Chris Brown – As Your Friend (Produced by Afrojack)

The term “sellout” is thrown around everywhere in the music industry, and this is especially true in the EDM world. Devoted EDM fans accuse big name stars, like David Guetta, Avicii, and Afrojack, of “selling out”. But what constitutes “selling out”? If an artist maintains their signature style but has a pop singer or rapper featured on the vocals, does that mean they have ”sold out”? Wouldn’t that be the same as having EDM vocalists, like Nadia Ali or Amba Shepard, sing for their track? Fans generally describe “selling out” as an artist changing their style to appeal to the mainstream industry. Is that really “selling out”? It depends on how you look at it. Yes, they are changing to get more money, but at the same time, they are tweaking their style to appeal to a greater number of people. At the core of most producers and DJs is the desire to create something that makes the most amount of good for the most amount of people. Appealing to more people by changing your music does increase the amount of money you make but it also allows more people to enjoy what you do.

Afrojack is a powerhouse producer in the EDM world. The Dutchman has also been a major point of controversy  He has a unique style that blends Progressive House with Dirty Dutch. He currently sits at #9 on DJ Mag’s TOP100 poll. Much of his success can be attributed to his collaborations with David Guetta and the pop music world. His massive hit single “Take Over Control” which featured Eva Simmons stormed the US Billboard 100. The song catapulted Afrojack to the forefront of the EDM world. Afrojack is at it again with the new production “As Your Friend” that he created for Chris Brown. Right off the bat you can definitely tell this is an Afrojack song. He uses his signature dirty dutch leads to make a Pop anthem. However, the release of this track has created some flak for the Dutch house master once again. People are calling him a “sellout” for working with Chris Brown and the pop industry. He keeps his signature style; this song through and through sounds like an Afrojack hit. You decide. Is he a “sellout”? Or is he just bridging the gap between the already blurred lines of EDM and the Pop industry? The song will appear on Afrojack’s 2013 album.

Chris Brown – As Your Friend (Produced By Afrojack)