"I Can Transform Ya" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz | ||||
from the album Graffiti | ||||
Released | September 29, 2009 | |||
Recorded |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:49 | |||
Label | Jive | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Swizz Beatz | |||
Chris Brown singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lil Wayne singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Swizz Beatz singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"I Can Transform Ya" on YouTube |
"I Can Transform Ya" is a song by American singer Chris Brown from his third album Graffiti . The song features vocals from American rappers Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz. The artists co-wrote the song with Lonny Bereal,Trayce Green,and Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd,with Beatz producing the track. The song was released as the lead single from Graffiti on September 29,2009,and was Brown's first official release since his altercation with former girlfriend,Barbadian singer Rihanna. Originally known simply as "Transformer",it is an electro-composed song infused with hip hop,crunk and "industrial" R&B musical genres,while making use of robotic tones. It is lyrically about introducing someone to a life of luxury.
"I Can Transform Ya" received mostly positive reviews,noting the song's club feel and catchiness. The song peaked the highest in New Zealand,at number seven,and was also certified platinum in the country. It peaked in the top twenty of the United States,at twenty-one in Australia and Ireland. The song also charted in the top thirty in the United Kingdom,becoming a top ten hit on the UK R&B Chart. The dance-heavy accompanying music video,coined a "shiny,sexy,throwback" features choreography with hooded ninjas,and makes puns on the Transformers franchise.
The song was originally titled "Transformer" according to producer and featured guest Swizz Beatz in a September 2009 interview with MTV News . [1] The song was set to be the first real record that Brown had released since his highly-publicized domestic violence case against then-girlfriend Rihanna at the beginning of the year. [2] Another song "Changed Man",an "apologetic ode to Rihanna" written by Brown,and several other tracks were leaked but Jive Records said the material was old. [2] Swizz Beatz said that Brown had recorded "60 or 70" songs for the album,and that "He's got something to prove." [1] Beatz also commented on Lil Wayne's contribution to the song,saying,""The Wayne part is just nothing to talk about,He really showed his ass on this one. It's probably the best feature verse since the 'It's Me [Bitches]' remix. He really went in on the 'Transformer' joint." [1] It was originally supposed released on September 30,2009,but Brown stated on his Twitter that the song would be released a day early on September 29,2009. [2]
The song, influenced by hip-hop, has been described as an "upbeat tune", is composed of pounding drums, and features referee whistles and hand claps. [2] [3] [4] It also has synthpop elements, featuring a "synthesized guitar riff." [2] [3] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times says the song has a robo-crunk groove. [5] According to James Montgomery of MTV News , the song is an "adult club track". [6] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune said that the song is one of the album tracks featuring an "aggressive stance" and "club banger" that would "sound fantastic on the dancefloor". The song is lyrically about introducing someone new to a luxurious life. [3] The song makes references to the Transformers franchise. [4]
The song's music video was directed by Joseph Kahn. Kahn, who also directed the video for Brown and Ester Dean's "Drop It Low", said that Brown played him tracks from his album on the set, and had a clear idea of what he wanted for the "I Can Transform Ya" video. [7] Kahn said,
"...obviously, him going in there and dancing and turning into cars and trucks is right up my alley. His interests, in terms of kung fu and special effects and science fiction and all the boy-culture stuff, it falls directly in line with what I like. "His talent is phenomenal. I'm still struggling to try and capture that talent on film, and it's a challenge. Here's a guy who can literally do anything. If you watch this thing, he's doing nunchuck tricks, and I'm a huge kung fu aficionado, and they're mind-blowing. I've never seen stuff like that before in kung fu flicks. I would say it's like a pure aesthetic dance video from the very fiber of it. Everything dances onscreen. Everything has movement. Everything has a certain mechanical rhythm. He actually created a dance style for this that is mechanical. It's sort of a hyper-intense version of the robot. Even the transformations go directly in line with the movements." [7]
Kahn also said that instead of taking the song's lyrics and being "pretentious" about it, he wanted to show the audience exactly what Brown was singing about, commenting, "What if we just got ambitious and demonstrated the lyrics? The trick is to do it in a creative way. Let's try to display the lyrics and the feeling of the dance at the same time." [7] In October 2009, Brown released screencaps for the video, coincidentally the same day Rihanna released her video for "Russian Roulette". [8] The photos showed several scenes, including Brown in the middle of a squadron of black storm troopers, Brown in a gray suit, and him giving a karate kick in mid-air. [8] Another was also of Brown, Wayne and Swizz Beatz standing confidently against a white backdrop. [8]
The video premiered on MTV Networks on October 27, 2009. [9] The music video opens with Brown transforming from a black sports car, and spray painting the name of the single onto the screen, indirectly referencing his forthcoming album Graffiti . [9] The video, set entirely on an all-white backdrop, focuses on Brown's dance moves, as Brown performs alongside hooded ninjas. [9] Several other "transformations" are made in the video including from motorcycles and helicopters. [6] Swizz Beatz appears in the clip, as well as Lil Wayne, playing an electric guitar. Transformers star Tyrese Gibson makes a cameo appearance.
