Flashback Friday: Chris Brown and Omarion

Times were a changin’ in 2005. Let’s look back at two gentlemen who were pegged to be the future of R&B in the 21st century and the debut albums that helped back up that claim. No matter what you think of ’em in 2018, their debuts lived up to the hype.

Chris Brown (2005)

No matter your thoughts on my Cousin Chris Brown – lord knows I haven’t been shy about sharing mine over the years – can we all agree that this is his best work? Brimming with promise, Chris certainly achieved the  commercial stardom promised by his strong debut here, even though he faced many (many) creative shortfalls down the road. Regardless, this LP proved that a star was born.

Also check out:

“Run It,” featuring Juelz Santana

“Poppin”

Omarion, O (2005)

Lord knows if you were paying attention to the world of R&B in the early 2000s, you know ALL ABOUT B2KMania. I swear they were on 106 & Park every other day. But once the group dissolved, it was a safe bet that lead singer Omarion would go solo. His debut album was pretty good too – producing a handful of hits that distanced him from his B2K days but still appealed to his core audience.

Also check out:

“O”
“I’m Tryna”

Now, it’s your turn. Email soulinstereoblog@gmail.com  hit me up on Twitter @etbowser, or stop by the comments section and share your Flashback Friday album. Leave a couple of sentences describing what makes it so great. I’ll feature your album on the blog.