Way before blasting girls of world for not being ‘Loyal‘ enough, Chris Brown and Lil’ Wayne had established a winning formula of fresh music and visuals.
Today’s From The Vault is the duo’s infectious ‘Gimme That‘.
Helmed by Scott Storch with lyrics by Sean Garrett, ‘Gimme’ – the first of many Breezy & Weezy collabos to come – was the third single off Brown’s eponymous Grammy-nominated debut. It was yet another US Top 20 for the then-newcomer peaking at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Unfortunately it didn’t fare as well as its predecessors overseas only reaching the 23rd position in the UK.
Thankfully, an inferior chart-run didn’t translate into a less impressive video than those of previous singles — quite the contrary.
Erik White assumed control of of the visualization and what a stellar job he did. The Michael Jackson-inspired affair was set in the 1920’s with Chris and his army of dancers, in a train station, engaging in electrifying choreography – including Krumping, which Brown would continue to popularize.
Using a cinematography that would become his “visual signature” – especially during the dance sequences (see ‘Wall To Wall‘, ‘Turn Up The Music‘, ‘Loyal‘) – this clip gave the world its first true glimpse of who CB is as an artist: not only an entertainer but a visionary.
Through the ups and downs of the last decade, Mr Brown’s talent and creativity remain sky-high – making him one of the most exciting acts of this generation. It is for this very reason that the TGJ-team are somewhat frustrated with Chris’ predicament. For, with his great vocals and even better dance moves, as well as his songwriting, producing and directing skills, Breezy is better suited than any other of his peers for that much desired “Legend-in-the-Making” status that seems to elude him. Why? Because of incessant personal drama and the media ready and willing amplification of it
Anyhow, we’ll continue to root for Christopher, hoping that he finally does what he’s been urging the masses to do for the past 5 years – focus on his tremendous talent first.
Thoughts?