Till I Die (Chris Brown song)

"Till I Die"
Single by Chris Brown featuring Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa
from the album Fortune
Released April 13, 2012 (2012-04-13)
Format Digital download
Genre
Length 3:57
Label RCA
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Danja
Chris Brown singles chronology
"Sweet Love"
(2012)		 "Till I Die"
(2012)		 "I Can Only Imagine"
(2012)
Big Sean chronology
"Mercy"
(2012)		 "Till I Die"
(2012)		 "My Homies Still"
(2012)
Wiz Khalifa chronology
"Payphone"
(2012)		 "Till I Die"
(2012)		 "Work Hard, Play Hard"
(2012)
Fortune track listing
Music video
"Till I Die" on YouTube

"Till I Die" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, featuring American rappers Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa. It was written by Brown, Sean Anderson, Cameron Thomaz, Marcella Araica and Nathaniel "Danja" Hills, while the production was handled by Danja. "Till I Die" was released digitally on April 13, 2012, as the third single from Brown's fifth studio album, Fortune (2012). It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on May 1, 2012. "Till I Die" is an uptempo hip hop and R&B song that displays elements of electro music and features military drumbeats, R&B synths and "arcade-game blips". The song contains lyrics about women, smoking weed, partying in the club and living the good life.

"Till I Die" garnered positive reviews from music critics, who praised the production and the trio's verses. Although it was released worldwide, the song only charted in the United States. It peaked at number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number 15 on the Rap Songs chart. The accompanying music video for "Till I Die" was directed by Brown and features cameo appearances by Snoop Dogg, Andy Milonakis, Kreayshawn, Jamie Kennedy, Method Man and Redman. The video was dedicated to Beastie Boys' member Adam Yauch, who died from cancer in May 2012. Brown included "Till I Die" in his set list at Supafest Australia.

Background and composition

"Till I Die" was written by Cameron Jabril Thomaz, Chris Brown, Marcella Araica, Nathaniel "Danja" Hills and Sean Anderson, while production was handled by Danja.[1] The audio mixing was completed by Jaycen Joshua, with assistance by Trehy Harris.[1] On March 28, 2012, Brown announced via his official Twitter account that he would be releasing "Till I Die" and "Sweet Love" as the next two singles from Fortune, after the lead single "Turn Up the Music".[2] The audio of "Till I Die" and its artwork were posted online on April 10, 2012, showing Brown wearing a navy blue suit and sunglasses, and standing beside a motorcycle in front of a neon-glowing backdrop.[3] It was released as a one-track digital download in Oceania and most European countries on April 13, 2012.[4] However, in the United States, "Till I Die" was released digitally on April 17, 2012,[5][6] and sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on May 1, 2012.[7]

"Till I Die" is an uptempo hip hop and R&B song, which last for a duration of three minutes and 57 seconds.[8][9][5] The song blends military drumbeats and R&B synths with elements of electro music.[10][11] Trent Fitzgerald of PopCrush noted that it also uses "arcade-game blips".[12] According to Lewis Corner of Digital Spy, "Till I Die" opens with a "dubstep intro".[10] Throughout the song, Brown, Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa rap about "smoking and intoxication",[13] "women and weed",[14] "partying and balling in the club",[12] and living the good life.[15] During the first verse, Brown references American politician Sarah Palin in the line "Sippin and I'm faded / Super medicated / Said she wanna check the poll / I said ok Sarah Palin".[8][16] Rob Markman of MTV News noted that Brown harmonizes the line "I'm high" in the background.[17]

Reception

Critical response

"Till I Die" garnered positive reviews from music critics. Becky Bain of Idolator appreciated the "nice blend of electro and R&B" music in the song, writing that it "has a unique sound that's both experimental and easy to lay back to".[11] Andrew Martin of Complex magazine described "Till I Die" as a "laid-back, summer-primed production", while Becca Longmire of Entertainment Wise viewed it as a potential hit.[16][18] Trent Fitzgerald of PopCrush complimented the song for having a "nice R&B groove" and added that "it will certainly get some spins on urban radio".[8] Bene Viera of VH1 praised Brown's verse, writing that "he's seriously going to make some rappers step up their game".[19] Hazel Robinson of California Literary Review magazine called it one of the many "excellent collaborations" on Fortune.[20]

Maura Johnston of The Village Voice wrote that the song "sounds like a reverse-engineered version" of American pop duo Karmin's cover of "Look at Me Now" (2011), and further explained that it contains "lyrics to prove that he's still a badass".[21] Melinda Newman of HitFix described "Till I Die" as "pot hazy".[22] In a review of Fortune, Barry Walters of Spin magazine wrote that "Till I Die", along with "Sweet Love" and "Don't Wake Me Up", contain "thin melodies and stock shock lyrics" that make Brown's previous singles sound better.[23] He described the song as "proudly stoned".[23] Melissa Ruggieri of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that "Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa trade the most profane verses" in the song.[24]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Till I Die" debuted at number 74 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the issue dated April 28, 2012.[25] It peaked at number 12 in the issue dated August 11, 2012.[26] On the Rap Songs chart, the song debuted at number 25 in the issue dated June 23, 2012,[27] and peaked at number 15 in the issue dated August 11, 2012.[28] "Till I Die" peaked at number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which represents the 25 songs which failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.[29]

Music video

Background

A man with a white shirt.
A man dressed in a grey shirt and black bandanna.
Method Man (left) and Redman (right) are two of the many celebrities who make an appearance in the video.

