Jump to content

No Guidance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"No Guidance"
Single by Chris Brown featuring Drake
from the album Indigo
ReleasedJune 8, 2019 (2019-06-08)
Recorded2018–2019
Genre
Length4:20
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)
Chris Brown singles chronology
"G Walk"
(2019)
"No Guidance"
(2019)
"Restroom Occupied"
(2019)
Drake singles chronology
"Girls Need Love (Remix)"
(2019)
"No Guidance"
(2019)
"Omertà"
(2019)
Music video
"No Guidance" on YouTube

"No Guidance" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring vocals from Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on June 8, 2019, as the fourth single from Brown's ninth studio album, Indigo (2019).[2] The song was written by Brown, Drake, Velous and Nija Charles, and produced by Vinylz, J-Louis, Teddy Walton, and Canadian producer 40.[3]

"No Guidance" garnered positive reviews from music critics, who complimented the song's catchiness and Brown's vocal performance. The song received great success, becoming Brown's highest-charting single as a lead artist on the Billboard Hot 100 since "Forever". The song dominated on both pop and hip-hop radio, breaking the record for most weeks at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, being subsequently surpassed by "Go Crazy", also by Brown.[4] The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and also reached the top ten in Australia and New Zealand, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic and UK. Among the certifications it gained, it was most notably certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming Brown's first song to do so.[5] Other certifications include quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (MC), and double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The song won three Soul Train Music Awards and received a nomination for Best R&B Song at the 62nd Grammy Awards.[6]

Background

[edit]

Brown and Drake have had a history of feuds dating back to 2012 over singer Rihanna, which escalated in June of that year after friends of the musicians started throwing bottles at each other in a New York City nightclub.[2] In 2013 Brown even dissed Drake on Young Jeezy's song "R.I.P. (Remix) " by rapping "Dearly departed, I bought a plane I departed/ And if you started from the bottom, go on and come out the closet," rhyming that on the song's final verse, making a clear reference to Drake and his "Started from the Bottom" single.[7] The following years the artists sporadically made offensive comments aimed at each other, expressing their hatred.[8][9] However, on October 12, 2018, Drake brought out the singer on his Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour date in Los Angeles and publicly ended their feud.[10] The performance sparked rumors about a possible collaboration and Drake later teased a possible collaboration with Brown on Instagram in early 2019.[11]

Following Brown's announcement of having collaborated with Drake on his Indigo album, snippets of the song, taken from Brown's 30th birthday party, were leaked online on May 5, 2019.[12] On June 5, 2019, Brown teased the song on his social media and two days later announced that the song would be released that night.[13][14] Even before its release, various news outlets called the song a contender for 2019's "Song of the Summer".[15][16]

Drake, when discussing his reconciliation with Brown during a Tidal interview, talked about the making of the song, saying: “We’ve come together before and tried to link and make music and we were always kind of forcing it”, and after finally ending their beef in 2018 they found it more natural to work together. Drake stated: "I just always had a lot of admiration for his talent and I think finally he gave me the mutual respect and admiration by allowing me to take the lead on the song".[17]

Composition

[edit]

"No Guidance" is a mid-tempo R&B song.[1] It was written by Brown, Drake, Velous and Nija Charles, while the production was handled by Vinylz, J-Louis, 40 and Teddy Walton. Its production contains an uncredited vocal sample of "Before I Die", written and performed by Che Ecru.[18] In the song the two artists express to a woman their intention of establishing a life-changing love relationship with her, but also manifesting paranoia caused by respective mistakes that led to the end of their previous failed relationships.[1]

Critical reception

[edit]

"No Guidance" was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. HipHopDX complimented "No Guidance", saying that it "serves as a timeless bluesy groove", and named it "the R&B song of the year".[19][20] Vulture's reviewer Craig Jenkins said that: "their first proper one-on-one collaboration, sparks but never exactly glows", finding it to be "too familiar", but ending up saying that "I’ll be stuck on it for the next few days either way".[1] Desire Thompson of Vibe stated that the song proves that Brown and Drake "make a good R&B team".[21] HotNewHipHop commented that "the smooth production, catchy melody, and laid-back vibe made "No Guidance" an instant classic".[22]

Music video

[edit]

The "No Guidance" music video was directed by Chris Robinson, and released on July 26, 2019. The video has a total run-time of 9 minutes and 6 seconds. Drake's reaction to Brown's dance during the dance battle, in which he quips "Ooo wow", has since garnered meme popularity.[23] Singers Tory Lanez and Sevyn Streeter made cameo appearances in the video.

