My Prerogative

Bobby Brown recorded the track in New York City after deciding the album needed a harder, more aggressive centerpiece. He wrote it with Gene Griffin and Teddy Riley, and Riley produced the finished single. Released in 1988 as the lead single from Don't Be Cruel, the song became Brown's second solo U.S. No. 1 and a defining new jack swing crossover hit. It helped establish Brown as a major pop star beyond New Edition. The song remains Bobby Brown's signature record and a recurring reference point for late-1980s R&B and pop. It has continued to circulate through covers and reinterpretations, most famously Britney Spears' version.