- Chris Brown Posts Plea To Fans
Singer complains that radio stations are not playing his songs.
By Gil Kaufman
Chris Brown
Photo: Elsa/ Getty Images
As sales of his latest album, Graffiti, continue to falter, Chris Brown issued a message to his fans this week to help revive his music career in the wake of his guilty plea to felony assault on former girlfriend Rihanna last year.
Posting on the Web site SayNow.com — a site that enables people to leave and share recorded messages — Brown apparently said American radio stations are not playing his songs, which has made promoting Graffiti difficult for him. In an earlier message, Brown urged fans to keep in touch with him by calling a special 877 number while he is on tour.
At press time, a spokesperson for Brown had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment on the message, nor confirmed that the messages are definitely from him.
In a new missive uploaded on Wednesday morning, he directly asks fans to lend him a hand. "Hey, what's up, y'all? CB. I ain't never really did this but right now I'm just calling ya'll, I need all of my fans' help," he said in the 90-second clip. "I need all the fans that I have, I need y'all's help. It's crazy because a lot of radio stations ... some radio stations aren't playing my records. They're not being that supportive and I wouldn't expect them to.
"It's on the fans and what you guys do [whatever is] in y'all power to bring me back because that's all I need, is you guys," Brown continued. "Nothing else will do that except for the fans. There's nothing else that I can do. I'm doing everything that I need to do. I'm doing me as a person and I'm a better guy. But it's on y'all.
"My singing and my music is all great, but I do it for you guys and everything else but it won't be possible if I'm not relevant on the radio and it won't be possible for me to be an artist if I don't have any support from people that give me an artists outlet. I can't be an underground mixtape artist!" Brown said with a laugh. "I just want all my fans to help me. I love y'all. Peace."
Since its release in early December, Graffiti has spawned the singles "I Can Transform Ya," "Crawl" and "Sing Like Me," with only "Transform Ya" gaining traction on radio and the album's sales stalling out at just over 250,000 copies. The singer mounted a small "Fan Appreciation" tour from October through December that hit modest theaters that were considerably smaller than the arenas he played with Bow Wow on the tour for his previous album, 2007's Exclusive, which has sold nearly 2 million copies to date.
When contacted back in November, a number of radio programmers told MTV News they weren't shying away from playing Brown's songs on the radio in light of the sordid details of the assault that leaked prior to Brown's guilty plea.
And though fans appeared to like "Transform Ya," many programmers appear to have cooled on the singer's music for now. At the moment, Brown does not have any songs in the top 50 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
Related Videos
Related Artists
- Chris Brown Says Tiger Woods Deserves A Second Chance
'This goes for me and him, his personal life is his personal life,' Brown says.
By Gil Kaufman
Chris Brown
Photo: Chris Graythen/ Getty Images
In an interview on the Mojo in the Morning radio show in Detroit on Wednesday, Chris Brown said he believes embattled golfer Tiger Woods deserves a second chance in the wake of the sex scandal that has exposed his private life.
"I know my fans gave me a second chance," said Brown, who is currently serving five years probation after pleading guilty to assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna last February. "I think people always deserve a second chance."
Brown said that he supported Woods, who appeared at a heavily managed press conference last week to make his first public apology after his multiple affairs were exposed in the wake of a Thanksgiving morning car crash.
"I hope he gets back on the field and does his thing, 'cause he is the best at it," said Brown, who referred to the Rihanna incident as a "hiccup and a major mistake" during the lighthearted phone interview with the radio station. His career appears to have taken a hit as a result of the assault — his latest album, Graffiti has stalled out short of 300,000 copies after nearly three months in stores.
"Whatever [Woods'] personal life is, and this goes for me and him, his personal life is his personal life," he said. "Nobody has the right to place judgment or make any judgment on anybody else's personal life when they're not directly involved with them."
Brown said he caught glimpses of the Woods apology on TV and opined, "He plays golf. That's his sport, that's his hobby, that's his love, that's what people love him for. They don't love him for the other stuff that they talk about. ... Even with me, I do music, I sing songs, I'm an entertainer, I'm a performer. But people make mistakes."
Asked if he would ever reach out to Woods, Brown said he'd rather be a fan from afar, confident that the golfer has people in his inner circle who can help him. "I think people have to realize that everybody's human," he said. "The good thing is, if you learn from your mistakes, then that's a part of life. I think that's a part of living and learning from mistakes and becoming a better person and growing from situations."
When it was suggested that some radio programmers were holding back on playing his music in the wake of the scandal, Brown said he believed he was being unfairly treated. "It's not like I hold a grudge, though," he said. "I know that people have their certain opinions, and certain people might come around ... take a little bit more time to be as forgiving as other people."
