Pitchfork slams Chris Brown album

Pitchfork published a scathing review of Chris Brown's new album *Brown* on May 13, 2026, calling it "a real piece of shit" in the opening line on its website and across social channels. The review, penned by staff writer Grayson Haver Currin, dissects the 22-track project as a "bloated, joyless slog" that fails to evolve Brown's sound despite guest spots from artists like Gunna and Bryson Tiller. The review's X post from @pitchfork quickly went viral, racking up 100,000 likes, 15,000 reposts, and 11 million views within 24 hours. It sparked 1,500 direct replies on X, with users split between those praising the blunt critique—"Finally someone said it," wrote one user with 8K likes—and Brown defenders accusing Pitchfork of bias, like a reply from @CBfanzforever: "Y'all hate Black men succeeding, this is trash journalism" (1.2K likes). *Brown*, released June 7 via Chris Brown Entertainment/RCA Records, marks Brown's 12th studio album and his first self-titled project since his 2007 debut. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 62,000 equivalent album units in its first week, per Luminate data, boosted by singles "Residuals" and "Free as the Summer." Brown promoted it heavily on Instagram, posting studio clips and fan reactions that garnered 5 million views pre-release. Pitchfork's takedown isn't isolated—its 1.8/10 score (rounded from 1.75) echoes the site's history of polarizing hip-hop/R&B reviews, like the infamous 0.0 for Lil Uzi Vert's *Eternal Atake* in 2020. Currin writes that *Brown* recycles "stale trap beats and Auto-Tuned crooning," ignoring the artist's offstage controversies: Brown pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery in 2021 over a 2020 Vegas hotel incident and faced assault allegations as recently as 2024. Fan backlash trended under #PitchforkHatesChris, with 45,000 posts on X by midday May 14, including clips of Brown's Atlanta concert last week where he debuted tracks live to cheering crowds of 20,000. Supporters point to streaming numbers: *Brown* has 150 million Spotify streams already, outpacing his prior release *11:11* at this stage. Brown addressed critics indirectly on his IG Story yesterday: "Haters gon' hate, album No. 1 indie, we winning regardless 🔥," referring to its independent production cred. No direct Pitchfork response yet, but editor-in-chief Puja Patel liked several supportive replies on the thread. The review has amplified *Brown*'s visibility—U.S. streams jumped 28% post-publication, per Spotify for Artists data. Brown's team booked festival slots at Rolling Loud Miami (July 26-28) and Wireless Festival London (July 12), where he'll perform album cuts. Pitchfork's next big review drops Friday on Tyler, the Creator's rumored project.