(ThyBlackMan.com) Born on May 5, 1989 in Tappahannock, Virginia, U.S, Christopher Maurice Brown famously known as Chris Brown, is an American R&B singer, actor, and songwriter whose musical voice and skillful dancing propelled him to fame, although his career success was sometimes overshadowed by his upsetting personal life.
While growing up in Virginia, Chris Brown discovered a love for singing and dancing. At the age of fifteen, he was hired by Jive Records. He debuted his self-titled album in 2005. Sales climbed gradually due to his top single “Run It!” as well as the fine quality he presented both in dancing as well as in vocals earned him comparisons to celebrities like Usher and Michael Jackson. Chris Brown was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2006 in the best new artist category.
In 2007, Brown started his acting career by taking a role in a dance-drama film “Stomp the Yard”, the holiday comedy-drama film “This Christmas”, and the famous TV show The O.C.
Chris Brown released his second music album “Exclusive” in late 2007, which was well received for showcasing growing maturity of Brown while still attracting his target teen listeners. “Exclusive” featured collaborations with some famous names like Kanye West and Lil Wayne, and his single “Kiss Kiss” that featured singer and rapper T-Pain, secured a top spot of Billboard Hot 100.
In 2009, the professional image of Chris Brown was damaged due to his felony assault of his girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna. He was sentenced to 6 months of community labor and five years of supervised probation. This highly publicized incident ignited controversy and remained in the news and media for months. Brown released his third album “Graffiti” in December that year. But the album did not sell as much as the first two albums and received polarized reviews due to the musical expression of his forceful relationship with Rihanna and its consequences. Nonetheless, after two years Brown released his fourth album “F.A.M.E.” in 2011, which became a huge success and his first top album on the Billboard 200 chart and helped him won his first Grammy Award for the best R&B album.
Chris Brown released his fifth album “Fortune” in 2012. However, after the release of his second album “Exclusive”, Brown’s albums have not been well received by music critics, except his sixth album “X” which was released in 2014 and received a normal rating of 63. Brown released his seventh album “Royalty” on December 18, 2015.
Chris Brown has won many awards throughout his career, including three American Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and fourteen BET Awards.
Staff Writer; Shawna Brown
