‘Stranger Things’: the Chris Brown and Joyner Lucas anthem inspired by the Netflix series
Maximalist, dynamic, and wonderfully atmospheric, there are few songs inspired by television shows as fun as Chris Brown and Joyner Lucas’s ‘Stranger Things’ track. The single, which was released in 2018, further consolidates Joyner Lucas’s sound; feels like classic Chris Brown; and neatly pays tribute to the iconic Netflix show.
Yes, the song doesn’t exactly reflect the show’s narrative. No mention of young boys playing Dungeons and Dragons; instead, it is a bold, enthusiastic anthem that sees both Brown and Lucas celebrate themselves in regard to their talent, subsequent career success, and overall lifestyle.
So, sure, the lyrics potentially couldn’t stand further apart from the themes of the show. In this song’s universe, forget any mention of The Upside Down; instead, Brown and Lucas are ‘moonwalking in the sky with some shooters’.
And yet there is definite overlap between the song and the show. The first and foremost must be the featured loop from the Stranger Things’ theme song, which is used throughout the song. The show’s 1980s context, which is a key component of the show’s culture and landscape, is nodded to in ‘Stranger Things’, with a synth-heavy production that would not have sounded amiss in an 80s nightclub.
Brown is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, and holds the record for the most Top 40 chart hits of any R&B singer in history. His achievements feel near infinite; Brown has won 209 awards over the course of his career, including two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album in 2012 and 2025. Throughout his career, Brown has combined R&B – famously – with hip-hop, contemporary pop, electronic and Afrobeats, often working with the highest-profile names in the industry to stay consistently within, if not atop, the charts.
His collaboration with Joyner Lucas on ‘Stranger Things’, therefore, comes as no surprise to his fanbase. Which is a big one, by the way – some cultural commentators have referred to it as a cult following. It reflects Brown’s commitment to both reflecting the current pop music zeitgeist as much as he can set it: upon production of the song, Joyner Lucas was still somewhat of a new name in the industry, known predominantly for his 2017 hit ‘I’m Not Racist’.
A year later, the two collaborated on ‘Stranger Things’, marking Lucas’s first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a merry union: Joyner’s verses highlight his exceptionally rapid delivery, whereas Brown’s sections are classic examples of his signature themes across his lyricism: confidence to the point of bravado.
Sure, there’s not a lot that ‘Stranger Things’ has in common with Stranger Things beyond the use of the theme song’s loop. But it stands as a slice of culture that highlights how big of a phenomenon the show is; and just how capable Brown is of recognising the cultural moment.