F.A.M.E. (backronym of Forgiving All My Enemies) is the fourth studio album by American singer Chris Brown. It was released on March 22, 2011, through Jive Records. The album serves as the follow-up to his third album Graffiti (2009), and also marks his last album with Jive Records.
On F.A.M.E., Brown worked with several record producers and songwriters, including Kevin McCall, H Money, Timbaland, The Underdogs, Diplo and Benny Benassi among others. The album features guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Wiz Khalifa, The Game, Justin Bieber and Big Sean, among others. It was supported by eight singles, "Deuces" featuring Tyga and Kevin McCall, "No BS", "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now" featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, "Beautiful People" featuring Benny Benassi, "She Ain't You", "Next to You" featuring Justin Bieber, and "Wet the Bed" featuring Ludacris. F.A.M.E. was anticipated by three mixtapes: In My Zone, Fan of a Fan, and In My Zone 2. The album's aesthetics feature multicolored pop-art graffiti imagery conceived by Brown himself, Courtney Walter, and American contemporary artist Ron English.
F.A.M.E. shows a wide variety of musical genres including R&B, pop, hip hop, dancehall, soft rock and Europop, while the lyrical content concentrates on finding the uplifting aspects of life. It is broadly regarded as the album that shaped Brown's musical style and persona. F.A.M.E. received mixed reviews from music critics, who generally praised the production and Brown's performances, while the content was subject of criticism. The album received three Grammy Award nominations at the 54th Grammy Awards, winning Best R&B Album, which was Brown's first Grammy Award. It also won Top R&B Album at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards.
F.A.M.E. debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 270,000 copies. It was Brown's first number-one album in the United States and his fourth consecutive top ten album following Graffiti. "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now" and "Beautiful People" were commercially successful worldwide. In the United States, "Look at Me Now" topped both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, becoming the best-selling rap song of 2011 and one of the highest-certified digital singles in the country. F.A.M.E. is certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which makes this Brown's third multi-platinum selling album following Exclusive (2007). To support the release of the album, Brown embarked on his F.A.M.E. Tour in Australia and North America.
Background and recording
Brown's third studio album, Graffiti, was released in December 2009, shortly after the domestic violence scandal involving him and his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna. The album was considered a critical and commercial failure compared to his previous works. In 2010, following the release of Graffiti, Brown composed and released three mixtapes for free: In My Zone (Rhythm & Streets), Fan of a Fan (a collaborative mixtape with rapper Tyga), and In My Zone 2. These mixtapes showcased a new writing style for the singer, addressing edgier themes and featuring a different musical style that mixed R&B with hip hop. For these projects, he began working with new producers, most notably Kevin McCall.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
Brown told The Guardian in a 2013 interview that during that period he was having “one of the most troubling times in [his] life” because he felt “the hatred from more adult people,” which he struggled to comprehend at the time, given the emotional turmoil he was experiencing. The singer said he channeled the challenges he faced into determination, recalling that at the time he thought: “I'm going to come back, I know the music that I'm doing, how hard I work, is not just for nothing”. He found himself writing several songs every night, “just out of pure… I wouldn't say heartbreak, but just pure ambition. To prove people wrong”. In his 2017 self-documentary, Welcome to My Life, Brown stated that most of the songs he made for F.A.M.E. were “elevating and transcending life, instead of the negative that was in [his] life”. The singer said in a 2023 interview on Club Shay Shay that while the work on his previous albums was a learning experience, F.A.M.E. marked a turning point in his recording process: "I was kinda like in my zone. I knew what I wanted."
Originally, Brown wanted the album to be a double-disc, consisting of 25 to 30 tracks.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: However, the record company was opposed to that, so he cut down the project to 13 tracks for the standard version, extending it to 19 songs in the most expanded deluxe edition of the record. On September 18, 2010, Brown announced the title to the album; F.A.M.E. Brown supplied a backronym for the title: "Forgiving All My Enemies", and he has also referred to it as "Fans Are My Everything".
Prior to its release, the artists that were listed for working with Brown on F.A.M.E. were Kevin McCall, Timbaland, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Wiz Khalifa, Asher Roth and Game. In describing the album, Brown said,
Composition
F.A.M.E. showcases a diverse range of styles, containing songs from many genres, including R&B, pop, hip hop, dancehall, soft rock and Europop. Critics praised its sound for maintaining a cohesive identity, even amidst its diverse musical landscape. The lyrical content concentrates on finding positivity in life through genuineness, romantic love, desire, self-assurance, sex and light-hearted pleasure. F.A.M.E. is considered Brown's album that defined his musical style and persona.
