Things haven't been going so well for former-chart topper Chris Brown. Ever since he was convicted for assaulting his famous ex-girlfriend Rihanna, Chris has been shunned and locked out of mainstream media events that were once courting his attendance two years ago. Even more frustratingly, Chris released a new album, "Graffiti," in December last year, but few people outside of his fanbase are giving his records any spins.
Chris has previously lashed out at retailers for what he alleged as "blackballing," but now he's begging his fans to help put him on the map again by requesting his songs on the radio. It's a courageous move and a sign of vulnerability from a singer who once thought he didn't have an anger problem, despite being convicted for felony assault. Maybe Chris is finally realizing the consequences his actions can have on his career.
Listen to Chris talk to his fans about his struggles and beg them to make him a relevant artist again.
Of course, that Chris even finds himself in this situation is completely his own doing. Though he laid low for a while after the Rihanna incident broke loose in the media, once he actually did start doing interviews, Chris couldn't be bothered with the details or a real mea culpa. He hated the "scandal" of the whole affair and was eager to jump right back to being one of the hottest, most in-demand male pop stars on the planet. Unfortunately for Chris, this isn't Oz and clicking his heels three times won't take him back to square one.
Without a lengthy period of contrition, remorse and redemption, the rapid album release smacked of entitlement and unaccountability. It was as though Chris felt his career was too big to be derailed, no matter how gory and awful the details of that night were. But in his eagerness to put back together the pieces of his career, he only further damaged it. Thanks to his impatience, Chris is on the verge of having a full-fledged flop album on his report card and it wouldn't be surprising if JIVE decided to part ways with the troubled singer after the book is officially closed on "Graffiti."
It's hard to say what, exactly, Chris can do to win back the public's trust, respect and love. But for starters he should put the idea of resuming life as a mega pop star on hold. His best bet is to fade to the background arenas of music production. He's proven himself to be an able songwriter, so he can take the Keri Hilson/Ne-Yo route and work with other singers for a year, maybe even two. After the dust has settled he can then try to re-emerge a wiser and changed man.
Chris might suffer withdrawls from the spotlight at first, but if he doesn't figure out how to win back the audience, he could remain in the dark for good. So it's important that Chris take his time and figure out how to do things right, not fast.
