Op-Ed: Would Chris Brown be Allowed in Australia if He Were White?

Chris Brown can be a pretty nauseating and despicable figure. Despite his continued success in the marketplace and his contributions as an entertainer, it’s his non-musical headlines that have become his calling card stretching back to the last decade. There have been multiple physical altercations with other artists and fans, the destruction of at least one TV studio, several jail stints, an expulsion from court-ordered rehab, repeated probation revocations, and string of  general social media assholery. Looming over all of this, of course, is ground zero for his fall from teen star to manchild pariah—his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend, Rihanna, which left her bruised for the whole world to see. Brown’s subsequent romance with Karrueche Tran has been marked by uncomfortable possessiveness, stalking, and public hostility. Given such context, it makes sense that Australian Minister for Women Michaelia Cash stated last week that, "People need to understand—if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you, 'You cannot come in because you are not of the character that we expect in Australia,'” in addressing Australian authorities’ indication that they will refuse his visa application ahead of his One Hell Of A Nite tour hitting their shores in December. (Brown has subsequently offered to speak against spousal abuse if allowed into Australia.)

But the situation is not as cut and dry as the Australian government would have us believe, and it is also complicated, as Julianne Escobedo Shepherd's recent article about the banning of Tyler the Creator makes clear. The decision was presented (and reported by the media) as official policy, a blanket approach to visitation privileges within the commonwealth. But the policy has been far from unilaterally enforced and the pressure to deny Brown’s visa came largely via GetUp!, an Aussie activist group that has waged campaigns in support of Julian Assange, the reduction of reliance on fossil fuels, and same sex marriage. Another organization, Collective Shout, a “grassroots campaigning movement against the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls in media, advertising and popular culture,” had led petitions seen as responsible for keeping boxer Floyd Mayweather out of the country. 

At a cursory level, all seems legit. Both Brown and Mayweather have convictions for domestic violence and Australia, akin to Donald Trump, doesn’t want the worst kinds of foreigners making their way in. As per Australia’s Migration Act, visas may be rejected “if the person does not satisfy the Minister that the person passes the character test,” or “if the person has a substantial criminal record.” But, like Trump, it appears that the ire is, more often than not,aimed at darker-skinned folk when it comes to deciding who to protect the citizenry from.

While Collective Shout failed at keeping “self-confessed pimp” Snoop Dogg from crossing their borders, they were able to get the Australian Department of Immigration to keep Odd Future’s Tyler, The Creator from performing there, stating that "the content of the product he sells propagates discriminatory ideas about women and other groups, and represents a danger to a segment of the Australian community on the potential basis of incitement to acts of hatred."

Even if Tyler’s shock schtick is more about pushing buttons than condoning actual violence it’s undeniable that the guy has said some pretty sick shit about women. But so has Eminem, who has more abusive punchlines targeting women than any other mainstream rapper. The difference, other than their skin color, is that Eminem is allowed to come and go as he pleases. Collective Shout has a campaign going against Eminem, but GetUp!—which tends to focus on big issues like protecting the Great Barrier Reef, fighting against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, and corporate tax dodging—have yet to say anything about Em’s upcoming February 2016 dates.

After his headline-making 2011 tirade at "Good Morning America", Chris Brown tweeted (and subsequently deleted): "I'm so over people bringing this past shit up!!! Yet we praise Charlie sheen and other celebs for there [sic] bullshit." It’s not a perfect comparison—while Sheen has a horrific history with women full of sordid allegations (including shooting an actress with a .22 caliber handgun) Brown actually admitted guilt to a felony. And, perhaps more telling of how this world works, Brown was never worth as much to his corporate overlords as Charlie Sheen was at his peak. (Nor is he worth as much as Eminem.) Yet death metal band Cannibal Corpse, whose music was once banned in Australia and whose catalog boasts wonderful songs like "Stripped, Raped and Strangled," "Meat Hook Sodomy," "Entrails Ripped from a Virgin's Cunt,"  and "She Was Asking for It,” are given the green light treatment. Black Sabbath, whose frontman Ozzy Osbourne has no small legacy of putting his hands on his wife, Sharon, recently announced an Australian tour and there has been no backlash, as of yet. Motley Crüe performed five dates in Australia this past Spring, despite drummer Tommy Lee’s well-documented violence against Pamela Anderson, and lead singer Vince Neil’s 2011 arrest for battery against an ex-girlfriend. Slash of Guns N Roses was allowed to perform a half-dozen shows on the continent earlier this year, his 1999 arrest for spousal assault notwithstanding.

Collective Shout’s argument has been that they do not have the resources to launch campaigns against each and every women-beating artist who wants to grace Australian shores. GetUp! asserts that they’re using Chris Brown to send a message. But that message seems to be a racialization domestic violence targets—and that message is underscored by the participation of the Australian government. GetUp!’s petition against Chris Brown stated: “We're speaking out against Chris Brown because his casual visit our country would have enormous symbolic significance, which will only be amplified by our silence. By turning a blind eye to his tour, we send a message to survivors of family violence that it's not that important and that you should just get over it.  If we stand by and do nothing while he performs around the country (even if we don't have the faintest interest in Brown's career or pop music in general) we are implicitly sending the message that if you brutally beat a woman, in a short amount of time you will be forgiven, or even celebrated.”

