Music Appreciation of Chris Brown - Essay Example

Music Appreciation of Chris Brown Chris Brown is currently among the most popular music artists in the modern hip hop music industry. From a young hip hop and R&B entertainer, Brown has amassed immense attention among the youth thereby becoming extremely famous in the industry. According to Thompson, Chris Brown rose to fame at a tender age of 16, moving ‘up the celebrity ranks as one of the top media draws in the industry’ (n.d.). The Saddleback Educational Publishing traces Brown music prowess to his imitation of Michael Jackson’s dance styles (5). Born in 1989 in Tappahannock, Virginia, Chris Brown started practicing Michael Jackson’s dancing moves, particularly the moonwalk as early as in 1991 (Saddleback Educational Publishing 7). He would also copy the dance moves of other performers on television. In addition, according to Saddleback Educational Publishing, Chris Brown grew on soul music by artists such as Sam Cook, Teddy Pendergrass and Stevie Wonder (7). According to Saddleback Educational Publishing, Chris Brown was not only focused on dancing, but also in singing (7). He used to sing with his church choir and he normally danced whenever his parents had visitors who came over for parties and cookouts (Thompson, n.p.). However, Chris Brown’s formative years were not pleasant. At the age of seven, Chris’s parents divorced with his mother getting married to another man, who significantly influenced Brown’s life (Saddleback Educational Publishing, 10). His stepfather was very abusive and physically assaulted his mother who, in most cases, frantically attempted to hide her injuries from Chris. This made Chris to be scared and shy, although trying to maintain a composed personality during his performances (Saddleback Educational Publishing, 11). Nevertheless, the experience made Chris to have a positive attitude towards women. According to Saddleback Educational Publishing, the experience affected Brown’s behavior towards women and he would hate to see a woman go through a similar form of violence (11). Since Chris Brown ventured in the music industry, he has released several hit songs (Thompson, n.p.). Among the songs include the 2005 debut album Chris Brown which produced the top single ‘Run It’ and the second album, Exclusive, which was released in 2007 with top singles, such as ‘Kiss Kiss’ and ‘With You’. In 2008, Chris produced his third album titled ‘Forever’ (Thompson, n.p.). Later Chris started collaborative music with popular artists like T-Pain, Jordin Sparks, Bow Wow, Lil Mama and Rihanna who he became engaged to, but later separated. According to Thompson, in February 8, 2009, Chris physically assaulted Rihanna, then his girlfriend, a crime which he later pleaded guilty to (n.p.). Consequently, Chris Brown was handed a five -year probation and also on a community service, besides losing most of his fans. Critical Review of Chris Brown’s Album ‘X’ From his childhood, growing while seeing his mother being subjected to physical violence by his stepfather, Chris Brown has been a strong defender of violence against women. The experience has literally defined the relation between him and women, particularly the female artists. Maybe it was out of that respect did Chris Brown not involve most of the female artists in his albums. Since his entry into the hip hop and R&B entertainment industry, only a few female artists including Rihanna who was his girlfriend had been in his debut albums. However, it was ironically when in 2009 Chris Brown was charged for assaulting Rihanna- his girlfriend. Since then, Brown has been determined to shed off the past and the 2009 assault charges have significantly defined his music career (Thompson, n.p.). In fact, according to Caramanica, violence defines most of Chris Brown’s narrative ‘even now, more than five years after’ attacking Rihanna (1). The 2014 album, X, that has featured a number of female artists is meant to rebuild Brown’s self-image, particularly with regards to his relationship with women. His latest album features female artists such as Brandy, Jhene Aiko and the young pop star Ariana Grande (Caramanica, 1). Initially, according to Caramanica, Brown had ‘rarely collaborated with female artists, and almost never on his own albums’ (1). In fact, even his collaborative song with Jordin Sparks titled ‘No Air’ appeared on her album. Major Influence of Chris Brown One of the major influences to the music career of Chris Brown was Michael Jackson. According to Turner, Michael Jackson is credited as the King of Pop music and has had significant influence on musicians such as Justin Timberlake and Usher (1). In the album, Chris Brown tries to bring essence to Michael Jackson’s classic R&B music with the new age of music that is currently in the scene. In addition, Chris Brown tries to derive personal experiences by mixing art with reality. Chris Brown eulogized Michael Jackson saying that he ‘was the reason why I do music and why I am an entertainer’ (Nessif, 1). Brown at one time said that Michael Jackson once told him to dream big and keep working. Blues influences to the musical career of Chris Brown The hip hop / R&B music that is practiced by Chris Brown can be traced to the early 1900s. The blues evolved over a period of time and was mainly associated with the African Americans who were mainly slaves. Just like the ancient blues that lacked any particular musical structure and instrumental accompaniment, Chris Brown has developed a characteristic musical style that is loaded with emotional content with hardly any musical structure. According to Kallen, this form of music can be traced back to the days of William Christopher Handy who lived from 1873 to 1958 (35). The great African American songwriter and composer is regarded as the Father of the Blues’ and is acknowledged for giving the blue music its present form (Kallen, 35). Just like Chris Brown who started his career at 16, Handy also began his illustrious musical career at a tender age of 19. Works Cited Caramanica, Jon. An Image that’s hard to shed: Chris Brown releases a new album, X. The New York Times, September 16, 2014. Web. Clements, Ashley. Chris Brown reveals new album X is inspired by Michael Jackson. Gigwise, March 28, 2013. Web. Kallen Stuart. The Harlem Renaissance. New York: ABDO, Jan 1, 2001. Print. Nessif, Bruna. Michael Jackson’s Top 9 celeb imitators: Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and more! Eonline, June 25, 2013. Web. Saddleback Educational Publishing. Chris Brown. New York: Saddleback Educational Publishing, 2013. Print. Thompson, Austin. A Brand New You. New York: Xlibris Corporation, 2010. Print. Turner, Sadao. 10 Artists who were heavily inspired by Michael Jackson. RYAN SEACREST, June 25, 2010. Web. Read More