X is the sixth studio album by American singer Chris Brown. It was released on September 16, 2014, by CBE and RCA Records. The album serves as the follow-up to his fifth album Fortune (2012). Brown for the album worked with several producers, including RoccStar, Danja, Nic Nac, Diplo and others. The album also features guest appearances by various urban artists, including Kendrick Lamar, R. Kelly, Akon, Nicki Minaj, Usher, Trey Songz, Tyga, Rick Ross, Brandy, Lil Wayne, Jhené Aiko and Aaliyah.
The release date of the album was delayed several times due to RCA's choices and the singer's legal problems throughout the last months of 2013 and the first half of 2014. Initially, the album release was set for July 16, 2013, then for August 20, 2013, then for May 5, 2014, and finally released on September 16, 2014. X was preceded by five singles: "Fine China", "Don't Think They Know", "Love More", "Loyal" and "New Flame". The album's fourth single "Loyal" became its most successful, by peaking at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 10 in the United Kingdom. Pushing the promotion for the album further, Brown performed and appeared at several televised music events and music festivals across the United States.
Work on the album started in 2012 and ended in August 2014. The album's aesthetics feature a black and white imagery, handled by Brown himself along with art director Courtney Walter. X is an R&B album that also incorporates elements of disco, soul, pop and hip-hop. Its lyrics mostly explore themes of falling in love, internal conflict and sexual desire. The album divided reviewers: while most praised Brown's performances and the album’s sound, others criticized the songwriting and album's length. Nevertheless, the album was considered an improvement compared to Brown's output starting with Graffiti. At the 2015 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for the Best Urban Contemporary Album, while "New Flame" was nominated for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.
Commercially, the album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 selling 146,000 copies in its first week, becoming his first album to miss the summit of the chart since Graffiti (2009) and his third album to go to number two on the chart overall following Exclusive (2007). It also became his sixth consecutive top ten debut in the United States. By the end of 2015, the album had sold 404,000 copies in the United States. It has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Background On November 8, 2012, during an interview with Power 106's (KPWR) in Los Angeles, California, Brown premiered the dance-pop track titled "Nobody's Perfect." The song was intended to serve as the lead single for his upcoming sixth album, under the working title of Carpe Diem, which was due to be released in 2013. However, the single was ultimately never released. Brown decided to revise the concept for the album, and following the conclusion of his Carpe Diem Tour in the last days of 2012, the singer's next studio album started to develop. The singer said that Carpe Diem was “about seizing the day, living in the moment. We had maybe 15 or 16 songs done for that album, and I did a Carpe Diem tour overseas. But when I got back from that tour, I kind of switched the album concept”. MTV News confirmed the development of the album, with Brown collaborating with producers, such as Timbaland, Danja and Diplo, among others.
On March 26, 2013, Brown announced the release of X, in various interviews and listening sessions. In an interview with Ebony, Brown spoke of taking his music in a different direction and changing his sound from the pop-infused and sexually explicit one of the previous album Fortune, to a more mature, soulful and vulnerable theme for the album. He said during an interview for Rolling Stone:
Brown stated during a 2013 interview with Billboard that X was his "most personal album to date", explaining: "I've been going through my own trials and tribulations, overcoming a lot of stuff and persevering through things. And my release is the studio", wanting to bring on the album "songs about real life that people can identify with". In a 2022 interview, the singer reflected that during the period he was working on X, he experienced numerous instances where fans shared how his music had helped them through life-changing situations, making him realize that he was making music for an "actual purpose". Brown told Rolling Stone: “Whether it’s personal or life experiences – my girl, my exes, love in general, or just reality – I’m putting all that into this album”, also explaining the significance of the title:
Recording and production
In March 2013, Brown spoke about working with artists and producers, such as Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar, Ludacris, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, Timbaland, Diplo, Danja and RoccStar. On July 4, 2013, Brown confirmed different guest features on the album, including Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B and Kelly Rowland, among others. However, various artists who were announced didn’t make the cut for X. At the same time, the production would be confirmed by Timbaland, Diplo, Polow da Don, Danja, Pharrell and Drumma Boy.
Brown said that, while making the record, he wanted to "take the Quincy Jones approach" to his music, trying to hear what was in rotation on the radio as little as possible and locking himself in a recording studio with the producers so that the album could be as authentic as possible. Because of RCA's choices and the singer's legal problems, the release of X suffered several delays in 2013 and 2014, which prolonged the making of the album. On August 5, 2014, Brown said that he ended the recording sessions for the album, and that he had "about 50 songs" to sift through and perfect for X.
