"Drop It Low" is the debut single by American singer and songwriter

Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including R ...

. The official version features vocals from R&B singer

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

. This was also released as the second single from

the soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

for the film '' More than a Game'' (2009). The original version of the song did not feature Chris Brown, and maintained the same lyrics on the second verse but coming from a man's perspective. The official remix features

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...

and

Diddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

Development

The song's producer,

Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977 or 1978), known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with ...

later stated that the song was originally meant for

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...

, but when the singer passed on it, it was eventually given to Ester Dean. Pop singer

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

wanted to record "Drop It Low" for her album ''

Femme Fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

'' before Dean used it as her own single.

Critical reception

It was highlighted by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Jason Thurson.

Remix

The remix initially began when Lil Wayne recorded his verse for the record, replacing Ester's original verse. A clean and explicit version were released of it. Later, Trey Songz released a new remix of the song, adding a new intro, keeping Wayne's verse, adding a new verse by himself, and a new verse from Chris Brown. After that, the official remix was released with Diddy talking throughout the track, replacing Trey Songz on the intro, and with a slight change in beat during Chris Brown's verse.

Official versions

* "Drop It Low" (Main Version) / (Explicit Version) – 3:14 * "Drop It Low" (Remix) (feat. Diddy, Lil Wayne, Trey Songz & Chris Brown) – 4:58

Music video

The music video was shot in August 2009, by the director Joseph Kahn who has worked with Brown previously on the "

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama, based on the novel by Judy Blume * '' ...

" music video. It premiered on music video channels

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

, and

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during the week of September 15, 2009. The video features both Dean and Brown, as well as some cameo appearances by

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

Keri Hilson Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony De ...

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Taylor (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. After choreographing the video for Beyoncé's 2006 single " Ring the Alarm," she signed ...

, Polow da Don,

Omarion Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, dancer and actor. He rose to prominence as lead vocalist of the boy band B2K, which was formed in 1998 and managed by record e ...

, Audio Push, Twerk Team,

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ...

Rich Boy Marece Benjamin Richards (born April 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Rich Boy, is an American rapper known for his 2006 single " Throw Some D's" (featuring Polow da Don), which peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It serv ...

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

, and Barry "Mijo" Bradford.

Chart performance

Once "Drop It Low" became available for airplay on US rhythm/crossover radio on August 18, 2009, and mainstream radio on August 25, 2009, the song started gaining more airplay on the three main formats. By the week ending of August 28, 2009, the song debuted at number 88 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart based only on airplay. By the next week, it debuted at number 94 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Drop It Low" peaked at number 38, helped by its digital sales.

Charts

Other appearances

"Drop It Low" appears on '' The Bling Ring: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (2013). The song's tempo and rhythms were recycled for the track "Work Wit It" by Chris Brown on his

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

''In My Zone''.

References

External links

YouTube – Ester Dean featuring Chris Brown "Drop It Low" Official Video
{{authority control 2009 debut singles Chris Brown songs Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn Song recordings produced by Polow da Don Songs written by Ester Dean Songs written by Trey Songz 2009 songs Songs written by Lil Wayne Interscope Records singles Songs written by Chris Brown