3 on the Hot 100, co-produced by BigHead on the Beat), YBN Nahmir’s “Rubbin Off the Paint” (No. Similar recent hits include Lil Pump’s “Gucci Gang” (No. In September, Tay-K’s “The Race” peaked just outside of the Top 40 producer S. But now the Martianz and other producers relying on a similar business model are frequently creating some of the most popular songs in the country. Occasionally the two worlds merged together, as when Kanye West included a lengthy snippet of Desiigner’s “Panda” - made from a beat purchased online for $200 - on The Life of Pablo in 2016. Producers like the Martianz used to be internet curios, far removed from commercial juggernauts like Brown. But for “Pills & Automobiles,” Brown crafted the track using an instrumental from two relatively unheralded beat-makers - Jordan Hutchins and Felix Rodriguez, known as the Martianz - who came up by selling beats online to aspiring rappers all over the world.
For decades, a star at Brown’s level would solicit ideas for a new single from a small group of established producers with a long history of hits and deep connections in the music industry. But the single’s success was noteworthy for a different reason. This in itself is not remarkable, since the R&B singer has amassed more than 40 platinum plaques over the course of his career. On August 4, 2017, Chris Brown’s single “Pills & Automobiles” was certified platinum by the RIAA.