R&B phenom Chris Brown would like to state for the record that he is not “the next Usher”–even though that’s what music critics from here to Japan are calling him.
“I want people to see me for me–not just the next whoever. Not a clone,” said the 16-year-old “Run It!” singer, whose self-titled debut album dropped Tuesday. “I want to be my own person.”
For a while, at least, Brown will have to tolerate the comparisons because they’re getting him noticed in a major way. He’s a frequent presence on BET and MTV, and “Run It!” (featuring Juelz Santana) has received saturation airplay on pop radio. In November, the song topped charts in almost every category for which it is eligible: Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, Hot Singles sales chart, Top 40 Rhythm chart, Hot 100 Airplay and Hot R&B/Hip-hop Mainstream chart.
“He’s got the richness of vocal tone, the million-dollar smile, the star appeal,” said Barry Weiss, president of Zomba Label Group, which signed Brown to its subsidiary Jive Records last winter. “Superstars like Usher come along every 10, 15 years. Chris Brown is in that category. He’s a burgeoning superstar.”
Brown is not the only one competing for the under-21 R&B crooner crown. Stars like Omarion, Mario and Marcus Houston have all been compared with Usher at one point or another. This month fans will be able to judge for themselves when Brown hits the road with Houston and Omarion, as well as Bow Wow and Ciara, on a holiday tour.
Jive, Brown’s record label, enlisted some of pop’s hottest producers–Scott Storch, Cool & Dre and Jazze Pha among them–to create tracks for Brown’s hip-hop-inflected debut. But marketers decided that the best way to make good on Brown’s unrehearsed appeal and “common touch” was to market him the old-fashioned way–by taking him directly to the people. They’ve sunk more than $500,000 into a nationwide “meet and greet” campaign–taking Brown to teen centers, schools and malls–to familiarize the public with the singer’s personality. Kelly G., the senior music director at BET who put Brown’s “Run It!” video into “power rotation” (playing it at least every two hours), said the singer’s current success is not a flash in the pan.
“I think he’s the real deal,” he said. “There aren’t many popular teenage boys singing who can connect with teen girls. . . . With Usher growing up, there’s a new kid on the block who can sing and dance.”
Brown said he is flattered by all the Usher talk, but he’s ready to come into his own. In the meantime, he’s enjoying every minute of promo duty.
“It’s a blessing,” he said.