Synopsis

[edit]

The video starts with some dialogue cuts that set up a party where the two artists accidentally meet. It later depicts the confrontation between Brown and Drake surrounded by their crews and multiple ladies in a Miami carpark, which ends up being a dance battle.[24] During the battle Brown executes a complex choreography of the song's last verse, while Drake responds with goofy dance moves, interpreted in a comical way. Following the confrontation, the two artists resolve their beef.[25] The music video on YouTube has received over 475 million views as of April 2024.[26]

Commercial performance

[edit]

In the United Kingdom, "No Guidance" debuted at number eight on the UK Singles Chart on the chart dated June 14, 2019, and moved up to number 6 in its second week charting. It serves as Brown's 16th top-ten song and Drake's 17th top ten on the chart.[27] In the United States, the song debuted at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it Chris Brown's 15th top-ten song and Drake's 34th top ten on the chart.[28] It later peaked at number five, making it Brown's first top five as a lead artist since "Forever" (2008).[29] In Canada the song debuted at number 7.[30]

In 2024, "No Guidance" was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 11,000,000 units, becoming Brown's first song to do so.[31]

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[32][33]

  • Chris Brown – lead vocals
  • Drake – featured vocals
  • Vinylz – production
  • J-Louis – production
  • Noah "40" Shebib– production
  • Teddy Walton – production
  • Patrizio Pigliapoco – recording
  • Noel Cadastre – recording
  • Noah "40" Shebib – mixing engineer
  • Chris Athens – mastering engineer
  • Eazy $ign – vocal engineer

Awards and nominations

[edit]

The single won Best Collaboration Performance, Best Dance Performance and Song of the Year at the 2019 Soul Train Music Awards and received a nomination for Best R&B Song at the 62nd Grammy Awards.[34]

Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2019 Soul Train Music Awards Song of the Year Won
Best Collaboration Won
Best Dance Performance Won
Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award Nominated
Best Video of the Year Nominated
62nd Annual Grammy Awards Best R&B Song Nominated [35]

Other versions

[edit]

Tinashe released a remix of "No Guidance" on June 11, 2019.[36] Fetty Wap released a freestyle of "No Guidance" on August 3, 2019.[37]

A remix by artist Ayzha Nyree released in 2020 went viral on TikTok.

