Chris Brown & PXP: the international connection
Huge international star, Chris Brown has been shaking up the charts with every release since 2005. The American singer, dancer, and actor has remained at the top of RnB for almost 20 years now. He was in Paris for his "Under The Influence Tour" in early 2023, and Project X Paris had the honor of collaborating with him for his after-party!
Chris Brown in France, the unmissable event
RnB has become almost invisible today, mainly because rappers have increasingly started singing their own choruses. But there was a not-so-distant time when the two genres were clearly distinct, especially in the 90s/2000s. And during that period, while rappers generally played the gangsters, all the dance and choreographic aspects were left to the b-boys of RnB. It was during this time that American singers who became true icons started to emerge, like Akon, but also Usher, and Chris Brown. And in this list, the only one still at the top after years of activity is Chris. And that’s only natural: the singer has completely reinvented himself over the years. Remember his beginnings, with the huge "Run It!" or "Gimme Back," songs that were sung but really very street, with a lot of "dirty south" sounds in the instrumentals. Or the excellent "Kiss Kiss," with T-Pain, in a similar style, which was heavily played on radios for many years.
Of course, awards have poured in, whether for his albums or his singles. His discography is simply staggering, with notably two singles certified 8 times platinum in the United States, which means at least 16 million singles sold, just for "No Guidance" with Drake in 2019, and "Look At Me Now" with Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes in 2011. No need to go over his career, which many of you probably know inside out. We’ll just say that with 10 studio albums, plus another with Tyga, he is one of the most influential artists on the planet. He didn’t just crush everything commercially without leaving any impact on culture. Chris Brown is among those who have continued to make dance and singing "cool," at a time when rap, dominant in urban cultures, was hardening and seemed to become more closed off to other hip hop disciplines. All this, while respecting the codes, at least musically, as we can see in his early commercial successes with very rap-sounding beats despite the singing.
Today he is one of the rare artists who have nothing left to prove and whose name alone almost guarantees the success of a track. But that doesn’t mean he rests on his laurels, as he released an album in 2022 called "Breezy." For those who don’t know, it’s his long-standing nickname in the game. A project released at the end of June 2022, reissued a few weeks later, featuring collaborations with the cream of international rap and RnB: Lil Durk, Fivio Foreign, Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, Wizkid, Jack Harlow, and many others. A real parade of stars coming to give Chris Brown a hand, who is hotter than ever in the game right now. And to please fans worldwide, he has even been on tour for several months. An international tour that notably saw the singer land at the Accor Arena in Paris on February 23 and 24, 2023. And since nothing happens here without us knowing about it, Project X Paris was obviously part of the party!
PXP rocks the show at Chris Brown’s after-party
On the occasion of his "Under The Influence Tour" (named after his latest single), there was obviously a big party planned after the concert. The after-party on February 24 was to take place at Espace Grand Paris, in Créteil, not far from Bercy. A really solid and interesting venue, capable of hosting huge events, if you’re in that business. And Project X Paris was in charge of sponsoring the event. A collaboration mainly materialized by t-shirts worn by all the staff during the evening. A black t-shirt specially designed for the occasion, on which you can see our logo as well as the artist’s name. We specify that the model was made especially for this evening and will not be sold.
But this evening was an opportunity to affirm our desire to conquer the international streetwear market, particularly the American market. Because Americans love what comes from Paris, especially when it comes to textiles and streetwear, so there is a world where we can manage to export and break everything. After Gunna, it is with Chris Brown that we collaborate and we hope it won’t stop there. Especially since the after-party was a real success, judging by the video testimonials collected outside the venue. We had an excellent atmosphere, really stylish people with great outfit choices, and of course, good music — in short, everything was perfect.
We even had time to chat a bit with the colleagues from Trace TV, who were also present during the event, covering the concert and the after-party. A pleasure to see them again here, after our collaboration for the concept "Your Project Your Trace," the rap contest that went viral on social networks earlier this year. Proof, if any was needed, that this was the party to be at. We hope to be able to renew this kind of experience more often, who knows, by offering something even more ambitious next time!