Music and lyrics
X is an R&B album recognized for its "polished" and "diverse" sound, as noted by Andy Kellman of AllMusic. The record features prominent disco influences in tracks like "Add Me In," "Time for Love," "Lost in Ya Love," "Fine China," and "No Lights." Additionally, the album incorporates hip-hop elements, with productions characterized by heavy bass, double snare drums, and "neon" synths, as heard in songs such as "Loyal," "Came to Do," and "Love More." Critics praised Brown's vocal performances for highlighting his distinctive timbre, with songs like "X," "Lady in a Glass Dress," "Autumn Leaves," and "Do Better" showcasing his soul-driven delivery. Lyrically, "X" explores themes of falling in love, internal conflict and sexual desire. Ivan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club described the album as a "loveful and reflective record," infused with some of Brown's signature bad boy aesthetics. Martín Caballero of USA Today characterized its songwriting as a blend of romantic love, mature reflection, sexual passion, flirtatious playfulness, and desire.
The album's opener "X", produced by Diplo, is a "progressive R&B" track that starts with Brown singing over a soft beat before transitioning into a more up-tempo sound with an electronic beat drop. In the title-track, Brown says that he is forgetting a failed relationship with a woman, as he sings, "I swear to God I’m moving on!", while also admitting his faults, and expressing his desire to prove his growth. On "Autumn Leaves", according to Brad Wete of Billboard, Brown "examines a fleeting love with gloominess and a high level of sensitivity", comparing a lover's departure with summer's, in time for fall: "It seems that all the autumn leaves are falling/ I feel like you're the only reason for it", while the guest Kendrick Lamar, raps on Brown's behalf, mood-swinging from thoughtful to vicious: "And they won’t let me live/ Even when it’s remorse that I give/ When are they gon' rejoice and forgive/ Tell me how [do] I stay positive?". "Do Better" was described by Wete as "a sparse and pensive duet" where Brown and Brandy play the two sides of a relationship where both feel like scorned lovers that do not know how to deal with their emotions, singing: "I learn more and more each day that I don't know me / It's like I can't get out of my own way". "Add Me In" is an up-tempo disco and R&B song with math-tinged lyrics about subtracting a girl's boyfriend to "add me in".
"Songs On 12 Play" is an R&B slow-jam, duetted with Trey Songz, featuring sexual content, with its lyrics paying homage to R. Kelly's works, mentioning many of his songs, as well as his debut studio album 12 Play. The track is followed by the interlude "101", where the singer expresses his sexual desire to the directly concerned lady, and subsequently by a collaboration with R. Kelly himself on the lustful "Drown In It". Both "Loyal" and "Stereotype" are centered on unfaithful women, while "Time for Love" and "Lady in a Glass Dress" talk about falling in love, with the last one being a promise to a girl recovering from a rough breakup that he "can make your dreams come true". Los Angeles Timess writer Mikael Wood defined "Lost In Ya Love" as a "melodious, sweet mid-tempo" where the singer expresses "the beauty of being romantically in love" to the woman in question. On the album's standard edition closing track, "Drunk Texting", Brown and Jhené Aiko play the role of two people who try to numb the pain of their heartbreak drinking alcohol, but end up texting their loved one while they are drunk.
Release and promotion On February 15, 2013, the singer unofficially released the song "Home", with an official videoclip, where he expresses a reflection on the bitter price of fame, and on how the only moment of respite from that thought is when he returns to the neighborhood where he grew up with people who knew him from the start. On March 26, 2013, Brown officially confirmed the title and release of X. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he revealed that the album would feature songs such as "X" with Diplo, "Autumn Leaves" with Kendrick Lamar, the soulful track "Lady in the Glass Dress," the rap song "Feel That," and "Add Me In," which blends R&B and disco. He also announced that the previously unofficially released song "Home" would be included as an official bonus track. Additionally, Brown mentioned the possibility of including an R&B collaboration with Rihanna titled "Put It Up," which he had written entirely himself..
On April 29, 2013, Brown announced a release date of July 16 for X, also unofficially releasing a song called "I Can't Win". In July, Brown previewed several unreleased songs through his social media accounts, also announcing that the album's release date was pushed back to August 20, 2013. However, it was later revealed that the album has been pushed back again to November 19, 2013. In the same month, Brown stated that the album will be a double disc album with 10 songs on each disc, and was now due on December 3.
On November 20, 2013, Brown was sentenced to an anger management rehabilitation center for three months, putting the December 2013 release of X in jeopardy. To "hold [fans] over until [the X album] drops," Brown released a mixtape, titled X Files on November 19, 2013, which consists of six tracks and features guest appearances from Busta Rhymes, Ludacris and Kid Ink, including the song "Main Chick". On February 22, 2014, it was announced that the album would be released on Brown's birthday, May 5, 2014. On April 14, 2014, Brown released a teaser of new track "Don't Be Gone Too Long" featuring Ariana Grande, however, the song and album were again delayed due to Brown's prison sentence. On August 3, 2014, Chris announced via Instagram that the album's release date will be on September 16, 2014. On August 6, 2014, the album cover shot by Eliot Lee Hazel was revealed. The title track "X" was released as an instant-gratification track alongside the album pre-order on iTunes on August 25, 2014.