He’s a lot like the 16-year-old boy living in the house next door to you: one minute he’s five-foot-seven, the next he’s 6’1. One minute he’s a cute little boy trying to dribble a basketball, the next a superstar point guard. One minute he’s ducking under the covers pleading for five more minutes of shut-eye, the next he’s racing through a day full of recording, performances and interviews.
With his easy-going demeanor and schoolboy charm, Chris Brown could easily be somebody that you know. With his incredible voice and a debut cd laced with clever lyrics, hypnotic tracks and impeccable vocals, he’s someone that the world will soon know.
We interview Chris Brown!
HIP: How has everything been since getting into the industry?
Chris Brown: I’ve just been trying absorb everything and be myself.
How long did you work on the record?
The album, we started in February and did 48 songs. We recorded it about six or seven months ago.
Had you been in the studio before recording this album?
Yeah, I was in with different producers just trying to make that first single.
What was it like working on the album full time?
It was crazy.
Were able to continue in school?
I got a tutor around January. We just got back from Christmas break and I was on the basketball team and I told my friends I had to leave in two weeks.
How did they react?
They told me to go and get that paper.
It must have been tough to leave school.
It was crazy.
Do you get to go back home?
Whenever I get a break I go back to Virginia to hang with my friends.
How did you hook up with a label from such a small town?
I was lucky that the producers that I had had connections with other producers that had connections with other producers that knew industry people. From there I just bounced from one producer to the next.
When did you know you could do this for a living?
Since I was thirteen or fourteen.
What did your family think when you said you wanted to do this?
I think my mom was like ‘whatever you want to do lets do it’ but my dad wanted me to get my priorities straight and go to college.
How long had you been playing basketball?
I’m not even going to lie—when I started I sucked. I was seven going on eight. My cousin was a big time basketball player in our area. I wanted to learn how to play basketball and I’m like a sponge so I went with my cousin for two weeks straight and worked on it. I was an okay player and still developing my skills. When the music kicked in and I went to New York, which is the mecca of basketball, I really learned a lot there. So I played with real ballers and learned new moves and then took off from there. So when I got back to VA I was the only tenth grader to start varsity.
What kind of music are you into?
Mainly hip-hop and soulful R&B.
What singers are you into?
Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson and a couple of other people.
+ Charlie Craine
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