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[81] 4× Platinum 280,000
Canada (Music Canada)[82] 3× Platinum 240,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[83] Platinum 90,000
France (SNEP)[84] Gold 100,000
Germany (BVMI)[85] Gold 200,000
Italy (FIMI)[86] Gold 35,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[87] Gold 30,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[88] 4× Platinum 120,000
Poland (ZPAV)[89] Gold 25,000
Portugal (AFP)[90] Platinum 10,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[91] Gold 30,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[92] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[93] 2× Platinum 1,200,000
United States (RIAA)[94] 11× Platinum 11,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Jenkins, Craig (June 10, 2019). "Was This Really the Best Drake and Chris Brown Could Do?". Vulture. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Aniftos, Rania (June 5, 2019). "Chris Brown & Drake to Collab on New Song 'No Guidance'". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  3. ^ "New Music: Chris Brown feat. Drake – 'No Guidance'". Rap-Up. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  4. ^ "Five Burning Questions: Chris Brown and Young Thug's 'Go Crazy' Jumps to No. 3 on the Hot 100". Billboard. 2 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Chris Brown's "No Guidance" Hits RIAA Diamond, Plus "Under the Influence" Goes 5x Platinum". 12 November 2024.
  6. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List". 20 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Is Chris Brown Telling Drake to 'Come Out the Closet' on 'R.I.P.' Remix?". MTV. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014.
  8. ^ "Drake Takes Shots at Chris Brown, New Songs on the Way". Billboard. 13 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Chris Brown and Tyga Diss Drake in Hot 97 Interview". 23 February 2015.
  10. ^ P., Milca (13 October 2018). "Drake Brings Out Chris Brown During LA Tour Stop; Squashes Beef". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  11. ^ "Drake Teases Collaboration with Chris Brown". The Source. January 4, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  12. ^ Mendez, Marisa (May 6, 2019). "Chris Brown and Drake Snippet Surfaces: Listen". XXL. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  13. ^ Findlay, Mitch (June 5, 2019). "Drake & Chris Brown Tease Impending Summer Smash". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  14. ^ A., Aron (8 June 2019). "Chris Brown & Drake Reveal Cover Art For Collaboration "No Guidance"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  15. ^ "Chris Brown Teases Song of the Summer featuring Drake". The Source. June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  16. ^ Moorwood, Victoria (June 5, 2019). "Chris Brown & Drake Promise A Hot Summer 2019 On Instagram". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  17. ^ "Drake Explains How He Came Together with Chris Brown for "No Guidance"".
  18. ^ Mench, Chris; Rinder, Grant (June 8, 2019). "Chris Brown & Drake Collaborate for the First Time Since 2014 on "No Guidance"". Genius. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  19. ^ Clark, Trent (5 July 2019). "Indigo – Chris Brown". HipHopDX.
  20. ^ "HipHopDX's 2019 Hip Hop Awards - the Best of Rap, Hip Hop and R&B". 19 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Chris Brown and Drake's "No Guidance" Collab Proves They Make a Good R&B Team". 8 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Chris Brown Essential Songs". HNHH. 26 June 2024.
  23. ^ Locker, Melissa (2019-08-01). "The New 'Ooo Wow' Drake Meme Is Perfect for When You're Just Not Impressed". Time. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  24. ^ "Drake & Chris Brown Dance Battle for Their "No Guidance" Music Video". 26 July 2019.
  25. ^ "Chris Brown – No Guidance (Official Video) ft. Drake". ChrisBrownVEVO. 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  26. ^ Chris Brown - No Guidance (Official Video) ft. Drake.YouTube
  27. ^ "Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber's I Don't Care narrowly beats Lil Nas X's Old Town Road to claim a fifth week at Number 1". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  28. ^ Trust, Gary (June 17, 2019). "Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Tops Billboard Hot 100 for 11th Week, Chris Brown & Drake's 'No Guidance' Debuts at No. 9". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  29. ^ Trust, Gary (September 30, 2019). "Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' Leads Hot 100 For 5th Week, Chris Brown's 'No Guidance' Is His First solo Top 5 Hit Since 2008". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  30. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  31. ^ "Chris Brown's "No Guidance" Goes Diamond, Earns Platinum Stats for "Under the Influence" and More". 12 November 2024.
  32. ^ Indigo (CD liner notes). Chris Brown. RCA Records. 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. ^ "No Guidance / Chris Brown". Tidal. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  34. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List". 20 November 2019.
  35. ^ "62nd Annual Grammy Nominees List". Grammy Awards. 20 November 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  36. ^ "Tinashe Remixes Chris Brown and Drake's 'No Guidance'". Rap-Up. June 11, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  37. ^ Fetty Wap, (Musician), composer, performer. Fetty Wap. OCLC 1054371388.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  39. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  40. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  41. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 25. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  42. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 24, 2019". Hitlisten. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  43. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles (téléchargement + streaming) – SNEP (Week 25, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 25, 2019. [permanent dead link]
  44. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  45. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  46. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 24/2019". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  47. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  48. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20 - Chris Brown". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  49. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. August 16, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  50. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 29, 2019". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  51. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  52. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  53. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 25, 2019". VG-lista. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  54. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  55. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  56. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 25. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  57. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  58. ^ "Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  59. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  60. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  61. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  62. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  63. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  64. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  65. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  66. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  67. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  68. ^ "Top 100 Songs, June 26, 2020 – July 2, 2020". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  69. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  70. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2019". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  71. ^ "Annual Top 50 Singles 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  72. ^ "Top AFP – Audiogest – Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  73. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  74. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  75. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  76. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. 9 December 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  77. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  78. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  79. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  80. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. 9 December 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  81. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  82. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance". Music Canada. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  83. ^ "Danish single certifications – Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  84. ^ "French single certifications – Chris Brown – No Guidance" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  85. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Chris Brown feat. Drake; 'No Guidance')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  86. ^ "Italian single certifications – Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 22, 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "No Guidance" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  87. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved October 27, 2020. Type Chris Brown in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and No Guidance in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  88. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Chris Brown feat. Drake – Heat". Radioscope. Retrieved December 25, 2024. Type Heat in the "Search:" field.
  89. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 22, 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter No Guidance in the search box.
  90. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Chris Brown feat. Drake – No Guidance" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  91. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Chris Brown / Drake – No Guidance". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  92. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('No Guidance')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  93. ^ "British single certifications – Chris Brown Ft Drake – No Guidance". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  94. ^ "American single certifications – Chris Brown – No Guidance". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 12, 2024.