ^ "Fan of a Fan the Album by Chris Brown on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 2017-12-16. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
  3. ^ "Chris Brown & Tyga - Fan of a Fan". HotNewHipHop.com. 16 May 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  4. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Chris Brown Talks Working With Tyga On 'Fan Of A Fan 2'". YouTube.
  5. ^ "Chris Brown and Tyga Reveal Why They Collaborated On Album Together". Retrieved 23 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b c d e Andy Kellman. "Fan of a Fan: The Album - Chris Brown & Tyga – Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  7. ^ J., Miranda (February 24, 2015). "Chris Brown and Tyga Deliver What's Expected on 'Fan of a Fan". XXL. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  8. ^ "Ayo – Single by Chris Brown and Tyga". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  9. ^ Fleischer, Adam. "Chris Brown, Convertibles, Tyga And Tigers: Watch The 'Ayo' Lyric Video". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases | R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates". 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-05-22. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Chris Brown x Tyga – Fan of a Fan: The Album – Stream - DJBooth". DJBooth.net. Archived from the original on 2015-10-11. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
  12. ^ a b Dowling, Marcus (February 23, 2015). "Chris Brown & Tyga - Fan Of A Fan The Album". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Murray, Nick (February 24, 2015). "Chris Brown, Tyga's New Album: Fan of a Fan: The Album". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  14. ^ J., Miranda (February 24, 2015). "Chris Brown and Tyga Deliver What's Expected on 'Fan of a Fan". XXL. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
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  52. ^ "British album certifications – Chris Brown X Tyga – Fan Of A Fan The Album". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
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  54. ^ "Fan of a Fan: The Album". Amazon.de. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
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