Brown's vocal performances on the album primarily showcase his R&B singing, characterized by harmonization and melisma. Critics praised the vocal performances for being 'variegated,' predominantly highlighting his natural timbre while also noting sporadic use of autotune. On F.A.M.E., the singer occasionally raps, marking his first studio album to feature this type of performance by Brown.
The opening track, "Deuces", which features Kevin McCall and Tyga, is a slow, downtempo alternative R&B track that starts off the album telling "a bitter male point of view of his failed relationship", where the artists affirm that they moved on to a better moment in their life, reminiscing the pain caused by their past lover. Joanne Dorken of MTV UK noted that the song shows off Brown's "well-harmonized smooth vocals". The following tracks of F.A.M.E. showcase a more uplifting mood. "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 BrownCaramanica, Jon (March 21, 2011). Critics' Choice – New CDs . The New York Times. Retrieved on March 22, 2011. and Usher. "Next to You", featuring Justin Bieber, is a "thumping mid-tempo pop&B 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".Rodman, Sarah (March 22, 2011). Review of Chris Brown's "F.A.M.E." . Boston.com. Retrieved on March 22, 2011. The third track, "No Bullshit", is an R&B slow-jam, which features sexual content and a "classic 90's feel", with its instrumental combining percussion instruments, piano chords and a tenor flute.
The album's up-tempo songs, "Yeah 3x", and the closing track "Beautiful People", both feature 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, while "Beautiful People" was noted for its progressive house and dancehall influences. Its lyrics encourage a positive view of life.Levine, Nick (March 21, 2011). BBC – Music – Review of Chris Brown – F.A.M.E. . BBC Online. Retrieved on March 22, 2011. The fourth track, "Look at Me Now", which features American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, is a braggadocious "dirty south" hip hop song, featuring "fast-rapping" from Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. The song was musically compared to Soulja Boy's work and Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie" (2010). The fifth track, "She Ain't You", is an R&B mid-tempo, with Brown paying tribute to his biggest inspiration, Michael Jackson. It samples Jackson's single "Human Nature" (1983) and SWV's "Right Here" (1993). "Should've Kissed You", is a "pop&B" ballad about the indecision of giving an overthought first kiss to the loved one. The ninth track, "All Back", is a soft rock ballad that features "raw vocals and prominent guitar". It was musically compared to Ryan Tedder's work.Levine, Nick (March 21, 2011). BBC – Music – Review of Chris Brown – F.A.M.E. . BBC Online. Retrieved March 22, 2011. Brown revisits his rapping skills on the alternative hip-hop tracks "Say It With Me" and "Oh My Love", that both feature influences from disco in their choruses, and from rock in their productions. "Bomb", which features Wiz Khalifa, is a dancehall-rap track, and was musically compared to Beenie Man's work. The closing track of the deluxe edition, "Beg for It", is an R&B slow-jam with sexual lyrics, inspired by early works of singer R. Kelly.
Artwork
The album cover was designed by American contemporary artist Ron English, and it was revealed on February 14, 2011. The cover features a multi-colored, neon portrait of Brown striking a serious pose, while two identical profiles of him wearing a baseball cap and diamond earrings face opposite directions on each shoulder. Its background is composed of numerous posters, captioned with the words "Forgiving All My Enemies", that show many figures, including Brown in a stone faced pose, and a child wearing a combat helmet branded with the peace symbol (☮). The album's aesthetics were handled by Brown himself, Courtney Walter and Ron English, and feature a multicolored pop-art graffiti imagery.
Release and promotion The standard edition of the album was released simultaneously with the deluxe edition from March 22, 2011. The deluxe edition included five additional tracks.
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". His Good Morning America appearance sparked controversial headlines because, following his interview with Robin Roberts at the Times Square Studios, where he was repeatedly asked about the Rihanna situation and restraining order, Brown started crying and became violent in his dressing room during a commercial break before his, later cancelled, second performance ending that day's program, and broke a window overlooking Times Square punching it. Following the incident, he apologized, saying that he was very tired of people bringing up the incident.