Parsing those words, it seems clear why Brown would be denied entry. There’s no room for redemption in GetUp!’s position. But the statement obfuscates GetUp! and Collective Shout’s seemingly selective (and race-driven) targeting. And it doesn’t jibe with the official position presented by Australian immigration officials who state very clearly that committing an act of domestic violence is grounds for exclusion. It’s okay to agree (or disagree) with the Australian government’s presented stance. It’s even okay (but limiting) to advocate for the perpetual demonization of perpetrators of violence against women. And it’s possible (with some mental contortion) to understand the call for a referendum on all artists with questionable subject matter. But it’s not okay to let the execution of governmental policy to be driven by race. And given the facts, one  truly has to wonder if Australia is judging these acts by the contents of their character, or the color of their skin.

MUA’s Chris Brown chosen as Labor candidate for Fremantle

MUA organiser Chris Brown.

Maritime Union of Australia organiser Chris Brown has been preselected by Labor to contest the federal seat of Fremantle – a move that Bill Shorten says demonstrates the “diversity” of his party.

Mr Brown, who has spent 29 years working on the waterfront, has promised to “earn the trust and support of the wider community” after beating Fremantle deputy mayor Josh Wilson, the chief-of-staff to retiring MP Melissa Parke.

Labor has held Fremantle since 1934, and for all but one term since 1928. John Curtin and Kim Beazley are among the party luminaries to hold the seat.

Former WA Premier Carmen Lawrence, who also held Fremantle between 1994 and 2007, last month criticised the potential selection of Mr Brown as the Labor candidate.

“Labor would be seriously mistaken endorsing him,” Dr Lawrence told the West Australian.
“He would owe his allegiance to a union that barely operates within the electorate. There is a real risk that Fremantle could be lost to Labor.”

However Bill Shorten defended Mr Brown’s candidacy as showcasing the opposition’s “diversity of candidates”.

The Opposition Leader said Mr Brown had run several small businesses over the decades and had only recently become an MUA official.

“I have no doubt that this government will try to label people for their union background; trust me, I know that,” Mr Shorten, a former Australian Workers Union secretary, told the National Press Club in Canberra.

“What I also say is that what we want in this community, in politics, are people from a wide degree of backgrounds and he has a much more broader background I think than people have given him credit for.”

Mr Shorten said Mr Brown would “stand up for working people” on issues of employment, health, education, housing and the environment.

Ms Parke, 49, a former UN lawyer in the Gaza Strip who served two terms in parliament, announced her retirement in January.

Chris Brown denied visa to tour Australia on character grounds

Performer who pleaded guilty to attacking his then girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 has 28 days to appeal

The US singer Chris Brown has had his visa application to tour in Australia formally denied on character grounds, the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, has confirmed.

Chris Brown should not be allowed into Australia, says minister for women

Brown pleaded guilty to attacking his then girlfriend, the pop singer Rihanna, in 2009.

The performer was issued with a formal notice that his visa application would be denied on Friday night, Dutton said. He has 28 days to appeal.

“People to whom these notices are issued have 28 days to present material as to why they should be given a visa to enter Australia,” the minister said. “Decisions on whether a visa will or will not be issued are made after that timeframe and consideration of the material presented to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.”

On Thursday the newly appointed women’s minister, Michaelia Cash, indicated that Brown would not be let in. “I can assure you that the minister for immigration and border protection will be looking at this very, very seriously,” she said.

“I am clearly not going to pre-empt a decision by the minister, however, I can assure you what my strong recommendation would be.”

The immigration minister has ultimate discretion on whether people who have had prior convictions can be granted a visa to enter Australia.

Cash said: “People need to understand if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you, ‘You cannot come in because you are not of the character we expect in Australia,’ and certainly, without pre-empting the decision of the minister, I can assure you it is something that the minister is looking at.”

Brown was due to tour Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth in December as part of his One Hell of a Nite tour. Tickets for the shows go on sale on Monday. A spokeswoman for Brown’s touring company would not answer any of Guardian Australia’s questions on the matter, offering only: “No comment”.

The advocacy group GetUp created an online petition this month calling for Brown to be banned from entering the country, saying that allowing him to tour would send the message that Australia does not take domestic violence seriously.

“Chris Brown is not the point of this campaign,” a senior campaigner for GetUp, Kelsey Cooke, told Sky News on Sunday. “It is about domestic violence and taking that seriously, rather than turning a blind eye.”

Cooke said the “high-profile example” of Brown having his visa denied was a “good sign of the times changing”.

Brown has toured in Australia twice since his conviction, in 2011 and 2012.

Chris Brown: 'It was the biggest wake-up call'

He was a teen superstar, the unassailable crown prince of R&B – until he assaulted his girlfriend Rihanna. Chris Brown talks about 'that incident', his year in anger management and why he's got a lot more music (and money) to make

 

Chris Brown: 'I had to stop acting like a little teenager, a crazy, wild young guy.' Click on image for full portrait. Photograph: Patrick Fraser for the Guardian

People who hate Chris Brown – and there are many – might sum him up as the bad boy of R&B, chiefly famous for beating up Rihanna. They would probably describe the singer as a former teen sensation who tried to cheat his way out of his community service sentence for the assault, two-timed Rihanna when she briefly took him back, and smashed up a TV studio dressing room just because the presenter asked about their relationship. He's the thug with a short fuse who picked fights with A-list rappers Frank Ocean and Drake, the misogynist responsible for lyrics such as, "I super soak that ho/Show 'em no love/Just throw 'em a towel" and the Twitter loudmouth who responded to one woman's critical tweet with "take them teeth out when u Sucking my dick HOE"(sic).
Chris Brown feat. Big Sean & Wiz Khalifa - Till I Die on MUZU.TV.