Related Videos
Related Photos
Related Artists
- Chris Brown's Probation Going 'Really Well,' Judge Says
Brown appeared in court for a status hearing stemming from last year's assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Chris Brown arrives at court in Los Angeles on Thursday
Photo: Toby Canham/Getty Images
Chris Brown appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday (February 18) for a status hearing stemming from the plea deal he agreed to for assaulting Rihanna last year, and a superior court judge complimented Brown's progress.
"Looks like you're doing really, really well," Judge Patricia M. Schnegg told Brown, according to People. "That's always good to see."
The remarks were in regards to Brown's punishment, which included one year of counseling, 180 days of community labor and five years' probation. So far, the singer has completed 17 of his 52 group sessions for domestic violence.
According to People, Brown hasn't missed one session and has also completed 32 days of labor work. Brown's community work has been supervised by a probation office in Richmond, Virginia; he was born in nearby Tappahannock, Virginia.
Brown must make regular visits before Judge Schnegg to update her on the fulfillment of his punishment. In November, he also went before Schnegg and received an "extremely favorable" review. Brown has publicly and privately apologized on a number of occasions for attacking his former girlfriend on the eve of the 2009 Grammy Awards.
During "Chris Brown: The Interview," Brown told MTV News' Sway Calloway that he's embraced the court-mandated therapy sessions. "It's like, 'How do we get past it? How do you, Chris — talking to myself — how do you go from point A to point B?' " he said of the process. "How do you learn from your mistakes, turn it into a positive and help other people with the situation and, at the end of the day, become the person that you want to be?"
Brown is due back in court May 11.
Related Videos
Related Artists
- Chris Brown Releases Collaboration With Soulja Boy Tell'em On Mixtape
'Bad' makes its way onto the singer's Valentine's Day offering with DJ Drama, In My Zone.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Chris Brown
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
Chris Brown's much-discussed collaboration with Soulja Boy Tell'em was released over the weekend as a part of the singer's Valentine's Day mixtape effort with DJ Drama. The project, titled In My Zone, features a number of remakes, as Brown borrows notable songs such as Trey Songz's "Say Aah" and "I Invented Sex," and Timbaland and Drake's "Say Something."
The track with Soulja Boy, "Bad," was initially slated for inclusion on Brown's Graffiti album. He told MTV News about the track last November and described the number as "a nice little joint."
"Well, me and him, we been on tour together and we're friends, so I was just like, 'Yo, I gotta do a record with Soulja Boy,' " Brown explained of the tune, which was produced by Bangladesh ("A Milli," "Diva"). "Because me and him are always gonna have, like, this kind of energy, just as far as kids, and with him, he does records that are, like, the easiest records ever. I'm not discrediting him, 'cause they're big records, but he could talk about, 'I got my shoes on, I got my hat on, but I'm fresh though,' and it could be something funny. But it's always something that can be catchy for kids, and I wanna do something that's real cool for everybody."
"She looking at me, I'm looking at she, she's bad as a mutha," Brown sings over the staccato production.
"She bad, she bad, she badder, hop up in my Jag, my Jag, my Jaguar," the "Crank That" rapper spits.
Soulja also spoke to MTV News last year about the track, saying if he and the "Crawl" star ever collaborated, the outcome would have to be phenomenal.
"My approach to it was, if me and Chris Brown ever did a song together, it got to be the best song ever," he said. "When people hear it, it gotta be automatic, be in all the kids' heads, all the girls definitely gotta love it, all the females gotta love it. That was my approach to it. I was just thinking, 'What is the slickest lines I could say to a female to make them fall in love with this record?' "
What do you think of Chris Brown and Soulja Boy Tell'em's song "Bad"? Did their collaboration live up to the hype? Let us know in the comments below, or upload a video to Your.MTV.com!
Related Artists
- Chris Brown And LL Cool J Lend Support During 'SOS: Help For Haiti'
'We're just trying to help them out and show them that we love them,' Brown says of the Haitian people.
By Hillary Crosley, with reporting by Jayson Rodriguez
Chris Brown at BET's "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" telethon on Friday
Photo: MTV News
LL Cool J and Chris Brown joined the cast of supporters presenting and performing for BET's "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" on Friday night (February 5) in Miami. During the show, Brown performed "Crawl" and "With You" and LL spoke onstage. MTV News caught up with both backstage at the event.
"Pharrell has been [instrumental] in everything [with the event] — he's been so supportive," Brown said of one of the hosts for the evening. "Me and him had deep conversation about this whole situation and how we could give back. I know a lot of lives have been lost and we can't give those back and we can't bring them back — we're just trying to help them out and show them that we love them and the world loves them. Everybody as a whole, not just the United States, not just us as entertainers, but I think the world needs to show that."
