Determined to claw back his career and relevance from the brink, Chris Brown joins forces with Lil' Wayne and Swizz Beatz for a pop-lockin', robotic male version of Beyonce's "Upgrade U." Like Beyonce's UU, which Swizz Beatz also produced, Chris brags about being able to afford luxury goods and fancy trips for his lover. Lyrically, Chris shows no growth on the track. These lyrics are just as disposable as "Kiss, Kiss" and his other hits, but he knows his fanbase of young girls and women will sit up in their rooms swooning over the thought of being lavished with attention and money by C. Breezy. Like Sarah Palin, he knows how to rile up the base.
The video though is a futuristic slice of pop art eye candy with sharp, crisp visuals and punchy, pointed dance moves. It's full of toys that would delight a little boy on Christmas morning: Ninjas, transformers and motorcycles. The video barely corresponds lyrically with the song, other than the fact that things "transform" repeatedly in the video. The biggest, boldest thing about this video is Chris Brown stepping into his image as a man. Unlike his previous videos, where Chris came off as a kid, there's an unmistakable GQ grown man swag to this video. His confidence is at the forefront and his determination is palpable. Or maybe it's just those freakin' cool sunglasses?
Watch the video for Chris Brown's "I Can Transform Ya" below.
Unfortunately, even though the video leaves a good impression, it's hard to shake the taint of that one February night when the Prince of Pop Chris Brown became the Prince of Knock Beatdown Brown. In the back of the mind, his proclamations of transforming a woman can't help but conjure up the notion that the transformation Chris is talking about isn't going to happen to her lifestyle, but rather to her face. Although Chris is trying hard to go back to business as usual, we've seen the dark cloud and we know that behind that Colgate smile and those dimpled cheeks lurks a monster. He's got a long road ahead of him, but knowing the US's love of celebrity and pop music, if Chris keeps the hits coming, the world just might gradually forget all about that ugly incident. Then the transformation will be complete.