Obviously, that would not be how Brown sees himself. An opportunity to present his version of events has been elusive, however, because all summer he kept having to postpone our meeting due to a hectic schedule of court appearances, as well as a seizure, which his doctor put down to "nonstop negativity".

When we finally meet, at the recording studio in Los Angeles where he made his forthcoming album, I'm not even sure it's him. He's bang on time, for a start, so I assume it can't be, and the trademark bleached hair and neck tattoos are swaddled in a grey beanie, while most of his face is concealed by large, gold-rimmed sunglasses. But the entourage loping along in his wake is straight out of central casting, and once they have cleared off we settle on a sofa. Brown keeps his shades on, makes no eye contact and addresses his words to the mixing desk in front of us, though less due to rudeness, I think, than the elaborate protocol of cool.

 

Patrick Fraser Photograph: Patrick Fraser for the Guardian

So much has been written about Brown, and so much of it ugly, that I think, well, who could blame him for being wary? Before long, I begin to suspect he's actually just bored. He's talking about his album, but making no sense, so I suggest we pretend I've just landed from Mars and know nothing about him. Here is a clean slate: his chance to define himself, to explain from scratch who he is and what he does. What would he say? As if registering my presence for the first time, he pauses, almost glances across, smiles – "That's a good question" – and considers it carefully in silence.

"Well, I would say I'm an inspirational guidelines book. You can take my life story or scenarios or songs and relate to them, and apply them to your everyday life. You know, whether it be personal or musical, I just think I'm a walking art piece, just a ball of creativity." Were it not for what he refers to as "the incident with Rihanna", he would now be "bigger than life. Yeah." He can't think of anything he's bad at, apart from "just being able to relax and sleep".

What follows for the next hour could not exactly be called a conversation. It's not that he is fiercely private – in fact, after I ask when he lost his virginity, he seems to warm to me – but rather just indisposed to examine anything too closely. When I ask what his 14-year-old self would have thought, had he been shown a snapshot of his life today and seen all that would happen in the coming decade, Brown says, "Honestly, I probably would have laughed at my clothing. Because back then our T-shirts would be down by the knees, baggy jeans, maybe some Timberlands on. I don't wear baggy any more."

A lot of the time, his answers bear little, if any, relation to my questions. Or perhaps he's decided on two central points he wants to make, and figures everything else is irrelevant. The first point he makes several times is that his new album will appeal to everyone; the second is that he is a changed man who's grown up and calmed down. Unfortunately he's at his least coherent when discussing the former, and at his most contradictory on the latter. By the time I leave, all I can say with certainty is that Brown is a stranger to the concepts of modesty and consistency.

Brown was born in 1989 in a small Virginia town called Tappahannock, with a population of just 2,000. His mother worked in a daycare facility, his father as a corrections officer in a local prison, and they had one other child, his older sister. When Brown was two, he began copying Michael Jackson's dance moves, and was soon singing in his church choir and competing in local talent shows. His parents divorced when he was seven, and before long he and his sister and mother were living with her new husband in a trailer park, where in the past he has described lying in bed listening to his stepfather beat his mother.

I ask him to tell me a bit about his childhood. What's his earliest memory? "I remember my kindergarten teacher made me count pennies and see how much did it add up to, and then I just remember her telling my mom, 'He's a smart kid.' When I was three, I remember being at a daycare centre and having to stay in a room with a bunch of little kids my age, but I just felt like, OK, I know what I'm doing, I know how to unlock the gate, I know how to get out. My mom told me as a youngster I was always intellectual, like as far as being able to adapt fast and quick. But I had a fun childhood, went to regular school."

He lost his virginity when he was eight years old, to a local girl who was 14 or 15. Seriously? "Yeah, really. Uh-huh." He grins and chuckles. "It's different in the country." Brown grew up with a great gang of boy cousins, and they watched so much porn that he was raring to go. "By that point, we were already kind of like hot to trot, you know what I'm saying? Like, girls, we weren't afraid to talk to them; I wasn't afraid. So, at eight, being able to do it, it kind of preps you for the long run, so you can be a beast at it. You can be the best at it." (Now 24, he doesn't want to say how many women he's slept with: "But you know how Prince had a lot of girls back in the day? Prince was, like, the guy. I'm just that, today. But most women won't have any complaints if they've been with me. They can't really complain. It's all good.")

By 12, he knew he wanted to be a singer. "I drew a lot of inspiration from the Ginuwines, the Ushers, the Michael Jacksons, the James Browns, Sam Cooke. I was never afraid to take those steps or cross those boundaries of trying to be equal to those guys. I never doubted myself, and I thought if I'm going to do it, I've just got to work hard."

And he did work hard, phenomenally so. Discovered by a record producer at 13, he was signed to Jive Records by 15 and a year later released his eponymous debut album, a smooth slice of commercial R&B that went double platinum and produced four top 10 singles. Brown spent the best part of the following two years on a tour bus conducting a relentless "meet and greet" campaign of promotional appearances in schools and shopping malls across the country. He launched his acting career, and two years later his second album, Exclusive, went double platinum, too. Brown has a perfectly competent voice, easy on the ear and agile enough to straddle R&B, dance and pop. He writes or co-writes a lot of his songs, can claim a string of acting credits and has a prodigious work ethic. But it's the way he dances that marks him out, justifying any comparison to Michael Jackson: he is an effortlessly fluid and inventive performer.

