Shout out to You Know I Got Soul, favouritethingsbyazzizzand Aaliyah Alwaysfor all their reliable information that I'm about to lay out for everyone out there. As you know, I am always one for sourcing where I find my information, and never take credit for something by copping it out as my own as some people do. So I would like to make it clear that anyone who does find any information on my page, be sure to give credit to myself and others where the credit is due respectfully, that is all. Right, now that I've made that clear lets get down to business with this whole buzz that is currently happening at the moment.
So it appears that a snippet of an unreleased track from R&B group Playa titled 'Charge It To The Game' which also features vocals from our beloved Babygirl, has been used by producer Jaylien Wesley featuring the likes of Chris Brown. You Know I got Soul had confirmed that this unreleased track was around for awhile, which you can clearly see from what Aaliyah Always had said to another fan inquiring about this track. So it looks like we are going to see another song from Chris Brown which apparently might be titled 'No Love' judging from the video snippet below which you can view for yourselves. A quote from the video uploaded on Instagram, which Jaylien posted goes on to say this...
Jaylien: "Since Drake released a snippet of his Aaliyah contribution a couple weeks back..here’s a sneak of one I produced, coming 2014. Aaliyah x CB x Jaylien. deleting soon."
And there you have it! Now although normally I would be happy about something like this, I don't feel it's right for someone to claim money on someone who is already deceased, especially with vocals that even us as fans have not even had the chance to hear. Not to mention having used the vocals from a Playa track. Now don't get me wrong, I think it's great hearing fresh, new vocals from Aaliyah, but one thing in mind is something we should all remember as true, loyal fans. If her family have no involvement or support around this project, than I strongly believe it should not be out. Case closed. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Feel free to comment below and share your opinions on this matter
Now before I begin this post, I believe that people should always understand and be aware of where the original samples come from. Now as dedicated Aaliyah fans, we all know that the song Don't Think They Know was a rare, unreleased track which was originally a duet with Playa's – Digital Black. Recorded in 2001, it was later released on his album Memoirs Of A R&B Thug in 2005. Afterwards, a whole frenzy took place in 2013 and we encounter Chris Brown's – Don't Think They Know (first introduced as They Don't Know, but was later changed for digital retailers)who adds his own little flavor to this track on his album X.
Now when I first came across the little snippet of Chris Brown's version, I gotta say that I was both excited and skeptical. Excited because nothing brings me more joy then knowing what Aaliyah is featured on, but skeptical as I know a lot of rappers such as Drake for example, who seem to be a little too 'obsessed' with someone who is not even around. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Drizzy (more so his singing compared to his rapping) but sometimes people go a little too far, and we have to remember that respect should be of the utmost high importance.
With that being said, I am really impressed by Chris Brown's version of the track, production wise Babygirl's vocals fit very well. Still got love for the original though. The only criticism I would have is the video, as it doesn't really fit with the song content. I can understand someone waning to do something for a good cause, but keep the content coherent. On a positive, I like the use of red, black and white in the video since these were colours which Aaliyah was very fond of (You can clearly see I have thought out the layout of my blog accordingly!) Another important factor which not many people would of realised is that Chris Brown has a interpolation from Jon B's – They Don't Know. You can find the video down below to see how the lyrics have been sampled.
I also came across a full written interview from Digital Black himself talking about Chris Brown's version (read below for interview) which you can also find here at http://youknowigotsoul.com/. Enjoy guys! :o)
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Chris Brown’s new single “Don’t Think They Know’ featuring the late Aaliyah. Of course fans of Aaliyah would already know that the song is actually a remake of the record she originally recorded with Digital Black from the R&B group Playa. YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to speak with Digital Black about the history behind the track “Don’t Think They Know”.
The origins of “Don’t Think They Know":"It was a trip, J-Dub gave me the track in Australia when Aaliyah was working on “Queen of the Damned”. It was one of those records that I specifically wanted to do for the fans because Aaliyah really cared about her fans. It was a song to give back to them. Just knowing her and being around her, I just tried to write a record to let the fans know that we would do this thing for free because it’s an honor for people to appreciate our music. We recorded the record when we got back to LA and that was after they had mixed and mastered the album, so it was supposed to be on Playa’s album".
Finding out Chris Brown would be remaking the song:"I was blessed, I felt it was an honor because of how many songs Static and I had recorded that haven’t been released. For him to choose a record that was probably already heard, it was an honor. In this business, you do it with a chance of making money which is good, but for me it was also confirmation that the Playa sound is still alive. I always felt we were underrated as a group, so it’s just confirmation that years later, a record that wasn’t even heard, would come out. It just shows you that you’ll never know how long it takes for that seed to become a tree, but once it becomes a tree, it bears a fruit. It’s a blessing".
Chris Brown’s version:"I love it.I’m a fan of Chris Brown. He’s one of the true singers in the younger genre of R&B/Pop. I’m just being honest, it’s a dope record. I love what they did".
Thoughts on new artists using unreleased Aaliyah material:"It’s a touchy subject. I’m indifferent with it because I feel both sides. I understand the people who say the stuff shouldn’t be touched and I feel the people who feel like it should come out. Aaliyah poured her heart out to everything she did and sometimes you feel like it’s a shame that some of the stuff won’t be heard".
Playa’s influence on the new generation:"Drake sampled us last year and Chris Brown is using our record now. I know I can speak for Static Major and Smoke E. Digglera on this, when you do music you want people to enjoy it. Sometimes it takes a minute for people to catch on. I know we have a huge underground following and I know I’ve heard people say that Playa was the most underrated group. I guess our legacy is still being written. I’m just enjoying my view right now. I mean come on man, Chris Brown and Drake listen to our music. I wish Static was here to see it. It feels pretty good though, I can’t complain".
Future plans:"I’m working with my son on his project right now. I’ve been working with a few producers and just getting my feet wet again. I still do music when I feel like it because I’m a father as well. The next thing is definitely my son Richy B, he’s only 18. All my kids sing and I wasn’t singing as a good as my daughter when I was 14. You definitely heard the last of me because with music, you’re always a hit away".
