On Friday, April 29, 2016, Chris Brown and his “crew” released a mixtape, Before The Trap: Tarzana Nights. Brown’s crew is called “Original Hood Bosses,” also known as OHB. This is the crew that has allegedly been a bad influence on Brown. Some of his friends and family have reportedly said that they do not like the vibes the crew brings around. Brown thinks otherwise, and if he did not there would be no mixtape. This mixtape only features one rapper outside of the crew, Kevin Gates. While listening to the mixtape, I was not aware of the other singers and rappers on the mixtape. Because Brown is considered a big time artist, it seemed like his own mixtape, and the crew was just being featured on it. There are three songs that this article will highlight: "Side Piece," "Rollercoaster," and "Whippin."
The mixtape highlighted different sides of Brown that I was not aware of, and I'd bet that other people probably feel the same way. He portrayed a more hood personality than his regular R&B side. Rapping was Brown’s favorite thing to do before becoming a famed R&B artist. It was his manager and agent that allegedly suggested that pursuing a R&B career was a better fit. Personally speaking, Brown has the voice of a rapper, but lyrically, I would not consider him a rapper. Throughout all of his rapping, there is a message, but it seems he tries too hard by trying to display a “bad boy persona.” We all know that Brown did not grow up in the hood or at the end of an alley. No shade to anybody living in these places, but he did not grow up carrying a gun. I will say that he may have grown up with financial issues, wearing non expensive clothing. He did not grow up going to trap houses.
This mixtape, Before The Trap: Tarzana Nights has a lot of messages being mixed in with the tempos and melodies. A couple topics Brown and his crew touched on are cheating, sex, and being rich. There are many other topics, but these are the most noticeable ones. In one song, "Side Piece," Brown says that females cheating is not acceptable. Allegedly, Brown has cheated on his past girlfriends with multiple girls. Also, he has recently confessed to cheating on his previous girlfriend. What a bold statement! We all know that there are double standards. Some males feel being cheated on is extremely wrong but are still careless of women's feeling regarding cheating.
In most of music, sex is the most popular topic, from legs being thrown on a shoulder to laying in the bed. In the song "Rollercoaster," a rollercoaster is used as a metaphor for going up and down on a love partner. There more explicit lyrics that I will not list here. Brown seems to still include his highly sexual lyrics. He talks about getting girls and being able to steal girls from other males. He says that girls called him "Big Poppa," but he does not state whether it is in the bed or not. We could probably all guess. For those of you that feel this song will be in your best interest, please feel free to listen to it, it's available online.
In another song, "Whippin," Brown says that he has a lot of money. He gives girls "gold" whenever that ask for it. Money is always in his bank, and he always has easy access to the money. His song mostly highlights Brown and his crew having "bottles," "cars," and a lot of "money." It's a song all about bragging about what he has. Who could really blame him? If they have the commodities that they listed, then they have the right to brag.
This mixtape showcases a different side of Brown than what his fans are used to seeing. Also, this mixtape shines light on his crew, OHB. Before listening, I was not aware he had a crew with music talent even though I knew he had some kind of squad with him. I highly recommend you go listen to the album.