 

With Rihanna at a 2008 benefit concert. Photograph: Startraks Photo/Rex Features

By February 2009, still just 19, Brown was the crown prince of American R&B, with a pop princess girlfriend, Rihanna, on his arm. When both failed to show at the Grammy awards ceremony, rumours spread that the couple had rowed, but the news that he'd attacked her and been arrested sent the country into a degree of shock that's hard to fathom without understanding the full cultural significance of both stars to many Americans. Brown was issued with a restraining order and sentenced to six months of community labour and five years on probation.

Former child stars often famously self-destruct in adulthood, so I ask if he thinks of himself in this category. "I guess people could say that. But the only thing that's probably changed for me is just the facial hair a little bit. When I first came out, it was more of a young, warm, clean look. Very clean, very Disney."

Does he ever wish, I try again, he'd had a chance to grow up in private? Does he regret fame coming so early?

"Honestly, where I'm from, probably not. I think me being able to travel from the small town I was from, me already having a good IQ, and you know being intelligent, and regular stuff, I just had to learn more and more of the street life, you know, how to manoeuvre around a room full of wolves."

Wolves?

He offers a slightly sour, dismissive shrug. "You know, whether it be naysayers, people that won't say, 'Hey, I like that.' But as far as me being young, like, I don't regret it, I love it, being able to accomplish my dreams at an early age. That's just showing the kids that's coming up in sixth or seventh grade, I can do this. If I really stick to it, I can do it. 'Chris was my age when he did it.'"

The advice he'd give his 14-year-old self now is "pay attention to details, details, details. I'm 24 now, so I'm making sure I'm on top of it, but back then I was just, like, whatever we're doing, I'm just glad to be here, you know?"

A sense of powerlessness can be a dangerous thing, so I wonder if he means he didn't feel in control of his career?

"No, I think control, I definitely had that under wraps. I would pick the songs, write the treatments for the videos and co-direct them, but people didn't know it because I would always give the director his credit and say I don't need a co-directing credit. But actually I started getting behind the camera more, every video, the concepts, how the video's coming together, what it's about. I've always had that creative side."

Chris Brown 2 Photograph: Patrick Fraser for the Guardian

The search for explanations having proved fruitless, we talk about how his arrest and conviction affected him. "That was probably, like, one of the most troubling times in my life, because I was 18 or 19, so being able to feel the hatred from more adult people, you don't understand it at the time, because you made a mistake." But he knew one thing: "I'm going to come back, I know the music that I'm doing, how hard I work, is not just for nothing." He found himself writing seven or eight songs a night, "just out of pure… I wouldn't say heartbreak, but just pure ambition. To prove people wrong. So from there it wasn't really a problem. I just focused on what was necessary, abiding by all the stuff I had to do legally and professionally."

He has since released three more albums, and won a Grammy, but was incensed when in August a judge ordered a further 1,000 hours of community service. Prosecutors accused him of having claimed to clock up hours when he was actually abroad, or on camera performing on the other side of the country, and demanded jail. But Brown denied it and the additional 1,000 hours was the judge's compromise ruling.

"But that's not a compromise! Community service, that shit is a bitch. I'll be honest – and you can quote me on that – that is a motherfucker there. For me, I think it's more of a power trip for the DA. I can speak freely now, because I don't really care what they say about it, but as far as, like, the 1,000 extra hours they gave me, that's totally fricking bananas."

Did it seem vindictive to him? "Oh, absolutely. They want me to be the example. Young black kids don't have the fairer chances. You can see Lindsay Lohan in and out of court every day, you see Charlie Sheen, whoever else, do what they want to do. There hasn't been any incident that I started since I got on probation, even with the Frank Ocean fight, the Drake situation, all those were defence modes. People think I just walk around as the aggressor, this mad black guy, this angry, young, troubled kid, but I'm not. I'm more and more laid-back. It's just that people know if they push a button, it'll make more news than their music. Attaching themselves to me, good or bad, will benefit them."

He says his court-ordered 52-week programme of anger management helped him learn to keep his temper. But then he adds, "I think the actual class I went to was a little bit sexist." What does he mean? "It was beneficial because it made me cater more to a woman's thoughts and a woman's needs, and how to handle situations. But the class itself, no disrespect to the class, but the class itself only tells you you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong." I ask him to elaborate, but he seems to check himself. "Well, I don't want to get too far into that."

He describes "the Rihanna incident" as "probably the biggest wake-up call for me. I had to stop acting like a little teenager, a crazy, wild young guy." But when I ask if that's how he thinks of himself when he looks back at that time, he snaps back, "No, not at all" as if the description had been mine and not his. "Cos you can talk with all my girls that I did mess with before, and it's never been a violent history." Then he switches again: "But at the same time, I learned from it, and it was almost like… I wouldn't say it happened for a reason, but it was something to trigger my mind to be more of a mature adult. To handle myself in situations, don't throw tantrums, don't be a baby about it."

He worries all the time that the paparazzi will make up a story and land him back in trouble. "We can be in the studio and they can be outside and run a story right now to say Chris Brown just beat up three old women back there, and stabbed the parking guy. No footage, no evidence, but I'd be in trouble." This summer, he was taken to court over an alleged hit-and-run, which he accused the paparazzi of inventing; the charge was dismissed.

 

Chris Brown 3 Photograph: Patrick Fraser for the Guardian

We have a moment of minor farce when I ask if the paparazzi bother him outside his own home. "Nah, we run 'em away from there. Yeah. I got a couple of guard dogs." What kind, I ask, and he looks slightly confused. "Er, crazy." What breed is that? "Not literally dogs I'm talking about. Just homies. They handle it."

