Detention is A Great Place for Making Music, It Seems

Is it safe for people to openly admit that they like Chris Brown’s music now? I mean, has The Incident with RiRi blown over?
If it isn’t, and you’re still debating whether or not you’re a Breezy fan, I suggest Boy In Detention.
The mixtape itself has been available since August last year, but I only discovered it last weekend, and I’ve been listening to it on repeat since then.

It seems that after going through rehabilitation, and making a few subtle image changes (blonde hair- I blame Dennis Rodman, even now), Chris Brown also decided to take his music in a completely different direction.
Anyone who is attached to the smooth teen crooner of Yo (Excuse Me Miss) and With You fame, and even those who liked the hip-hop twist he added on Wall to Wall and Kiss Kiss, should approach this new Chris Brown with caution.

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Boy In Detention has Chris showing off his rap skills, and Popcrush.com called the offering “phenomenal”, going on to say that “if it weren’t for his pedigree in serenading the ladies, you would think [he] was a legitimate rapper”.
I still find all the aggression and bad attitude a little disturbing, but in a good way. I mean, 100 Bottles caught my attention right from the beginning, and then I heard Spend It All and the Real Hip-Hop trilogy, and soon I had completely forgotten that I was listening to Chris Brown. The same guy who was given such a hard time for his lisp when he was first starting out; the same guy that people don’t quite know how to react to after the domestic abuse incident.

While I do not, at all, condone what he did or believe that there “must’ve been a reason”, I do think that there comes a time when people should move on (after learning a lesson). Whatever your opinion, Chris Brown’s talent cannot be ignored.

The mixtape boasts collaborations with singer Joelle Jones (recently signed to Chris Brown Entertainment) and Kevin McCall, with appearances by Justin Bieber (he’s everywhere, kind of like a cockroach, really) and Wiz Khalifa.

I was a little confused by the tracks which credit an artist named “Se7en”, as it was a female singer in one song, and then a male singer in another.
It turns out Se7en is really Choi Dong-wook, a South Korean artist who has been making waves in the industry- in Korea, Japan and the United States. He lends his talents to 100 Bottles.
The lady adding a bit of flavour to Spend It All, is an artist who recently changed her stage name to Sevyn, and who is also a recent addition to the CBE stable (did anyone know that Chris Brown had a record label?), having left the R&B group RichGirl late last year.

Boy In Detention has tracks produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, Tha Bizness and 9th Wonder. A testament to the quality of music that Chris Brown can put out.
What was disappointing however, was the severely limited subject matter of the rhymes. By the sixth track, it becomes obvious that Chris can’t say enough about clubbing, cars and women. Yes, he’s young, but does that mean he has nothing intelligent to say? Let’s try for something with a little bit more substance on mixtape number 5, shall we?

Some of my favourites are Sweetheart (a welcome throwback to The Chris From Before that winds down the compilation), Leave The Club, 100 Bottles and Spend It All.
There is also the obligatory Marvin’s Room remix, which I thought was done really well.

Over all, this mixtape is good entertainment. It’s one that you should play in the morning before school/work, while you’re studying (try not to dougie too enthusiastically, here) or on the way to, well, the club.
I recommend it to anyone who is looking for some fun, up-tempo beats and some quality vocals in their music.