While these days it seems like Chris Brown’s backlash is unwarranted, the r&b singer was once the worst person in the world after laying hands on pop sweetheart Rihanna. The road to redemption has been more of a circle for him than a line, and for every new win, it seems people are determined to remind him of the worst night in his career.
While Chris is still a megastar, at one point, he seemed inescapable. His second album, Exclusive, brought with it massive endorsements and comparisons to Usher, Justin Timberlake, and his hero Michael Jackson. In a blink of an eye, that all went away after he and his girlfriend, Rihanna, engaged in a incident that left both their careers in the dark. Brown would spend the next few years trying to find his footing. The immediate backlash was the mainstream completely turning its back on him and several endorsers severing ties.
Brown tried to power through with his third album, Graffiti released later that same year. Its lead single, “Crawl,” starred Cassie as a Rihanna look-alike, while the song discussed themes of redemption and making mistakes. However, not many people cared and the song failed to perform. It was not until 2011’s “Dueces” that fans started to warm up to him again. By then, the mainstream had moved on, and although they would never embrace him the same, loyal R&B fans would become Brown’s bread and butter.
Brown took home a Grammy in 2012 for “Dueces” parent album F.A.M.E. According to his “No Air” collaborator Jordin Sparks, the incident with Rihanna did cost their song a Grammy win due to the ceremony not wanting to be affiliated with him immediately following the incident. The record was huge during the previous year and a top contender.
While Brown’s core audience has continued to support him, mainstream fans seem to hear about Brown when he gets in trouble. His relationship with Karruche Tran got a lot of press, as reports of him harming the actress hit the net. She was eventually awarded a five-year order against him. Other incidents, like Brown destroying a set at Good Morning America, taunting Kehlani after her attempt to take her own life, and discriminating against dark-skinned women, have kept him on a few people’s bad list.
Some more recently backlash has been him being banned from Australian. He was forced to cancel several show dated in 2015 due to the country serving him a “notice of intention to consider refusal.” Brown’s issues with Karruche would also cost him a Michael Jackson tribute at the AMA’s since she was scheduled as a presenter that evening. Brown has been in rehearsal for weeks with Ciara when he got the news he would not be allowed to perform.
His past was brought up again this week following the announcement of his new song with Chloe Bailey. Brown called out hypocrites in the media for supporting white stars with more problematic pasts. Starting with ‘Milk’ star, Sean Penn, the singer shared an image of him detailing his incident involving Madonna. Penn also served 33 days behind bars for another incident. Mel Gibson was also mentioned. The actor had an incident with his ex-wife in 2010 and hit with a DUI in 2016.
Chris Brown didn’t stop there including Nicholas Cage, Ozzy Osbourne, Tommy Lee, Slash, Charlie Sheen, and Steven Seagal with their own stories. In 2011, it was reported Nicholas Cage pushed his wife outside of a Tattoo shop. It was announced earlier today that Nicholas Cage will be honored with Variety’s Legends and Groundbreakers Award. The event is scheduled to take place in Miami on March 5th.
Chris Brown also included White actresses who have been hit with similar charges including Emma Stone who put hands on her boyfriend, but later went on to appear in top movies. Despite Emma Stone’s legal action the actress has received an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She was also the highest paid actress in 2017. Carmen Electra’s incident with Dennis Rodman was also shared in the long list of white celebrities.
Fans praised the singer for sharing the information. However, some believed this could turn out bad for Chris Brown.