Brown's band of loyal homies date from the aftermath of the assault on Rihanna. "They were there when nobody else was there, when I was at my lowest. The people that really cared, that's who I hold dearest. And I root for the underdog, so I'm around the guys that… well, my friends aren't the guys that society would label perfect. People kind of, like, look nervous when I'm going to walk in with all my friends. And I'm not even a rapper, I'm a singer," he points out proudly. I ask if he likes knowing that people feel nervous. "No, it's just what generally attracts me to my friends. I'm not going to stop being your friend because somebody doesn't approve of it. That would be, like, almost being phoney to myself."

Brown has two ambitions now. One is to be wealthy. "I don't want to be rich, I want to be wealthy. There's a difference, you know? I'm rich, but I'm not in the $200m mark." The other is "to sell ground-breaking numbers on an album. Just to be able to have that moment to say, I did it. So as like, I have a stamp. I would really like to mean something to the world, instead of me just being this fungus." Hang on a minute: fungus? "Yeah, like the decay of society. I don't want to be the decay of society, I'd like to be the uplifting part."

I don't know if his new album will achieve either ambition, because his homies forgot to bring it along for him to play, and Brown's description makes no sense. The album is called X because that's the Roman numeral for 10, he explains, so, "I just tried to give people something that would have more meaning, more depth", because his date of birth is 5.5.89, and if you add five plus five you get 10, "so it's like 8, 9, 10.
Chris Brown feat. Aaliyah - Don't Think They Know on MUZU.TV.

"So this album, creative-wise, is just musically sound, diverse, a lot of different genres attached themselves to the song, like, different fans. It doesn't have to be necessarily a song for one race, it's mostly for everybody. Just when you take those journeys through the X album, I mean, you start looking at certain songs, you'd be like, 'Oh, I get that, I can relate to this song' or, 'Oh, I like this song. This sounds good.' With this album I think it can just identify with any age group, with any race, with any culture."

It might be his last album, though, because he thinks the format is finished. "You can blame it on downloads, but the numbers are what they are. After this, maybe I'll release a single every few months, or release a song; you're still going to hear my music and videos." His single sales still run into millions, he says, adding crossly, "But people won't bring that up because of the album sales."

Given his evident desire to leave the past behind him, I still can't understand why last year he got a tattoo on his neck that looks just like the infamous police photographs of Rihanna's bruised and battered face. He has always disputed the resemblance, insisting it's just a "random woman", so I ask if he'd realised it would be misconstrued and cause so much fuss.

"I really don't care. A tattoo's a tattoo; it's my body, my skin."

Suddenly he is sulky and petulant. "My favourite line is, 'Fuck you.' I like giving the world a big fuck you. Every tattoo I have is a big fuck you. So it's just, like, this is just me, and I'm the guy who's going to be just the same guy at all times."

But he's talked a lot about how much he has changed, so people are bound to be confused about why he'd therefore choose a tattoo of that nature. "No," he says coldly. "I think you misinterpret what nature that is. You think the tattoo is Rihanna's face, but it's not."

But did he anticipate that people would mistake it for her? "I've just cleared this up, this is not Rihanna's face," he repeats sharply. "I just got a tat. Like I say, a tat is on my body, so it's personal. I liked how it looked, so I thought I'd get it done. It's all good."

I try once more – had he known what people would think, would he have got the tattoo done anyway? – and he snaps.

"No, I'm not going to walk around every day of my life depending on the opinions of other people. Because if I do that, I'll just be trying to please everybody and that's not what I'm here for." He glowers. "Just make music. If they like it, they like it. If they don't, fuck you."

Chris Brown Fast Facts

Personal:

Birth date: May 5, 1989
Birth place: Tappahannock, Virginia
Birth name: Christopher Maurice Brown
Father: Clinton Brown, corrections officer
Mother: Joyce Hawkins, former day care director

Other Facts:
Signed by Jive Records at age 15.
Has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards and won one.

Timeline:
November 29, 2005 - Jive Records releases Brown's debut album "Chris Brown." It peaks at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.

2007 - Film debut in "Stomp the Yard." He also appears in three episodes of the television series "The O.C."

December 2008 - Billboard names him "Artist of the Year."

February 8, 2009 - On the eve of the Grammy Awards, Brown assaults girlfriend Rihanna (Robyn Rihanna Fenty) inside a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street, leaving her face bruised and bloody. He is arrested and later released on $50,000 bail.

April 6, 2009 - Pleads not guilty to felony charges of assault and making threats related to the February domestic violence case.

May 27, 2009 - A photographer files a lawsuit against Brown, claiming Brown's bodyguards roughed him up outside a fitness center when he took a photo of the R&B singer. The lawsuit is later settled in 2010.

June 22, 2009 - Enters a guilty plea to one felony count of assault with the intent of doing great bodily injury in connection to the February assault. He is later sentenced to five years probation, must serve 180 days (about 1,400 hours) in labor-oriented service and also undergo a year-long domestic-violence counseling class.

July 2009 - Makes a public apology about the February assault in a video statement posted on his personal website.

September 2, 2009 - Appears on CNN's "Larry King Live" in his first television interview since his February arrest.

2011 - Wins the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for "F.A.M.E."

February 2012 - A woman files a complaint against Brown after he allegedly grabbed her iPhone after she used it to take a photo of him in a car on a Miami street. After an investigation, the Miami-Dade state attorney does not file any charges against Brown.

June 14, 2012 - Brown and rapper Drake get into an altercation at the New York City club W.i.P. Brown is left with a cut on his chin.