Jocelyn Vena of MTV News described the video as "glossy" and "fast-paced". [7] James Montgomery of MTV News called the video a "shiny, sexy throwback". [6] Montgomery also said, "It's a blockbuster, loaded with eye-popping special effects — the titular transformations are particularly great looking, as are the scene-to-scene transitions — and frighteningly precise pop-and-lock moves from Brown himself." [6] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said the clip was "snazzy-looking", but commented, "it feels … kind of gross." [10] BET's Sound Off Blog said, "the visual embodies exactly what the title represents- transforming into abnormal objects while doing splits and showing off some several thick wasted PYT’s." [11] The video's choreography and dancers resembling "cyber ninjas" also drew comparisons to Janet Jackson's "Feedback" by several critics. [12] [13]
The song received generally positive reviews. Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune gave the song a positive review, calling it a "club banger". [14] Thomas Gonlianpoulous of Spin commended Swizz Beatz' "bombastic production", Wayne's "energetic yet nonsensical rap", and Brown's "joyful, brisk vocals." [15] Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music UK said the song, serving as lead single, says "Brown's promise for the future is to be an altogether more interesting kind of R&B artist." [16] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly referred to the song as a "swaggering" lead single. [17] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to the song as a type that he has made his specialty, and called it an "electric, brassy collaboration." [18] Although Nick Levine of Digital Spy called the song "a brutal, tuneless hunk of industrial R&B – as musically ugly as something like 'With You' was pretty", he said "for that matter, this track rocks", commenting "Whatever you may think of him, you can't claim that Chris Brown lacks balls." [19] Jude Rogers of BBC Music said the song was catchy, but was one of the album's tracks that were a "pale imitation of Justin Timberlake album tracks." [20]
In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number fifty-two. [21] After weeks of ascending and descending the charts the single reached a peak of twenty on its eighth week on the chart, giving Brown his eighth top twenty hit in the United States. [21] Also in the U.S., the song peaked at number eleven on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. [22] In Canada, the song entered the charts at seventy-five. The song fluctuated around the charts for seven weeks before finally peaking at fifty-four on its eight-week. [23]
It reached five on the Flanders and Wallonia Belgian Tip Charts. [24] The song peaked at number seven in New Zealand, where it spent seven weeks on the chart. [25] "I Can Transform Ya" peaked in the top thirty in the United Kingdom, and Ireland, whilst reaching number nine on the UK R&B Chart. [26] [27] In Australia it peaked at twenty-one, where it spent eighteen weeks on the chart. [25] It reached fifty-seven on the Mega Single Top 100 in the Netherlands, having a seven-week stint. [25] "I Can Transform Ya"'s charting in European marks propelled it to debut and peak at seventy-six on the European Hot 100. [28] The song was certified Platinum in New Zealand by the RIANZ and Gold in Australia by the ARIA. [29] [30]
Source [31]
Weekly chart
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [42] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [30] | Platinum | 15,000* |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [43] | Gold | 5,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [45] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format |
---|---|---|
United States | September 29, 2009 | Digital download [2] [46] |
October 5, 2009 | Rhythmic and urban airplay [47] |
Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rappers Young Chris and Neef Buck. The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. Young Gunz' 2003 debut single, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop", reached the top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Kasseem Daoud Dean, known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean initially embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the age of 18, he gained recognition in the music industry through his family's record label Ruff Ryders Entertainment and his affiliation with its flagship artist, Yonkers-based rapper DMX. Working with DMX as his producer, DJ, and hype man helped Dean gain prominence as a high-profile figure in hip hop in the following years.
Back on My B.S. is the eighth studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released on May 19, 2009, through Flipmode and Universal Motown. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Pharrell Williams, DJ Scratch, Danja and Cool & Dre among others. The album also features guest appearances by T-Pain, Jamie Foxx, Akon, Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige, T.I. and many more.
American producer and rapper Swizz Beatz has released two studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play (EP), one mixtape, thirty-nine singles, three promotional singles and thirty-three music videos.
One Man Band Man is the debut studio album by American record producer and rapper Swizz Beatz, released on August 21, 2007, through Full Surface and Universal Motown Records. The album features guest appearances from Drag-On, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly and Jadakiss. The album's production was handled by Swizz Beatz himself, as well as producers such as The Individualz, Needlz, Nottz, Snags, Neo Da Matrix, Eric McCaine, Young World Music.
"It's Me Bitches", is a song by American hip hop recording artist and record producer Swizz Beatz. The song, released February 13, 2007, serves as the lead single from his debut studio album, One Man Band Man (2007). The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100 and peaked at number 83.
"No Matter What" is a song by American recording artist T.I., from his sixth album Paper Trail. It was released as the album's first single on April 29, 2008, with its eventual release onto the iTunes Store on May 6. The song was nominated at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Male Video. The song ranked 10 in Rolling Stone's list of 2008's best songs.