LL Cool J also appeared during the telethon, following other presenters like Gabrielle Union and Venus and Serena Williams. Sporting a Louis Vuitton beanie and an understated brown sweater, the actor and legendary MC told stories of brave earthquake survivors in the rubble, while BET's crawl shared that just .50 can give a Haitian child water for an entire year.
"The Haiti cause is not losing steam because I think one thing a lot of people here understand — it's one thing to take off on a plane, it's another thing to land it," LL said backstage. "Taking off in the plane is getting people to talk about it — landing the plane is building the infrastructure, rebuilding the country, making sure the government and the security of the region is stable. We still have to land the plane and I think a lot of people around the world realize that."
Mary J. Blige, India.Arie, Jazmine Sullivan, Akon and Wyclef Jean were also among the night's performers uniting in support of Haiti. All funds raised at "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" will be donated to several charities, including Project Media Share, Yele Haiti, C.A.R.E. and Procter & Gamble's Children's Safe Water Program.
Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.
Related Videos
Related Photos
Related Artists
- 'SOS: Help For Haiti' Telethon Unites Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Justin Bieber
Wyclef Jean, Keri Hilson, Robin Thicke and Nas also perform at the BET telethon.
By Shaheem Reid
Justin Bieber and Chris Brown at BET's "SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti" on Friday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Getty Images
Queen Latifah, Pharrell and Diddy spearheaded BET's "SOS Save Ourselves: Help for Haiti" telethon Friday night (February 5) at Miami's American Airlines Arena, encouraging viewers to donate to the quake-ravaged island.
From the onset, the mood was upbeat, thanks to Wyclef Jean's opening performance of "Hold On" with Mavado. 'Clef — who told the audience he wanted to teach them "Creole 101" — also brought out Haitian MCs to rap along. Later, he celebrated his homeland's culture in an energetic mini-set that started off with him and Akon performing "Sweetest Girl." 'Clef then said since he was in Miami, he wanted to do a remix. Haitian singer Black Dada came out and started singing the hook to his single "I'mma Zoe." Then, Wyclef's artist Haitian Fresh came out. The performance ended with everyone waving Haitian flags.
The tone of the night's performances ranged from inspirational, with powerhouse vocalists Mary J. Blige and Jazmine Sullivan singing "We Gonna Make It," to fun, with Justin Bieber and Ludacris uniting for "Baby" (the Biebs gave a gracious salute to Haiti by singing parts of "One Less Lonely Girl" in French). Robin Thicke did a pitch-perfect rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me," and Keri Hilson performed her Billboard smash "Knock You Down."
Hilson delivered a message to the crowd after her song: "No one is paid to be here. We're all here from the bottoms of our hearts. We're all brothers and sisters in Christ. No one is exempt. We can all do something."
Busta Rhymes brought a brand-new, Haiti-themed song to the telethon. Although the rap vet did not announce the title, he rapped with clarity and conviction. "While my heart is racing and I address the topic," Rhymes rapped. "What's the reason they facing something so catastrophic/ While I search for answers and balance my thoughts equal/ All I can come up with is God is testing the people/ It's so incredible to witness the strength of the righteous/ And the clearest example of how we come together in crisis."
Another powerful lyricist, Nas, also took to the stage. He performed "The Strong Will Continue" with Damian Marley, from their upcoming Distant Relatives LP. "This is for the strong," Nas yelled. "This is for Haiti!"
Chris Brown was in top form, breaking out "Crawl" and "With You." Kirk Franklin brought an all-star triumvirate of India.Arie, Jazmine Sullivan and Chrisette Michele to sing a special version of his Haiti relief song "Are You Listening." The powerful songbirds brought an even more spiritual vibe to the song, breaking into "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" in the middle of the song.
The show ended with Diddy, Queen Latifah and Pharrell saying good night before starting a "Lean on Me" sing-along. Almost all the night's other performers — which also included Monica, Robin Thicke and Pitbull — came out, as did stars such as Brian McKnight, Sean Kingston and Gloria Estefan.
Former President Bill Clinton also spoke during the event, driving home the message that our help for Haiti will have to be a sustained effort. "We've still got a lot to do to get the people of Haiti back so they don't have to worry about day-to-day," Clinton said. "Those people deserve our help. They can have a better future, and you can give it to them."
Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.
Related Videos
Related Photos
Related Artists
- Chris Brown Pumps Up 'SOS: Help For Haiti' Crowd
R&B singer performs 'Crawl' and 'With You' during BET telethon.
By Eric Ditzian
Chris Brown performs at BET's "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" on Friday
Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images
More than three weeks after the earthquake in Haiti and following mammoth relief efforts by the music industry — from "Hope for Haiti Now" to "We Are the World" — artists again came out to raise money and awareness on Friday night (February 5). BET's "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" brought together Justin Bieber, Wyclef Jean and Diddy for an evening of performances at American Airlines Arena in Miami.