September 24, 2012 - A judge orders a probation violation hearing after Brown tests positive for marijuana use. Brown claims that he ingested the marijuana in California, where he has a medical marijuana card. The positive marijuana test is not mentioned at his November hearing.

January 2013 - The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department tells CNN that authorities are investigating allegations that Brown punched an unnamed victim, presumably Frank Ocean, outside a recording studio over a parking spot in West Hollywood.

February 2013 - In a court filing, prosecutors accuse Brown of not completing the 180 days, about 1,400 hours, of community labor as stipulated from his 2009 felony assault case.

June 23, 2013 - According to the Anaheim Police Department, an assault and battery report is filed by phone regarding an incident in which a woman accuses Brown of shoving her inside a nightclub. Brown's representative denies the allegations.

June 25, 2013 - Brown is charged for hit-and-run driving and driving without a license for allegedly driving a car that rear-ended another car in Los Angeles in May.

July 15, 2013 - A judge revokes Brown's probation in connection with his conviction in the beating of his former girlfriend Rihanna.

August 9, 2013 - Brown suffers a non-epileptic seizure. Brown's doctor attributes the cause of the seizure to "intense fatigue and extreme emotional stress," according to a statement from Brown's rep.

August 15, 2013 - A judge drops Brown's hit-and-run charge after the singer reaches a "civil compromise" with his accuser.

August 16, 2013 - A judge reinstates Brown's probation for the 2009 beating of Rihanna "under the original terms and conditions." Judge James Brandlin also signs off on 1,000 hours of "community labor" such as graffiti or beach cleanup.

October 27, 2013 - Brown and his bodyguard are arrested and charged with felony assault, after an alleged altercation outside the W Hotel in Washington, DC. The charge is reduced to a misdemeanor (simple assault) in court the next day, and Brown is released from jail without bail.

October 29, 2013 - Brown's representative releases a statement saying the singer has voluntarily entered into a rehab program to "gain insight into his past and recent behavior."

November 20, 2013 - According to Brown's probation officer, Brown is kicked out of the rehab facility after smashing his mother's car window during a family session. A judge orders him to immediately enter into another rehab program.

December 17, 2013 - A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge revokes Brown's probation due to his arrest in October.

January 8, 2014 - Brown rejects the plea deal offered by the D.C. Superior Court which would only charge him one count of simple assault.

March 14, 2014 - After being made to leave rehab, Brown is taken into custody by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies.

April 23, 2014 - Brown's assault trial in Washington, DC has been delayed until the appeal of his bodyguard's conviction is completed.

May 9, 2014 - Brown admits to probation violation. Judge James Brandlin sentences Brown to one year in jail. Judge counts Brown's time already served in jail and rehab; Brown has 131 days left to serve.

June 2, 2014 - The Los Angeles County Jail releases Brown.

September 2, 2014 - Brown pleads guilty to simple assault stemming from the October 2013 altercation in Washington, DC. The judge sentences Brown to time served, no probation and a $150 fine.

May 6, 2015 - A female fan breaks into Brown's Agoura Hills home while he is away and vandalizes the property. The 21-year-old intruder is charged with burglary, vandalism and stalking. Brown posts a note on Instagram about the incident, describing how the fan wrote "I love you" on the walls, prepared a number of meals in the kitchen and painted her name on his vehicles.

July 15, 2015 - One of Brown's other houses is robbed. A group of gunmen reportedly take cash and valuables from the R&B star's Tarzana residence. Brown's aunt is home alone at the time and the suspects allegedly force her into a closet before searching the house.

July 22, 2015 - Brown is barred from leaving the Philippines after a contract dispute. The Inglesia ni Criso (Church of Christ) in the Philippines accuses Brown and a promoter of fraud. The church claims Brown and the promoter failed to put on a New Year's eve concert and that they owe the church one million dollars.

July 24, 2015 - Brown is allowed to leave the Phillipines. Brown says he has nothing to do with the contract dispute.

Chris Brown under investigation for battery in Las Vegas - police

Chris Brown accepts the Fandemonium award and the award for favorite male R&B pop artist during the 2015 BET Awards in Los Angeles, California, June 28, 2015.
REUTERS/KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/FILES

Singer Chris Brown was under investigation by Las Vegas police on Saturday for possible battery on a woman, authorities said, in a case that comes nearly seven years after his notorious arrest for beating then-girlfriend Rihanna.

A spokeswoman for the singer strongly denied the accusation.

Las Vegas police in a statement said a woman was at a party inside a hotel room at the Palms Casino Resort on Saturday morning when she tried to take a photo of the "Run It!" singer.

"The victim was alleged to have been battered by Brown, who at the same time took her cell phone," the statement said.

The incident followed the popular R&B singer's performance on Friday night at a club in the city.

The website TMZ posted a photo it said showed the woman's eye, which appeared to have some darkness around it.

Officers who went to the hotel to investigate the reported attack found the woman appeared to have minor injuries, but Brown had already left the hotel and they could not speak to him, the police statement said. Police did not say how exactly the woman might have been injured.

Police said investigators have still not heard from Brown. They listed him as a suspect in misdemeanor crimes of battery and theft, which are less serious in the U.S. judicial system than a felony.

Las Vegas police had not arrested Brown, 26, by early Saturday evening.

Nicole Perna, a spokeswoman for the singer, said in a statement the woman's accusations are "unequivocally untrue."

"Her claim that she had her phone in her possession inside the after party and was able to take a photo causing an altercation with Chris Brown is a complete fabrication," Perna said in a statement.

