Chris Brown persists in facing incessant criticism from those who advocate for her “cancellation,” yet she adamantly refuses to yield to the pressures. The accomplished artist hailing from Virginia encountered a fresh wave of backlash this week when she collaborated with Ciara on the newly released single “How We Roll,” which made its debut on Friday, August 4th.
Though both are regard as prominent figures in the R&B scene, their musical alliance marks only the third time they’ve joined forces, the previous instances being in 2009 with “Turntables” and Ludacris’ “How Low (Remix)” in the following year.
When CiCi announced the song’s release on her Instagram a few days prior, some of her fans expressed their disapproval in the comments section, citing their objections to her collaboration with an individual who has faced allegations of violence against multiple women, notably his former partner Rihanna.
“Who still works with Chris Brown these days? So disappointed and disgusted,” lamented one fan, while another voiced, “Damn, this is so disheartening. I held Ciara in such high regard.”
A different person called out Ciara, writing, “He has a long history of mistreating women, but I suppose that doesn’t matter to you.”
It seems that Chris Brown was aware of the criticism, and while promoting their new single with Ciara on social media after its midnight release, she took a moment to respond to the animosity.
“WEIRDOS: didn’t we cancel Chris Brown?” she retorted on her Instagram Stories.
The song “How We Roll” is produce by Precision Productions, Deli Banger, and Mr. Kamera, and it stands as the lead single from Ciara’s upcoming project, CiCi, scheduled to be release on August 18.
This alluring and laidback track is accompanied by a cinematic music video that portrays CiCi and Breezy as amicable rivals when it comes to hosting parties and showcasing their dance moves on the dance floor.
After flaunting their moves in the back of separate trucks cruising side by side on the freeway, a literal bridge is formed between the two shipping containers, setting the stage for an intimate dance-off between these R&B stars.
“How We Roll” also extends Ciara’s recent streak of musical hits, following previous singles like “JUMP” featuring Coast Contra, “Better Thangs” featuring Summer Walker, “Da Girls,” as well as the globally inspired “Slow” with Hong Kong star Jackson Wang and “Get Loose” featuring Indonesian singer Agnez Mo.
Both “Better Thangs” and “Da Girls” received remixes that included collaborations with some of the brightest female talents in the rap game, with GloRilla joining forces on the former, and Lola Brooke and Lady London teaming up with CiCi on the latter.