The accompanying music video for "Till I Die" was directed by Brown and filmed in Los Angeles, California on May 10, 2012.[30] Later that day, several images from the shoot were posted online, showing Brown, Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa sitting on top of a yellow car, as well as images of the latter two posing shirtless.[30] The video premiered online on May 30, 2012.[31] Following its release, Brown tweeted that the video is dedicated to Beastie Boys' member Adam Yauch, who died from cancer in early May 2012.[31] The video features cameo appearances by Andy Milonakis, Kreayshawn, Jamie Kennedy, Snoop Dogg, Method Man and Redman.[31]

Synopsis

The video begins in an office with the mail guy (played by Kennedy), handing out mail to co-workers, while Brown's song "Beautiful People" plays in the background.[31] As the audio of "Till I Die" begins, Brown, wearing a grey suit, beanie, gold fronts and gold chains, appears out of nowhere tripping the mail guy, and starts rapping his verse.[31] He then appears in an elevator where he meets Wiz Khalifa and Big Sean, who then raps his verse.[31] As they leave work, the trio catch a ride with Snoop Dogg in his yellow Pontiac Parisienne, as Sean continues rapping his verse.[31] This scene is intercut with scenes of them hanging out in an abandoned warehouse surrounded by smoke and flashing lights.[31] Khalifa then raps his verse as they arrive at a mansion where Method Man and Redman are seen smoking.[31] The video ends with more scenes of the trio back at the abandoned warehouse and shows the memory to Adam Yauch.[31]

Reception

Bene Viera of VH1 praised Brown "for creating a video that fits perfectly with the song".[19] Viera continued writing that the song "wouldn't be [a] proper smoker's anthem" without the cameo appearance by Snoop Dogg.[19] Rob Markman of MTV News noted that the video was different from Brown's previous music videos for the Fortune album, writing that "'Till I Die' is a fun and welcomed departure from it all".[32] A reviewer for Rap-Up described the video as "wild" and "colorful", and noted that it seems to be inspired by the Beastie Boys' classic "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" (1987).[31] Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly called the video "a weird one".[33] Becky Bain of Idolator described it as "the brats-on-parade clip", and wrote that the dedication to Yauch "would be a nice sentiment if anything in this video resembled anything Yauch stood for".[34] Maura Johnston of The Village Voice called it a "dumb" video and wrote that it reminded her of the "Our Lips Are Sealed" video by The Go-Go's.[21]

Live performances

Brown performed "Till I Die" for the first time with Big Sean at Supafest Australia in April 2012,[35] as part of a set list which included "Run It!", "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now", "She Ain't You", "Wet the Bed" and "Turn Up the Music", among others.[36] Rap-Up praised his set, writing that "A tatted Chris Brown thrilled with his chart-topping hits".[37] The staff of Dolly magazine called it "one of his most electrifying performances" to date.[38]

Track listing

  1. "Till I Die" (featuring Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa) – 3:57

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes for Fortune[1]

  • Marcella Araica – songwriter
  • Chris Brown – lead vocals, songwriter
  • Iain Findley – assistant recorder
  • Trehy Harris – assistant mixer
  • Nathaniel "Danja" Hills – songwriter, producer
  • Jaycen Joshua – mixer
  • Wiz Khalifa – guest vocals, songwriter
  • Big Sean – guest vocals, songwriter
  • Brian Springer – recorder

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[39] 1
US Digital Songs (Billboard)[40] 68
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[41] 12
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[42] 38

Year-end charts

Chart (2012) Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[43] 85

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Australia[4] April 13, 2012 Digital download RCA Records
Austria[44]
Belgium[45]
Canada[46]
Denmark[47]
Finland[48]
France[49]
Italy[50]
Netherlands[51]
New Zealand[52]
Norway[53]
Portugal[54]
Spain[55]
Sweden[56]
Switzerland[57]
United States[5][6] April 17, 2012
May 1, 2012 Rhythmic contemporary radio

