Genre R&B | Length 2:49 | |
Released November 18, 2011 (2011-11-18) Writer(s) Sevyn Streeter, Chris Brown, Christopher Whitacre, Joseph Lonny Bereal, Justin Henderson, Kevin McCall | ||
"Strip" is a song by American recording artist Chris Brown, featuring American rapper Kevin "K-MAC" McCall, released as a single from his mixtape Boy In Detention and as a buzz single from Brown's fifth studio album Fortune on November 18, 2011. It was written by Amber Streeter, Brown, Christopher Whitacre, J. Lonny Bereal, Justin Henderson and McCall, while production was handled by Tha Bizness. "Strip" peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Contents
Background and composition
"Strip" was written by Amber Streeter, Chris Brown, Christopher Whitacre, J. Lonny Bereal, Justin Henderson and Kevin McCall, while production was handled by Tha Bizness. The song first appeared on Brown's mixtape Boy in Detention in 2011. On October 27, 2011, Brown announced via his official Twitter account that "Strip" and "Biggest Fan" would serve as the two lead singles from his fifth studio album Fortune (2012). However, following the online premiere of "Turn Up the Music" on January 26, 2012, several websites, including MTV News and Billboard magazine, reported that this would be the lead single from the album, while "Strip" served as a buzz single. A remix of the song made by Brown and McCall, was posted online on April 5, 2012.
Musically, "Strip" is a "bouncy synth-heavy" R&B song, with lyrics of Brown crooning to a stripper. As stated by Lewis Corner of Digital Spy, it features "booty-bouncing mix of pulsing beats and '90s-styled melodies."
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Strip" was directed by Colin Tilley and filmed in November 2011. An image from the shoot was posted online on November 27, 2011, which showed Brown surrounded by Christmas lights. The video premiered online on December 15, 2011. The video opens with a shot of Brown standing on a mountain wearing a winter jacket, cap and shorts. It then switches to a house party where Brown is seen with his shirt off, singing in a room full of people dancing. During the second chorus, Brown and McCall are seen sitting on the edge of a hot tub, while girls in bikinis are in the tub. As McCall raps his verse, he plays an accelerated game of "Seven Minutes in Heaven" with two girls in a closet. Once his time is up, he switches with another man. Throughout the video, scenes of Brown singing the song in a room full of Christmas lights are intercut.
Georgette Cline of The Boombox wrote that the video is "steaming hot". A writer for International Business Times wrote that, "The video is perfectly apt for the lyrics of the song." Chris Eggertsen of HitFix gave the video a mixed response, calling it an "embarrassingly-generic music video".
Chart performance
In the United States, "Strip" debuted at number 90 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart on the issue dated November 12, 2011, despite not being released for digital download until November 18, 2011. It peaked at number three on the issue dated March 10, 2012. On the Billboard Hot 100, "Strip" debuted at number 85 on the issue dated December 10, 2011, and peaked at number 37 on the issue dated March 31, 2012.
- "Strip" (featuring Kevin "K-MAC" McCall) – 2:49
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes for Fortune