Chris Brown. Those two words are loaded with a recent past of domestic violence, on-air tantrums, nasty twitter outbursts, platinum sales and Grammy wins. A lot of ink has been spilled reporting and analyzing all of Brown’s various low-points, but now the singer is trying to explain some things on his new track, “How I Feel.”
On the biographical song, Brown discusses his climb to the top, his media presence, his anger issues and perhaps (indirectly) his infamous beating of then-girlfriend Rihanna (the two recently reconciled musically, appearing together on two remixes). “How I Feel” certainly doesn’t sound like any type of apology, and when the phrase “dreaming of fucking bad bitches” pops up less than thirty seconds in, it’s clear he’s not looking to earn (or earn back) any new female fans. Likewise, when he addresses the media, it’s the defensive “all you wanna do is twist my words up.” His conscience seems to creep in a bit later, when he alludes to the high cost of domestic violence by talking about being worried that his mom would die “’cause a man beat her.” But, according to the song, Brown lives his life with “no regrets,” and if you don’t respect him, then you “don’t understand winning.”
It’s not much to listen to on the musical side, as it almost sounds like a short demo — a minimalist, hookless rap tirade akin to Mel Gibson being remixed by The Weeknd. It ends with “I’ma keep on living my life day-to-day/Learn from my mistakes.” Let’s hope so, even if it’s too late to repair the damage.
It’s not known whether the song will be on his new album “Fortune,” or if it will just remain a standalone curio.
Listen to the song here:
What do you think of “How I Feel”? Grade it at the top of the story.