Christopher Maurice Brown, Chris Brown is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Billboard reported that Brown is one of the most influential and successful R&B singers ever with several considering him the “King of R&B” alongside Usher and R. Kelly.

His musical style has been defined as polyhedric, with his R&B being characterized by several influences from other genres, mainly hip hop and pop music. His lyrics develop predominantly over themes of sex, lovesickness, regret, romantic love, fast life, desire, and the difficulty of managing emotions.

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Being described by media outlets and critics as one of the biggest talents of his time in urban music, Brown gained a cult following, and wide comparisons to Michael Jackson for his stage presence as a singer-dancer.

Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age. Having signed with Jive Records in 2004, Brown released his self-titled debut studio album the following year, which became certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

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With his first single “Run It!” peaking atop the Billboard Hot 100, the singer became the first male artist since 1995 to have his debut single top the chart. His second album, Exclusive (2007), reached an even bigger commercial success worldwide, also spawning his second Billboard Hot 100 number one “Kiss Kiss”. In 2009, Brown pled guilty to felony assault of his then girlfriend, singer Rihanna.

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In the same year of the episode there was the release of his third album Graffiti, which was considered to be a commercial failure compared to his previous works. Following Graffiti, Brown’s fourth album F.A.M.E. (2011) became one of his biggest successes, being his first to top the Billboard 200, containing internationally successful singles such as “Yeah 3x”, “Look at Me Now” and “Beautiful People”, also earning him the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

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From 2007 to 2009, Brown dated singer Rihanna until their highly publicised domestic violence case. His emotional state following the happening was the theme of a big part of his album Graffiti. 

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In 2011, Brown began dating Karrueche Tran, who at the time was a personal shopper. In October 2012, Brown announced that he ended his relationship with Tran because he did not “want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna.”