Chris Brown released his 12th studio album, Brown, on May 8 — and the critical reception has not been kind. The conversation blew up this week when Pitchfork published what can only be described as a scorched-earth review, awarding the project a 1.3 out of 10 and calling it a genuine piece of work nobody should feel obligated to sit through. The review described the album as a “soulless, hit-chasing” effort “bereft of any ideas that don’t have to do with its star’s own victimhood,” adding that years of media tiptoeing around Brown’s popularity had allowed him to “contextualize his own redemption with statistics and sob stories.” The review went viral fast — racking up over 93,000 likes and 10.4 million views on X alone.
Brown had initially taken the high road, at least briefly. On May 10, he wrote on his Instagram Stories: “I can take my audience’s criticism and opinions. The last 3 albums came under the same scrutiny and it eventually grew on people. Thank you for even taking the time out to listen.” That measured response lasted about 48 hours.
By Tuesday night, May 12, any pretense of calm was gone. In an Instagram Story video, Brown addressed his fanbase directly: “I know people want me to get on here and say some sad s–t, but f–k that. We’re kicking ass. We ain’t letting up. I’m going to keep my foot on their neck and we ain’t stopping.” He went on to tell critics he had no interest in their opinions, before landing on the moment that sent the internet into overdrive: “If you’re not my fan, I don’t want you to listen to my sh-t. Go listen to motherf–king Zara Larsson or somebody.” He later responded to Pitchfork’s review post directly — reacting with laughing emojis, signalling he had little interest in engaging seriously with the publication’s assessment.
The Zara Larsson name-drop was anything but random. Back in February 2026, Larsson appeared on Cosmopolitan’s “Cheap Shots” segment while promoting her album Midnight Sun and was asked to name an artist you’d never find on her playlist. Her response was direct: “There are so many artists I have blocked on Spotify, and all of them are, like, abusers. You certainly wouldn’t find a Chris Brown song.”
The clapback strategy immediately backfired. Fans flooded social media comparing Brown and Larsson’s respective streaming numbers — with Zara currently holding more monthly Spotify listeners than Brown — and scrutinising their respective critical profiles side by side. Others pointed to previous Pitchfork ratings that had drawn controversy, including comparisons between scores given to Ice Spice’s Y2K! and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, using those to argue the outlet’s credibility is questionable across the board. It was the rare online pile-on that somehow generated two simultaneous conversations: one defending Brown’s fanbase, and one asking why anyone is still surprised by any of this.
The album’s release also comes just weeks after Brown welcomed his fourth child — his first with partner Jada Wallace. Despite the critical noise, Brown is still projected for a No. 5 debut on the Billboard 200, which suggests his core audience showed up regardless. Whether any of the wider public comes along for the ride is, at this point, a different question entirely. Zara Larsson has not publicly responded to the mention — and at this rate, she probably doesn’t need to.