Brown was arrested in Los Angeles in February 2009, on the eve of the Grammy Awards, for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna. A photo of Rihanna's injuries posted on TMZ soon after the attack made Brown the object of intense criticism, and he pleaded guilty later that year to assault.

He was sentenced to five years' probation, and after some brushes with the law his probation was lifted nearly a year ago.

A month ago, he canceled a tour to Australia and New Zealand after being refused a visa due to his 2009 domestic violence conviction.

Singer Chris Brown linked to battery incident at the Palms, police say

Chris Brown performs during the 2015 BET Awards in Los Angeles in June. (Kevork Djansezian/Reuters)image

For the second time in about eight months, hip-hop singer Chris Brown is connected to a battery investigation at the Palms, according to Las Vegas police.

Officers were dispatched about 10:20 a.m. Saturday to the hotel-casino, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, Metro Lt. Jeff Goodwin said.

A woman "appeared to have minor injuries sustained as a result of battery," according to a Metro news release.

The woman was at a party in a hotel room when she tried to take a photo of Brown and a fight broke out because of it, the news release said. That's when Brown, she told officers, hit her and took her phone.

A verbal fight broke out as the woman was escorted out of the room by private security, Metro said. Hotel security kicked her out of the hotel due to the disturbance in the hallway.

She later returned to the hotel to report the incident, Metro said.

When Metro detectives arrived to investigate, they weren't let into Brown's hotel room. He had already left.

As of Saturday evening, police have not heard from Brown, Metro said.

The 26-year-old singer, whose full legal name is Chris Maurice Brown, is the listed suspect in a misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor theft police report, Metro said.

A representative for Brown called accusations "false" and "unequivocally untrue."

Nicole Perna, from BWR Public Relations, told the Review-Journal in an email statement that the woman was "escorted out of the private after party" for "disruptive and out of control" behavior.

The woman acted erratically and "had a total meltdown" in the hallway while she waited for Brown's private security to get her phone, Perna said.

Perna contends the claims of the assault are "a complete fabrication." "This seems like a clear case of retaliation for her bruised ego for being kicked out of the party,"she said.

Brown performed Friday at Drai's Beachclub and Nightclub inside the Cromwell, according to a club advertisement.

This isn't the first time Brown was linked to a battery investigation at the Palms. He had faced a charge last Mayafter a man told Las Vegas police Brown had punched him following an argument during a pick-up basketball game.

Investigators had been called May 4 to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center where the man was being treated for injuries he said were caused by Brown.

The investigation ended when the man decided not to pursue the case, police announced the next day.

Brown has a violent criminal record, which includes a 2009 conviction in Los Angeles County for assaulting singer Rihanna, who was his girlfriend at the time.

Review-Journal writers Kimberly De La Cruz and Lawren Linehan contributed.

Chris Brown Biography

Chris Brown is a Grammy Award-winning R&B and dance music entertainer who has pleaded guilty to assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna.

Chris Brown - Mini Biography (TV-PG; 2:40) Pop singer Chris Brown was best known for his performances and No. 1 songs before his 2009 assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna. He has since released several hit songs and remained in the public eye for controversial reasons.

Synopsis
Born on May 5, 1989, in Tappahannock, Virginia, Chris Brown became a teen heartthrob, landing R&B and pop hits that included "Run It!," "Kiss Kiss" and "Forever." In 2009, he physically assaulted his then-girlfriend, pop/dance star Rihanna, and found his songs dropped from radio. Brown has since returned to success on the music charts. His 2011 album F.A.M.E. won a Grammy. Still Brown continued to find himself in trouble with the law. In 2013, he was arrested for assaulting a man outside a Washington, D.C. hotel.

Young Star
Singer Christopher Maurice Brown was born on May 5, 1989, in Tappahannock, Virginia. Brown is known for his smooth voice, amazing dance moves, boy-next-door charm and controversy surrounding his physical assault of former girlfriend Rihanna. Growing up in a small town of roughly 2,000 people, Brown enjoyed singing in his church choir and was inspired by such musical artists as Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. He also showed off his dance prowess by imitating the dance moves of another one of his idols, Usher.

Brown was discovered by Tina Davis, who was working for Def Jam Recordings at the time. "The first thing that hit me was his unique voice," Davis told Billboard magazine. "I thought 'This kid is a star.'" Davis eventually became his manager and helped him land a deal with Jive Records, which had developed other young acts such as Britney Spears and 'N Sync and is home to other hip-hop and R & B stars such as R. Kelly, Usher and Kanye West. At the time of deal, Brown was only 15 years old.

Commercial SuccessBrown's self-titled album was released in November 2005 and quickly found its way into the charts. Working with established producers and songwriters, he had a No. 1 hit with "Run It!," which was co-written by Scott Storch and Sean Garrett. The track also featured a guest appearance by rapper Juelz Santana. More hits followed, including "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme That," which was written by Garrett and Storch. While many of the songs have a hip-hop influence, Brown's voice has a classic R&B sound. And just like many other teenagers, dating and girls figure prominently in his songs. He has sometimes been compared to Michael Jackson because of his dual talents as a singer and dancer.

The album brought Brown two Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Contemporary Album. While he did not win, he showed the audience at the Grammy Awards just how talented he was by holding his own while performing with two R&B legends, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson. Brown went on to receive a number of other awards, including an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist. With a large following of young fans, it was no surprise when he won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Music Breakout Artist Male.

In 2006, Brown went out on the road for his Up Close & Personal tour. He played more than 30 concerts in cities across the country. While he enjoyed playing live, it was not without its hazards. "Once during a show, I reached out to touch these girls' hands, and they pulled me off the stage," Brown toldCosmoGirl magazine.