The following list is a discography of production by Swizz Beatz, an American record producer and recording artist from The Bronx, New York. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title. With a career spanning three decades, Swizz Beatz has contributed production on over 160 albums, including studio projects, compilations, soundtracks and mixtapes. Beatz has also produced 81 singles, a number of them have received gold certification or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Last Train to Paris is the only studio album by American musical trio Diddy – Dirty Money, composed of rapper Diddy, and R&B singers Kaleena Harper and Dawn Richard. It was released on December 14, 2010, by Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records. Story-wise, the album follows Diddy's alter-ego as he travels from London to Paris to regain his lost love. Subject matter and lyrics are based around dramatized descriptions of romance, heartache, vulnerability, regret, and emotional conflict. Predominantly styled in contemporary R&B, Last Train to Paris incorporates elements of Eurodance, Italo disco and tech house.
"Million Bucks" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Maino, taken from his debut studio album, If Tomorrow Comes.... The song, released July 3, 2009, serves as the third single and features vocals and production from Swizz Beatz.
"Crawl" is a song by American singer Chris Brown. It is the second single from his third studio album Graffiti, released as a digital download on November 24, 2009 by Jive Records. The song was produced by The Messengers and was written by Brown. The song is about yearning to rebuild a failed relationship and was interpreted by critics as being about Brown's former relationship with Rihanna. However, Brown has stated the song is not about any of his previous relationships.
"Roman's Revenge" is a song by Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki Minaj featuring American rapper Eminem, performing as their respective alter egos Roman Zolanski and Slim Shady. Taken from her debut studio album Pink Friday (2010), written alongside producer Swizz Beatz. It was released exclusively on October 30, 2010 through the United States iTunes Store, as a promotional release preceding the album's release.
"Look at Me Now" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring fellow American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes released as the second single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on February 1, 2011. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers Afrojack, Diplo, and Free School, with additional writing from Ryan Buendia. Musically, "Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south–inspired" hip hop song that features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds."
"How to Love" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, released as the third single from his ninth studio album, Tha Carter IV. The song features production from Drum Up for Drum Up Digital with Noel "Detail" Fisher and was released as a digital download on June 13, 2011. It was later released to urban contemporary radio stations on June 24, 2011. The song also makes it his first entry on hot adult contemporary stations, as CJFM-FM Montreal began playing it a month later after the single's release. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his third highest peak on the chart as the primary artist. Lil Wayne performed the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, and it received a nomination for "Best Video with a Message" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.
Chris Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor who has appeared in many music videos. His videography consists of 93 music videos, eighteen guest appearances, four video albums, seven film appearances and four television appearances. Brown's first music video was for his debut single "Run It!", taken from his self-titled debut album. Directed by Erik White, the video "introduced the world" to Brown's dance moves. White and Brown directed the accompanying music video for the second single "Yo ", which made reference to Michael Jackson. Some of Brown's other videos have been noted for its similarities to Jackson's work, including his music videos for "Wall to Wall" (2007), "Yeah 3x" (2010), "She Ain't You" (2011) and "Turn Up the Music" (2012). In 2007, Brown made his acting debut in the film, Stomp the Yard, as Duron. That same year, he also appeared in This Christmas as Michael "Baby" Whitfield. Brown's music video for the single "Forever" (2008) was directed by Joseph Kahn and was "highly regarded as one of the best videos of 2008". It earned Brown three nominations at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in the categories of Best Dancing in a Video, Best Choreography and Video of the Year.
"Sweet Serenade" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T from his debut studio album My Name Is My Name (2013). "Sweet Serenade" features vocals from American singer Chris Brown, with production by Swizz Beatz and Kanye West. On September 4, 2013, the song was released to iTunes as the album's third official single by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The song has peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Graffiti is the third studio album by American singer Chris Brown. It was released on December 8, 2009, by Jive Records. The album serves as a follow-up to his previous album Exclusive (2007). Recording sessions took place from 2008 to 2009, with several record producers, including Polow da Don, Swizz Beatz, the Runners and Brian Kennedy, among others.
"International Party" is a song by American rapper and record producer Swizz Beatz, released as a single through Everest Entertainment on August 1, 2011. The song was written by Beatz, Avery Chambliss and Tyrone Reginald Johnson, and produced by Beatz. It features vocals from American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. The music video for the single was directed by Chris Robinson. The song was released as part of the Reethym of Lite footwear campaign by Reebok Classic, for which Beatz at the time served as creative director.
Poison is the second studio album by American record producer and rapper Swizz Beatz, released on November 2, 2018 by Epic Records. It is Beatz' first album as a lead artist since his 2007 album One Man Band Man. Poison features collaborations with Nas, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, and Young Thug, among others. The music video for the song "Pistol on My Side (P.O.M.S.)", featuring Lil Wayne and keyboards by Alicia Keys, was released on September 14, 2018. The single "25 Soldiers" was released on October 3, 2018.
"Uproar" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records released the song to rhythmic and Urban radio on October 5, 2018, as the lead single from Wayne's twelfth studio album, Tha Carter V (2018).