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Pills & Automobiles

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"Pills & Automobiles"
Single by Chris Brown featuring Yo Gotti, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Kodak Black
from the album Heartbreak on a Full Moon
ReleasedAugust 4, 2017 (2017-08-04)
RecordedJune 2017
StudioQuad (New York City)
GenreElectropop, Trap[1]
Length4:52
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Chris Brown singles chronology
"Pie"
(2017) 		"Pills & Automobiles"
(2017) 		"Questions"
(2017)
Yo Gotti singles chronology
"Rake It Up"
(2017) 		"Pills & Automobiles"
(2017) 		"Juice"
(2017)
A Boogie Wit da Hoodie singles chronology
"Horses"
(2017) 		"Pills & Automobiles"
(2017) 		"Beast Mode"
(2017)
Kodak Black singles chronology
"First Day Out"
(2017) 		"Pills & Automobiles"
(2017) 		"Patty Cake"
(2017)
Music video
"Pills & Automobiles" on YouTube

"Pills & Automobiles" is a song written and performed by American singer Chris Brown featuring American rappers Yo Gotti, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and Kodak Black. Production was handled by OG Parker, The Martianz and Smash David.[2] The song was released through RCA Records on August 4, 2017, as the fourth single from Brown's eighth studio album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon (2017).

"Pills & Automobiles" received positive reviews from music critics, that complimented the song catchiness and its production, noting it as a detachment from Brown standard R&B type of music, adapting his skills into trap music. In the United States, "Pills & Automobiles" reached number 16 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Its music video, shot at Splash Kingdom Waterpark, in California, was released on August 25, 2017, and displays a large pool party, where Brown and his dancing crew showcase some dancing choreographies.

Background and recording

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On May 2, 2017, Chris Brown announced the initial Heartbreak on a Full Moon tracklist, and the song was not among the 40 songs announced,[3] but the album's release was later postponed. Subsequently, Brown, Yo Gotti, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Kodak Black, met following their performances at "HOT 97 Summer Jam 2017", a concert organized by American radio Hot 97 on June 12, 2017,[4] composing and recording the song that night at Quad Studios, in New York City, over a production by OG Parker, The Martianz and Smash David.

In July 2017, Brown announced the upcoming release of singles from his album,[5] then releasing "Pills & Automobiles" and "Questions" on August 4, and August 16, respectively.

Composition and lyrics

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"Pills & Automobiles" is a trap up-tempo song, that runs for 4 minutes and 52 seconds, produced by OG Parker, The Martianz and Smash David. Each artist on the track performs one verse, with Brown doing a chorus that starts with the repetition of the word "wet", and ends alternating ad-libs with a mumbled "I'm just tryna change your life". Brown's voice on the track is edited with Auto-Tune, making it sound "ghosty" in his rapped verse, according to Brad Wete of Billboard.[6] In the song, the artists talk about their relationship with reckless women.[7]

Critical reception

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Writing for Billboard, Nerisha Penrose said that Brown's "vocals are bathed in Auto-Tune as he sings about getting high and having multiple women" and "leads into the song's catchy hook".[8] According to Lindsey India of XXL, the track features Brown "in his trap music element, spitting some catchy, melodic rhymes over a candy-synthed club-friendly beat", and felt "Gotti comes in with a signature verse of his own, while A Boogie and Kodak provide some of their own crooning towards the end".[9] Complex reviewers found the song to be a detachment from "Brown's classic yearning R&B music", noting that the singer "taking a risk, he put aside his well-known singing talent, to try his hand into druggy autotuned trap music, and the result is surprisingly good, even if it doesn't represent his musical heights".[10]

Music video

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The accompanying music video was released on August 25, 2017. It was directed by Chris Brown, and filmed in Splash Kingdom Waterpark, in California, where the visual for Justin Bieber's 2012 song "Beauty and a Beat" was also filmed.[11] The video shows Brown and his dancers executing complex choreographies in a shallow pool, intercut with scenes of women twerking.[12] Yo Gotti appears on the poolside, being surrounded by women. A Boogie is in the pool, sitting on an inflatable float and holding a water gun as he raps, while Kodak Black, due to his house arrest at the time, was filmed in a different scenario, riding a dirt bike and posing in front of a luxurious orange car with half-naked women by his side.[13][14][15] "No one knew it was shot and that Chris Brown was on site that day," said Pamela Kennedy, a representative for park owners. "We understand the importance, especially for videographers and artists, to provide a suitable environment to shoot and do their craft."[16]

Track listing

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  • Digital download
  1. "Pills & Automobiles" (featuring Yo Gotti, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Kodak Black) – 4:52

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] Platinum 70,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[30] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Chris Brown - Pills&Automobiles | VIDEO PREMIERE". 26 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Pills & Automobiles / Chris Brown TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  3. ^ "Chris Brown Unveils Lengthy Track List for 'Heartbreak on a Full Moon' Double Album". Billboard. 2 May 2017.
  4. ^ "EVENT | HOT 97 Summer Jam 2017 Festival Stage Announcement". 24 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Chris Brown Teases New Summer Singles".
  6. ^ "Chris Brown Recruits Yo Gotti & Kodak Black for 'Pills & Automobiles': Listen". Billboard. 4 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Chris Brown Recruits Yo Gotti, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie and Kodak Black for New Song 'Pills and Automobiles' - XXL". 4 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Chris Brown Recruits Yo Gotti & Kodak Black for 'Pills & Automobiles': Listen". Billboard. 4 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Chris Brown Recruits Yo Gotti, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie and Kodak Black for New Song 'Pills and Automobiles' - XXL". 4 August 2017.
  10. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Does Chris Brown Need Help? | Everyday Struggle. YouTube.
  11. ^ "Chris Brown Throws a Twerking Party at a Water Park for 'Pills & Automobiles' Video — Watch". 25 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Chris Brown - Pills & Automobiles Ft. Yo Gotti, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie & Kodak Black". 25 August 2017.
  13. ^ "Chris Brown Throws a Pool Party with Yo Gotti, A Boogie & Kodak Black in 'Pills & Automobiles' Video". Billboard. 25 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Video: Chris Brown feat. Yo Gotti, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, & Kodak Black – 'Pills & Automobiles'".
  15. ^ "Chris Brown Drops 'Pills and Automobiles' Video with Yo Gotti, Kodak Black and a Boogie Wit da Hoodie, - XXL". 25 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Chris Brown's new music video has a Redlands backdrop". 25 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  18. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Yo Gotti, A Boogie wit da Hoodie & Kodak Black – Pills & Automobiles" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  19. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  20. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  21. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  22. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  23. ^ "Hot R&B Songs". Billboard. 13 December 2013.
  24. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. 2 January 2013.
  25. ^ "Hot R&B Songs - Year-End 2018". Billboard. 13 December 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  26. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Year-End 2018". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  27. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Year-End 2018". Billboard. 13 December 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  28. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  29. ^ "British single certifications – Chris Brown/Yo Gotti/Kodak – Pills & Automobiles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  30. ^ "American single certifications – Chris Brown – Pills & Automobiles". Recording Industry Association of America.
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