On December 16, 2013, the audio to the song was premiered online. The song was originally released in two versions, an East Coast version and a West Coast version. Both versions feature Chris Brown and Lil Wayne; the East Coast version also features French Montana, while the West Coast version features Too Short. Then on December 19, both versions of the song were released as digital downloads. It would be the fourth single released from his sixth studio album X. The overall theme of the song is about unfaithful women. It was reported that Brown makes references at ex-girlfriend Rihanna, whom he dated, in the song, as he sings about a girl not being loyal in a relationship, a theme that he also rapped about on DJ Khaled's "I'm Still", which was also thought to be aimed at Rihanna. Tyga makes a reference to the Jermaine Dupri/Jay-Z song "Money Ain't a Thang" during his verse on the album version, while French Montana makes a reference to The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo Money Mo Problems" during his verse in the East Coast version.
Music video
In February 2014, the music video for "Loyal" was shot at Universal City Walk with Lil Wayne and Tyga. On March 21, 2014, Brown announced that the music video would be released on March 24, 2014. Then as planned, it was released that day with a verse from rapper Tyga replacing French Montana or Too Short on the song. Singers Usher, Trey Songz and Ty Dolla Sign make cameo appearances in the video.
Live performances
Lil Wayne sang the song with Drake at Summer Jam 2014. Brown performed it live at the BET Awards 2014.
Remixes
On January 8, 2014, Keyshia Cole released a remix of the song also featuring Sean Kingston, leaving Lil Wayne's original vocals on the song. Also on January 8, Tyga previewed his verse that he recorded for the official remix of the song. Then on March 24, 2014, the remix featuring Tyga and Lil Wayne was released to mainstream urban radio in the United States. A release for digital download followed two days later.
Chart performance
Loyal debuted at number 82 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week of February 1, 2014. It eventually made its way to the top-ten, peaking at number nine, becoming Brown's 10th top-ten single on the chart. The song spent a total of 36 weeks on the chart. It also peaked at number four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and spent 14 weeks on the chart. As of July 2014, the song has sold a million digital copies in the United States. On November 6, 2017, the single was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over four million units in the United States.
