In a sneaky, mostly under-the-radar way, Chris Brown has put himself in the conversation as one of the most successful hip-hop or R&B artists of the year. Combining some popular singles like "Privacy" and "Party," along with the release of his mammoth double album Heartbreak on a Full Moon, Breezy has enjoyed a continued sales boon over the course of 2017. With the year almost at a close, it was time for Brown to celebrate his accomplishments with his fans on social media.
Posting to his Instagram page, the singer/rapper quickly gave his followers a run-down of all the success he's achieved over the past 12 months and, upon inspection, it's an impressive list. "40 PLAQUES THIS YEAR!" he exclaimed, going on to list the number of Gold and Platinum certifications that he's been honored with by the RIAA. While that is certainly an outstanding achievement, the last line of his caption might have been the most eye-catching of all.
"74.5 million single and album sales just in the US," he added, painting an astounding picture of his 2017 success. When you think about it, there was no real lead single, no one track that galvanized the public so totally that giving his music spins online and over the terrestrial airwaves felt like a necessity. Instead, Breezy pushed a "quantity-first" attitude, releasing a large amount of new material that some have said was more to game the system, in terms of how streaming numbers are calculated across all platforms, than anything else. While that may have a little bit of truth to it, the fact remains that, with nearly 100 million in album and single sales this year, Brown's success was no fluke.
What's your favorite track that Chris Brown dropped this year? Let us know in the comments.
