Album Review: Chris Brown & Tyga – Fan Of A Fan: The Album (Deluxe Edition)
3 min read
International hit makers Chris Brown and Tyga are possibly two of hip hop and R&B’s biggest names and coincidentally the best of friends, so it would make sense for the pair to collaborate and create something special, right? They are both responsible for selling thousands upon thousands of albums each, and we first had a taste of their teamwork back in 2010 with their Fan Of A Fan mix tape; now they have reunited to bring us Fan Of A Fan: The Album. Could we expect more of the same, or could we expect something a little more different?
Opener Westside allows the pair to claim how sex and the like is so much better on the westside, packaged nicely with some rhymes and a catchy pop chorus; nothing groundbreaking so far, but they are successfully channeling their niche. Nothin’ Like Me sees the duo team up with Ty Dolla $ign to rhyme about flashing your money to steal a broke n***a’s girlfriend, oh well, at least it has a decent beat; lead single Ayo has been enjoying millions of hits on streaming services, but it’s the same commercial drivel we came to expect from the pair. Girl You Loud continues the album’s overly sexual theme, surprise surprise; Remember Me is forgetful, ironically, because it’s easy to tune out from its derogatory blah. 50 Cent features on the predictably cocky I Bet, his contribution flowed the best overall on the track; D.G.I.F.U sees Tyga bust his rhymes with a spitting delivery. Better brings out a smoother side to the album, it’s also refreshing to hear something more raw and heartfelt, with less focus on how sexually active they always seem to be; the drought doesn’t last long though as we’re back to the pair’s endless bedroom obsessions, Lights Out features Fat Trel who had a short moment to himself.
Not only are the lyrics to nearly every song similar, but these tracks sure are starting to sound the same; Real One brings nothing different to the overfilled table, the “I bet you want a real n***a” card has been played many times already…Boose Badazz’s slot was almost non-existent. B*tches & Marijuana is a collaboration with Schoolboy Q, its beat follows the album’s formula to a tee; She Goin’ up is introduced by some snappy synths, giving way for a track about how this girl is so much better off with Brown/Tyga. The deluxe edition features four extra tracks, which is great for the fans. Wrong In The Right Way has an airy keyboard arrangement that gives the song lift, Tyga’s snappy rhymes complete the atmosphere and Brown’s pop chorus fits well. Jay 305 and T.I both feature on the bass savvy Bunkin’, their contribution is commendable, but the song overall seems to drag after a while; It’s Yo Shit has the upbeat feel like Wrong In The Right Way, this time Wale cashes in. Lastly, Banjo is possibly one of the album’s most repetitive tracks, sounding similar to T.I’s single No Mediocre.
Is Fan Of A Fan: The Album a revolutionary pop/rap/R&B album? Not really, its lyrical content is pretty unoriginal and overdone in hip hop; Chris Brown and Tyga undoubtedly have some chemistry though, as proven in their previous effort with the Fan Of A Fan mixtape. Many of these tracks had specks of great concepts and decent beats, but the heavy focus on the album’s sexual and repetitive content really took away from what could have been an established connection between the songs and the average listener; obviously fans will enjoy it as they would expect the duo to release an album of this nature, but don’t go looking for their work if you are easily offended or you’re sick of hearing the same thing over and over again…and again. As mentioned throughout the review, lyrics were seemingly recycled, if not just written differently for each song; even the sound of the tracks began to blend in together, which doesn’t make for a very versatile record. Fans of Chris Brown and Tyga’s work will most likely buy Fan Of A Fan: The Album, but it’s unclear whether the album will win them any new fans due to its lack of creativity and originality.