Acting Turn
Expanding his career as an entertainer, Brown branched out into acting. He had a small role in the box office hit Stomp in the Yard (2007), which centered around a step dance competition. The film also featured another popular R&B performer, Ne-Yo. On the small screen, Brown played against type as a high school band geek on The O.C. for several episodes.

The final months of 2007 brought a wave of new projects for Brown. He released his second album, Exclusive, in November. On this latest project, Brown became more hands on behind the scenes. He helped write several tracks, including the hit single "Kiss Kiss" with T-Pain. In addition to T-Pain, Brown worked with Sean Garrett on "Wall to Wall" and will.i.am and Tank on "Picture Perfect" among others. He also came up the concepts for his music videos and served as co-director on them.

Around the same time, Brown returned to the big screen with a more substantial role in the holiday-themed dramatic comedy, This Christmas(2007). As Michael "Baby" Whitfield, he played a young man wanting to pursue a musical career despite opposition from his family. The film also featured Delroy Lindo, Loretta Devine, Regina King and Mekhi Phifer.

Domestic Abuse ScandalIn February 2009, the young performer made headlines after being arrested for allegedly assaulting then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna during an argument. "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," Brown said in a statement shortly after the incident. He was charged with two felony counts related to the incident.

In June, Brown pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 180 days of community labor and five years of probation. He was also ordered to stay away from Rihanna. The following month, Brown fully acknowledged and apologized for his actions, saying in a video statement that "I have told Rihanna countless times, and I am telling you today, that I'm truly, truly sorry that I wasn't able to handle the situation both differently and better."

In Recent YearsDespite the backlash from the domestic abuse scandal, Brown managed to continue to enjoy some popularity as a performer. He released the albumsF.A.M.E. in 2011 and Fortune in 2012. Not long before the debut of his next effort, X (2014), Brown found himself back in trouble with the law. He was arrested on assault charges in October 2013.

In relation to the 2013 incident, Brown and his bodyguard allegedly fought with an unidentified man outside a Washington, D.C. hotel. The singer faced the possibility of serious consequences for the altercation, as he was still on probation for his 2009 assault on former girlfriend Rihanna. After being released in October, Brown voluntarily joined a rehabilitation center, however he was quickly removed after throwing a rock at his mother's car following a session.

In November 2013, Brown's probation was revoked, but he avoided a prison sentence, instead being required to attend a 90-day court-ordered stint at a rehabilitation center in Malibu. Probation officials initially praised the singer for his behavior at the center, but after he finished the 90-day period in February he was ordered to stay in rehab until the next hearing for the Washington assault, scheduled for April 23. Before making it to the next hearing, Brown was removed from the center and taken into custody on March 14, 2014, for violating his probation. Counselors at the facility said that Brown said he was "good at using guns and knives," a comment that worried officials and led to his removal.

In April 2014, Brown returned to court in Washington, D.C. During this hearing, he learned that the start of his trial also delayed for several months. A Los Angeles judge also denied Brown's request to be released from custody around this same time. That May, Brown returned to court in California and admitted to violating his probation for the 2009 assault on Rihanna. The judge gave Brown a year in jail, but he ended being released in early June. He had received credit for his time in rehab and for days previously spent in prison. The singer was delighted to receive his freedom, tweeting "thank you GOD" and "Humbled and Blessed."

Brown's past legal woes looked like they would impact his career in 2015. He was told by Australian officials in September that he might be denied entrance into that country because of his conviction on domestic violence charges. Brown's representatives for his Australian tour set for December still hope that the performer will be allowed entry.

Chris Brown says he's going to be rich from lawsuits against 'crazy individuals'

The badboy said: "I’m going to be hella rich after all the lawsuits I file from these crazy individuals who keep lying on my name"

Trouble in Vegas: Chris Brown

The new year is off to a bumpy start for RnB badboy Chris Brown.

The Loyal singer, 26, has been forced to deny hitting a Brazilian model at a Las Vegas hotel in the early hours of Saturday.

And police in the city are now investigating claims that Liziane Gutierrez was assaulted at the Palms Casino Resort and had her mobile phone taken off her.

The RnB star’s publicist has issued a statement calling the woman’s charges “unequivocally untrue”.

The star, above, is accused of punching Liziane in the right eye because she had sneaked her mobile phone into the private party he was holding in his suite at the Palms Hotel.

Palms Casino Resort

Chris’s representative, however, insists Liziane, who did not seek medical attention and called police a few hours after leaving the party, was escorted out of the afterparty for “being disruptive and out of control”.

While waiting for security to bring out her phone, she allegedly had a “total meltdown,” which was caught on the hotel’s security cameras, prompting the venue’s security staff to step in and assist in removing her from the resort. The spokesperson added: “Her claim she had her phone in her possession inside the afterparty and was able to take a photo causing an ­altercation with Chris Brown is a complete ­fabrication.”

According to US reports, Las Vegas police attended the hotel to speak with Chris but were not allowed in the room – though they later determined he was not there any more.

Chris, who assaulted his ex ­girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, posted a video to Instagram and then later removed it, arguing that he didn’t know the model and that she was “probably too ugly to get in” to his room. Ouch.

In a later post, Chris added: “Keeping my circle small in 2016! I’m done taking the care of grown ass men.

“And I’m going to be hella rich after all the lawsuits I file from these crazy individuals who keep lying on my name. Happy NEW YEAR! Time for some of us to grow the f*** up!”

Things can only get better…