''Before the Party'' is the sixth mixtape by American

recording artist A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

Chris Brown; it was released on November 27, 2015, by Chris Brown Entertainment on

DatPiff DatPiff is an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Med ...

for free. The mixtape contains appearances from French Montana,

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 20 ...

, Wale,

Fetty Wap Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage names Fetty Wap or Harlem Fetty, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence after his debut single " Trap Queen" reached number two on the U.S. ''B ...

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

, Rihanna and more. It also includes production from

Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, Kuk ...

, Danja,

David Banner Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ba ...

Drumma Boy Christopher James Gholson (born August 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is an American record producer. Early life Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to music at a young age. His mo ...

, among others. ''Before the Party'' was released as a prelude to his seventh studio album, '' Royalty''. ''Before the Party'' received positive reviews from music critics, that praised its sound, the performances and its songwriting. It received a great success, becoming one of the most listened and downloaded free mixtapes on DatPiff ever. The mixtape was re-released as a commercial mixtape exclusively on the streaming platforms

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

and

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on August 15, 2017, in its entirety.

Release

On October 13, 2015, Brown announced that his upcoming album '' Royalty'' would've been released on November 27, 2015. After it was revealed that the album has been pushed back to December 18, 2015, in exchange on November 27, 2015, he released a free 34-track mixtape, called ''Before the Party'', as a prelude to ''Royalty''. The cover art features an anime depiction of Brown, posing stoically in a

Bape A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) is a Japanese fashion brand founded by Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in Ura-Harajuku in 1993.David FischerNIGO Announces His Definitive Departure from BAPE''highsnobiety'', May 25, 2013

coat, floating somewhere in the universe with a woman with bountiful cleavage and a Transfomer head. The mixtape was re-released as a commercial mixtape exclusively on the streaming platforms

and

on August 15, 2017, in its entirety.

Reception

Critical reception

''Before the Party'' received positive reviews from music critics, some of them even said that the mixtape was a better work than his album ''Royalty'', which the mixtape was supposed to be a prelude to. ''HotNewHipHop''s Nicholas DG expressed a positive response, praising it for being "an impressive massive mixtape", saying that the track "Holy Angel" is one of Brown's best songs ever, expressing how "is bent on collecting the hardships and sins he has faced throughout his lifetime". Other tracks praised by the critic were "Play Me", because of his "slowly crescendoing orchestral sound and a hypnotic drum beat", "Desperado", being a "perfect musical embodiment to the song's narrator's feeling of never-ending betrayal", "Gotta Get Up", describing it as a "

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's heavily inspired track", and "FAN (Freak at Night)" because of his blending genres of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, hip-hop and electro. Jules Blackolm of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' commented that "the gangsta side of the mixtape is enjoyable on songs like "Ghetto Tales" and "All I Need", but where the mixtape sounds stunning is on his soft side, with songs like "Matter", "Roses Turn Blue", "Play Me" and "Start It Slow" thanks to their profound songwriting and Brown's impeccable quavered harmonize". John Roother of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' calld the mixtape a "quite and delicate R&B masterpiece" stating that Brown went "experimental" on songs like "Just So You Know" and "FAN" and that he "did his best on the funky "Go", "Gotta Get Up" and "Come Home Tonight", touching the sky with the hypnotic "Start It Slow". '' Digital Spy''s Ian Sandwell said that the mixtape was "better than expectations", praising tracks like "Holy Angel", "Counterfeit", "Text Message" and "Hell of a Night". ''

The Daily Reveille The ''Daily Reveille'' has been since 1887 the student newspaper at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It prints once a week on Wednesdays during the fall, spring and summer semesters. The ''Daily Reveille'' has a weekly circul ...

''s Sarah LeBoeuf wrote that she was "a bit disappointed" from the mixtape, saying that "Holy Angel", "Counterfeit", "Go" and "Sex" were highlights from the mixtape, but other songs like "Swallow Me Down" or "Hell of a Night" were unnecessary, saying that the mixtape at some points was "too repetitive, removing its filler tracks would've made this one of Brown's best works to date".

Commercial performance

It received a great success being one of the most listened and downloaded free mixtapes on DatPiff, being certified double platinum by the site's standards, reaching over 500,000 downloads and over 3,000,000 full listens.

Track listing

;Sample credits *"All I Need" contains elements of "Me and My Girlfriend" (1996) performed by

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

. and "Miss You, Goodbye" by K. Michelle (2014). *"Roses Turn Blue" contains elements of "

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" (1983) performed by

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto i ...

. *"Hell of a Night" contains elements of "

Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life "Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life" is a song written by Michael Cleveland, sung by American group Indeep, and released as a single in 1982 by Sound of New York and Becket Records. It features vocals from Réjane "Reggie" Magloire and Rose Marie R ...

" (1983) performed by

Indeep Indeep was a 1980s New York-based group that was best known for its song " Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life". Career The group was led by its songwriter-musician Michael Cleveland, and it was known for employing a strong disco-esque bass line a ...

. *”Beat It Up” contains elements of " Escapade" (1990) performed by Janet Jackson. *”Till The Morning” contains elements of "

You're Not My Kind of Girl "You’re Not My Kind of Girl" is a 1988 song by R&B/Pop group New Edition, and the second single from their fifth studio album, ''Heart Break''. Overview Written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill John ...

" (1988) performed by

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 19 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Before the Party Chris Brown albums 2015 mixtape albums Albums produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League Albums produced by Drumma Boy Albums produced by David Banner Albums produced by DJ Khaled Albums produced by Nard & B Albums produced by Danja (record producer) Albums produced by Kuk Harrell