Make them go, 'Wow, who is that? Oh my God, that's Brandy? I didn't' even know she can sound like that. That's what I love about the song." In a Billboard interview, Norwood further commented about the track, saying that she "felt like, being gone for such a long time, you need to come back with something strong and shock people. On her decision to release it as a single, she commented, "I love taking risks in music and it's great to challenge yourself to be different.
Norwood confirmed the release of the song, following her February 2012 joint single " It All Belongs to Me" with fellow R&B singer Monica, on April 12, and also revealed Brown as a co-writer and vocal feature on the song. "Put It Down" was revealed as the name of the album's official leading single in Norwood's interview for True Exclusives.
Norwood also teamed up with rappers 2 Chainz and Tyga to remix the single, while rapper Eve released a self-crafted remix on her EVEstylin’ Tuesdays series in November 2012. The video received general acclaim from critics, who commended the simplicity of the video, while many labeled it as her most fun visual in years. Filmed in Los Angeles, California and directed by Hype Williams, the clip was creatively moulded by Frank Gatson Jr., and choreographed by Jaquel Knight. The accompanying music video features interactions with Brown, as well as scenes including Norwood dancing in front of both blue-lit industrial backdrops and artful Jackson Pollock-esque green screens. It reached the top forty of the Belgian Ultratop 50 chart as well as the South Korean Gaon Chart and the top-five of the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, marking Norwood's tenth top ten entry and first since “ What About Us?” in 2002. Upon release, "Put It Down" was met by a warm response from critics, who criticized Brown's involvement on the song but generally praised the progressive production and suggestive lyrics. The bass-heavy, R&B up-tempo track served as Norwood's first release under RCA Records, since signing to Chameleon Records under the label, and was released to US digital outlets on May 4, 2012. Taken from her sixth studio album Two Eleven (2012), it was written and produced by Sean Garrett, Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford and Dwayne "Dem Jointz" Abernathy along with Brown, telling the story of Norwood complimenting a prospective beau on his swag. " Put It Down" is a song by American recording artist Brandy, featuring fellow R&B singer Chris Brown.