Icon (Brent Faiyaz album)

In October 2023, Brent Faiyaz released his debut mixtape, Larger than Life through ISO Supremacy and UnitedMasters. It would debut at number eleven on the Billboard 200, advancing 42,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.^[2] Larger Than Life had received generally positive reviews from critics who had highlighted Faiyaz's vocals. Following the release of the mixtape, Faiyaz went on hiatus and later appeared as a feature on American rapper Loe Shimmy's November 2024 remix of "For Me".^[3] In May 2025, controversy erupted between Halle Bailey and DDG, alleging Faiyaz had an affair with Bailey.^[4] Faiyaz started working on material for Icon in 2025, and scheduled it to release on September 19, 2025.^[5] Faiyaz's team stated "The night before, Brent sent us a group text pulling the plug on the album, he also had another lead single and music video." Further explaining, "He scrapped those too, then sent us 'this' [...] with ‘this’ being “have to.”^[6] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Faiyaz noted, “Everything I’m creating right now is about showing [a] range of concepts, principles, emotions, and experiences. Innocence versus Indecency. Vulnerability versus guardedness. These tracks capture the core of that.”^[6] The production was handled by multiple record producers, including Raphael Saadiq, Chad Hugo, Paperboy Fabe, Dpat, Dilip, Tommy Richman, L3gion, and Benny Blanco.^[7]

Faiyaz cleared his Instagram page on July 3, 2025, suggesting he was preparing for an album before posting a picture of what was interpreted as a promotional cover for Icon.^[13][14] The cover featured the name "Icon" alongside its release date caption, September 19.^[15] On July 4, Faiyaz dropped two promotional singles, "Tony Soprano" and "Peter Pan",^[16] immediately after the album's announcement.^[16] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Faiyaz stated that with the two-pack, he's "embracing duality" as the former is about "tapping into that leader mentality" while the latter is "outside of all that, free from limits" and is "full of wonder".^[17] On August 8, 2025, Faiyaz released "Full Moon" as the third promotional single and a YouTube exclusive.^[16] Later in September 2025, he released "If. (Spring in New York)".^[18]

A few months later, on October 31, Faiyaz released the Icon's lead single "Have To",^[6][7] explaining the reason for the album's delayed release in the intro of the music video.^[6][10] On the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, "Have To" peaked at number 1, marking Faiyaz's top entry on chart.^[19] On February 3, 2026, Faiyaz shared the official album trailer revealing a release date of February 13, and multiple posts regarding the album on Instagram.^[20] Later that day, Faiyaz shared Icon's official tracklist, with its producer and personnel list. Faiyaz had officially announced the album; pre-orders for CDs and vinyl were made available.^[21] Icon was released on February 13 through ISO Supremacy and UnitedMasters; a music video for "Wrong Faces", filmed by Cole Bennett was released concurrently.^[22] On February 16, 2026, Faiyaz dropped Icon (Director's Cut), an expanded edition of Icon.^[23] It includes two additional tracks "Full Moon (Fall in Tokyo)" and "1 For You (Spring in New York)".^[23]

Upon release, Icon had received generally favorable reviews from critics. Jem Aswad of Variety wrote that Icon was "musically versatile and multifaceted that [you] can play it over and over without getting tired of it."^[8] He had also compared Faiyaz's "multi-tracked" voice to the "best works" of American musicians Mary J. Blige, Prince, and Beyonce.^[8] While HotNewHipHop's Tallie Spencer wrote that "Sonically, [Icon] continues [his] exploration of vulnerability wrapped in ego, a balance that resonates deeply with his fanbase. The album reinforces his positioning as both a cult favorite and mainstream R&B disruptor."^[24]

Writing for Exclaim, Kayla Torres wrote "each song brings something new, toggling between sultry mid-tempo grooves, intimate ballads and semi-acoustic textures. Throughout Icon, Faiyaz is reminiscent of a range of influences: Prince's experimental flair, D'Angelo's neo-soul smoothness, Usher's R&B polish, and dare I say I hear some MJ in there, too."^[25] Staff at Complex noted "the album blends classic soul foundations with forward-thinking R&B".^[21] While Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork wrote "The R&B singer pivots from clubrat deviance to domestic devotion. When he leans into the honesty and specificity of his player music, he makes love feel like more than just a catalyst for a rebrand."^[11] NPR's Sheldon Pearce stated "The dramatic about-face toward an '80s template on [this] album ultimately masks a regression in the songwriting, from a signature POV to historical cosplay."^[26]

All tracks are written by Christopher Wood, with additional writers noted.^[27]

Notes

• All tracks are stylized in lowercase and end with a period.

Sample and interpolation credits

• "Other Side" contains an interpolation from "Signs", written by Calvin Broadus, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, Justin Timberlake, Charlie Wilson, Lonnie Simmons, and Rudy Taylor, as performed by Snoop Dogg, Charlie Wilson, and Justin Timberlake.
• ^{^[a]} "Full Moon (Fall in Tokyo)" contains a sample from "Mewtwo", written by Kenyatta Frazier Jr. and Clifton Shayne, as performed by Ken Carson.
• ^{^[b]} "1 for You (Spring in New York)" contains a sample from "If", written by Kelly Rowland, Beyoncé Knowles, Michelle Williams, Dana Stinson, Big Drawers, Charles Jackson, and Marvin Yancy as performed by Destiny's Child.

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[27]

• Brent Faiyaz – vocals, songwriting, production
• Itai Schwartz – mixing, vocal engineering
• Mike Dean – mastering
• Tommy Rush – immersive mixing