Ayo" was written by Chris Brown and Tyga (real name Michael Stevenson) together with the track's producers Nic Nac (real name Nicholas Balding) and Mark Kragen.[3] On November 14, 2014 Tyga announced via Twitter that the lead single from his and Brown's long-awaited Fan of a Fan: The Album would be released in one week. The single was expected to be "Nothin Like Me" featuring Ty Dolla $ign and produced by DJ Mustard, but the album was delayed and the decision was made to release "Ayo" as the lead single instead.[4] During an interview with Power 106 on December 5, 2014 Brown announced a January release for the song and expressed his excitement, stating, “We already got it locked and loaded. Nic Nac produced it; it’s crazy. It’s one of them ones. We just gonna have fun, man.”[5][6] An early preview of “Ayo” was released on SoundCloud on December 17, 2014 after Brown tweeted, “Who is ready for this CHRIS BROWN/TYGA ALBUM??? Got a surprise for the fans coming!”. Three weeks later, the song officially premiered on iTunes on January 6, 2015.[7]