Around 9:30 p.m. ET, Chris Brown took the stage to perform two singles from his last two albums, Exclusive and Graffiti. Wearing a gray jacket and black pants, the R&B singer began by belting out "Crawl," one of his newer singles, beneath a collection of American flags.
The single is widely thought to be about his former girlfriend Rihanna, though the lyrics also at times seemed to fit the evening's focus, like when Brown sang, "If we crawl till we can walk again/ Then we'll run until we're strong enough to jump."
Brown infused a measure of live-show intensity to the proceedings. At times he ran across the stage while singing and paused to lead the audience in a group clap.
"We want to thank all y'all for coming out here tonight," Brown said as the song came to an end. "Do whatever y'all can to support. For you all watching at home, do whatever you can — donate!"
Then stripping off his jacket to reveal a short-sleeve black button-down, Brown busted into "With You," a cut from Exclusive. Produced by Norwegian heavyweights Stargate (the duo behind hits from Ne-Yo, Rihanna and Beyoncé), the song's lyrics — "I need you, boo" — were perhaps less apt for the occasion than "Crawl." But the energy in the performance was no less passionate. Pulling off spinning dance moves that at one point left the singer down on his knees, Brown pumped up the crowd.
To finish, Brown simply waved at the crowd and headed backstage, certainly hoping that his performance and thoughtful words might bring in much-needed donations. All funds raised at "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" will be donated to several charities, including Project Media Share, Yele Haiti, C.A.R.E. and Procter & Gamble's Children's Safe Water Program.
Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.
Related Videos
Related Photos
Related Artists
- 'SOS Saving Ourselves: Help For Haiti' Telethon Performance Highlights
Check out performance clips of Wyclef, Mary J. Blige and more.
Wyclef Jean performs at SOS Help For Haiti
Photo: BET
Related Artists
- Backstage Interviews At BET's 'SOS Saving Ourselves: Help For Haiti'
Watch stars unite to continue aid for Haiti backstage at BET's "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help For Haiti."
Photo: MTV News
Related Artists
- Mary J. Blige, Drake, Chris Brown Join Forces For BET's 'SOS Saving Ourselves: Help For Haiti' Tonight
Pharrell Williams, Justin Bieber, Wyclef and more are scheduled to participate in the telethon.
By Jayson Rodriguez
Drake
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
The talent roster for BET's "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" telethon continues to expand as the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams will join Diddy and Queen Latifah as co-hosts of the proceedings, while Drake, Chris Brown and Nas have been added to the performance slate.
Wyclef, Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson and Akon have also been added to the bill; Pete Wentz, Gloria Estefan and Trey Songz are scheduled to participate at the event, set to take place at American Airlines Arena in Miami on Friday (February 5).
The telecast will be broadcast on MTV, BET, VH1 and Centric beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Money raised will go to organizations providing immediate relief in Haiti, including Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti foundation, C.A.R.E. and Project MediShare. Tickets to the benefit will also be available on Ticketmaster.com and at the American Airlines Arena box office.
The event follows on the heels of George Clooney and MTV Networks' "Hope For Haiti Now" telethon that was watched by upwards of 83 million people and helped raise more than million in donations. Aid to Haiti is still needed following the devastating earthquake that struck the island last month. It was announced on Thursday that former U.S. President Bill Clinton, now a United Nations special envoy to Haiti, will visit the country to meet with government officials and deliver more supplies.
"More than three weeks after the earthquake, the relief efforts in Haiti have been increasing to meet staggering needs, but the long road to recovery has just begun," Clinton said in a statement, according to CNN.
In addition to the Wyclef, Hilson and Akon, other performances scheduled for "SOS Saving Ourselves: Help for Haiti" will include Pitbull, Damian Marley, Monica, India.Arie and Kirk Franklin. Common, David Banner, Missy Elliot, The-Dream and T-Pain will also participate.
Previously, Justin Bieber, Ludacris, Robin Thicke, and Mary J. Blige were announced as performers.
Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.
Related Artists
- Photos | MTV.com Exclusive: Chris Brown
- Chris Brown - Back To The Crib
- Chris Brown - Crawl
- Photos | Chris Brown In 'Crawl'
- Chris Brown - I Can Transform Ya featuring Lil Wayne & Swizz Beatz
- Photos | Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Fabolous, More Perform At Power 105.1's Powerhouse Concert
- Chris Brown - Drop It Low
Drop It Low
-
Artist: Chris Brown
- Label: Interscope Records, Zone 4, Inc., Harvey Mason Music
- Director: Joseph Kahn
- Photos | Chris Brown Receives His Sentencing In Los Angeles
- Photos | Chris Brown's Hollywood Video Shoot
- Photos | SPOTTED! Daily Celebrity Sightings
|
