"Don't Think They Know" is a song by American singer

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

featuring a posthumous appearance from fellow American singer

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

. It was released on June 17, 2013, as the second official single from Brown's sixth studio album '' X''. The song,

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

by Mel & Mus, contains an interpolation from the Tim & Bob produced single " They Don't Know" by Jon B. The song peaked at number 81 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Background

"Don't Think They Know" was originally a duet between

and

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member Digital Black, recorded in 2001 and produced by J-Dub. The song was later released in 2005 on Black's ''Memoirs of a R&B Thug'' album. The 2013 version, first introduced as "They Don't Know", with Chris Brown as the lead singer, features not only previously heard Aaliyah's part, but also vocals that were not used in Black's version. "Don't Think They Know" was released to digital retailers on June 17, 2013 and was sent to

Rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

radio in the United States on July 1, 2013.

Music video

The music video for the song was shot in Los Angeles, California and was released in correspondence to the single on June 17, 2013. Aaliyah appears as a hologram which are actually scenes from Aaliyah's 2000 video " Try Again" and 1996's "

If Your Girl Only Knew "If Your Girl Only Knew" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah for her second studio album, '' One in a Million'' (1996). The song was written by both Missy Elliott and Timbaland, with the latter producing the song. Musically, "If Your Gi ...

Theme

The themes of the video are unity and peace, raising awareness of the widespread poverty and gun violence in African American neighbourhoods. Brown, when talking to

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

about the video said: "When I did the video I wanted to do kind of like the ''

Boyz n the Hood ''Boyz n the Hood'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age hood drama film written and directed by John Singleton in his feature directorial debut. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long, Regina King, and An ...

'' theme, also bringing an aspect of the side of the world that people never really talk about anymore. Gun violence or stuff that we deal with in our neighborhood or community that we could just stop".

Synopsis

The video is shot in a grey filter however some objects in the video such as Brown's hair is shot in red and blue which is supposed to represent the Bloods and Crips. The video begins with a quote by Brown: Its visuals start with the R&B singer sitting in a car alongside 3 other men driving in a neighborhood looking for trouble. Brown then asks them to stop the car as he gets out as he walks off out into another block. The music begins as Brown is singing in front of Aaliyah who is shown as a hologram from stock footage. In the plot scenes, Brown is seen leading a group of people while this group is seen walking around the neighborhood leading a peace walk during the entire video. Brown puts up a message saying

rest in peace Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...

to late Compton rapper Michael "Lil Frogg" Reshard, Jr. who was shot and killed on March 27, 2013 in the end of the video. As the video fades to black a message appears saying:

Track listing

; Digital single

Charts

Certifications

Radio and release history

References

{{authority control 2013 singles 2013 songs Chris Brown songs Aaliyah songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Bob Robinson (songwriter) Songs written by Tim Kelley Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Verse Simmonds