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fortune (Booklet). Chris Brown. RCA Records. 2012.
  2. ↑ "Chris Brown Announces Two New Singles". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  3. ↑ "New Music: Chris Brown f/ Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa – 'Till I Die'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  4. 1 2 "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Till I Die (feat. Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa) Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (United States). Apple. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  6. 1 2 "Chris Brown New Singles 'Till I Die' and 'Sweet Love' Now Available On iTunes". Chrisbrownworld.com. 2012-04-17. Archived from the original on 2012-04-18.
  7. ↑ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25.
  8. 1 2 3 Fitzgerald, Trent (2012-04-11). "Chris Brown Drops New Song 'Till I Die' Featuring Big Sean + Wiz Khalifa". PopCrush. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  9. ↑ Alexis, Nadeska (2012-04-10). "Chris Brown – 'Till I Die' Ft. Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean". Rapfix. Viacom. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  10. 1 2 Corner, Lewis (2012-04-11). "Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean debut new song 'Till I Die'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  11. 1 2 Bain, Becky (2012-04-10). "Chris Brown, Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa's 'Fortune' Track 'Till I Die'". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  12. 1 2 Fitzgerald, Trent (2012-07-03). "Chris Brown, 'Fortune' – Album Review". PopCrush. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  13. ↑ Quizon, Sabrina (2012-04-11). "Listen To Chris Brown's 'Till I Die' Featuring Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa (Audio)". Ryanseacrest.com. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  14. ↑ Greenwald, David (2012-04-10). "Chris Brown Shares 'Sweet Love', 'Til I Die' Singles". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  15. ↑ "Chris Brown – Till I Die Feat. Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa". Singersroom. 2012-04-11. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  16. 1 2 Martin, Andrew (2012-04-10). "Listen: Chris Brown f/ Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa 'Till I Die'". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  17. ↑ Markman, Rob (2012-05-31). "Chris Brown Taps Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean For 'Till I Die' Video". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  18. ↑ Longmire, Becca (2012-04-11). "Listen: Chris Brown Releases New Track 'Till I Die'". Entertainment Wise. Giant Digital. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  19. 1 2 3 Viera, Bere (2012-05-31). "Chris Brown, Big Sean And Wiz Khalifa Are High As A Kite In 'Till I Die'". VH1. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  20. ↑ Robinson, Hazel (2012-07-06). "Album Review: Chris Brown's Fortune". California Literary Review. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  21. 1 2 Johnston, Maura (2012-05-31). "Chris Brown Dedicates Video To MCA, Misses The Point (Yet Again)". The Village Voice (Village Voice Media). Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  22. ↑ Newman, Melinda (2012-07-02). "Album Review: Does Chris Brown have good Fortune on new set?". HitFix. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  23. 1 2 Walters, Barry (2012-07-03). "Chris Brown, 'Fortune' (RCA)". Spin. Buzz Media. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  24. ↑ Ruggieri, Melissa (2012-07-03). "Tuesday Tunes: Spotlight on Chris Brown". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Cox Enterprises). Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  25. ↑ "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of April 28, 2012". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  26. ↑ "Chris Brown Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  27. ↑ "Chart Highlights: Jepsen Jumps to No. 1 on Pop Songs – Chart Beat". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012-06-11. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
  28. ↑ "Chris Brown Album & Song Chart History: Rap Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  29. ↑ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles – Issue Date: 2012-09-08". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original (requires registration) on 2012-09-20.
  30. 1 2 "On Set of Chris Brown's 'Till I Die' Video with Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Video: Chris Brown f/ Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa – 'Till I Die'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  32. ↑ Markman, Rob (2012-05-31). "Chris Brown Debuts High-Grade 'Till I Die' Video". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  33. ↑ Rahman, Ray (2012-06-01). "Chris Brown releases new songs, 'Till I Die' video". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  34. ↑ Bain, Becky (2012-05-31). "Chris Brown Dedicates His Bratty 'Till I Die' Video To Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  35. ↑ "Chris Brown and Big Sean Perform 'Till I Die' at Supafest". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  36. ↑ Vout, Elise (2012-04-17). "Supafest Review Part II". MTV Australia. Viacom. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  37. ↑ "Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland, Big Sean, & Trey Songz Storm Sydney for Supafest". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  38. ↑ "Gig review: Supafest 2012". Dolly. ninemsn. 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  39. ↑ "Chris Brown – Chart history" Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 for Chris Brown.
  40. ↑ "Chris Brown – Chart history" Billboard Digital Songs for Chris Brown.
  41. ↑ "Chris Brown – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Chris Brown.
  42. ↑ "Chris Brown – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Chris Brown.
  43. ↑ "Best of 2012 – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  44. ↑ "iTunes – Musik – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single von Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Austria) (in German). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  45. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Belgium). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  46. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Canada). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  47. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Denmark). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  48. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Finland). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  49. ↑ "iTunes – Musique – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single par Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Denmark) (in French). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  50. ↑ "iTunes – Musica – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single di Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Italy) (in Italian). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  51. ↑ "iTunes – Muziek – 'Till I Die' (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single van Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Netherlands) (in Dutch). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  52. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (New Zealand). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  53. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Norway). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  54. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Portugal). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  55. ↑ "iTunes – Musica – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single de Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Spain) (in Spanish). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  56. ↑ "iTunes – Musik – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single av Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Sweden) (in Swedish). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  57. ↑ "iTunes – Musik – Till I Die (feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa) – Single von Chris Brown". iTunes Store (Switzerland) (in German). Apple. Retrieved 2012-06-02.

External links

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