Chris Brown - Chris Brown

The week "Run It!" was released, it went straight to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first single from a male artist to debut at that spot. That's no slight feat, especially for a reheated version of Usher's "Yeah!" made by a fresh-faced teenager who reps a little town in Virginia that rhymes with "grab a hammock." On "Run It!," Chris Brown is boosted by production from Scott Storch and an appearance by Juelz Santana. The song's way of tempering Brown's small-town innocence with hard-edged backing and a guest spot from an MC of ill repute is clearly a strategy to make the singer appeal to more than tween girls. (Had Brown been coming up in the early '90s, Quincy Jones -- not Dr. Dre -- might've produced him and Prince -- not Luther Campbell -- might've assisted, which just goes to show how much r&b has changed in 15 years.) Chris Brown, a durable debut album, almost always involves an even push-and-pull between what appeals to kids who don't consider street credibility and those who do, all the way down to the visuals: check the album cover, featuring the singer's strained "Don't mess with me!" face, and compare it to the photo spread inside, featuring Brown's natural "Pinch my cheeks!" face. He doesn't often try to sound harder or more demonstrative than necessary, unlike a lot of singers his age who have sprouted during the late '90s and early 2000s, and he rarely oversteps the kind of romantic territory that most teens find relatable. Toughness comes instead from the beats, whether they're provided by the Underdogs, Dre & Vidal, Cool & Dre, or the overworked Storch. While Brown's audience will be almost exclusively 18 and under, few of his fans will feel sheepish in owning this album. He's a refreshing presence, a high-schooler who's neither as family friendly as Will Smith nor as comically vulgar as Pretty Ricky. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Name Credits Aaron Fishbein Guitar Aaron Renner Assistant Engineer Andre Harris Multi Instruments, Producer Anthony G. Crisano Assistant Engineer Antonio Dixon Producer Brian Stanley Mixing Bryan-Michael Cox Producer, Multi Instruments Carlos Paucar Engineer Charles McCrorey Engineer, Vocal Recording Chris Brown Executive Producer Clay Patrick McBridge Photography Conrad Golding Engineer Cool Producer Courtney Walter Design, Art Direction Dabling Harward Editing, Engineer David Cabrerra Guitar, Bass Dré Producer Eddie Hustle Engineer, Producer, Mixing Herb Powers Mastering Ian Crosse Vocal Tracking Jean-Marie Horvat Mixing Jermaine Dupri Remix Producer, Mixing John Horesco IV Engineer Keith Sengbusch Engineer Kelly "Becky 4 Real" Sheehan Engineer, Editing Kendrick Dean Multi Instruments, Producer, Keyboards Kevin "KD" Davis Mixing L-Rock Remix Producer Lamont "LA" Flemming Vocal Producer Leticia Hilliard A&R Lucas McClelland Assistant Engineer Mark Pitts Executive Producer Matt Schwartz A&R Mike Tschupp Mixing Assistant Oak Producer, Engineer Patrick Magee Assistant Engineer Phil Tan Mixing Rich Keller Mixing Sam Thomas Engineer Scott Storch Producer Sean Garrett Producer Shannon "Slam" Lawrence Vocal Producer, Producer Steve Russell Vocals (Background) Steve Tolle Mixing Assistant Tadd Mingo Assistant The Underdogs Mixing, Producer Tina Davis Executive Producer Vadim Chislov Assistant Engineer Val Brathwrite Mixing Assistant, Assistant Engineer Vidal Davis Multi Instruments, Producer Vincent Dilorenzo Mixing, Engineer Wayne Allison Engineer