Despite Continued Abuses, More Young Women Artists Are Opting To Work With Chris Brown

From collaborations with new up-and-coming solo artists like Chlöe Bailey, to more settled artists in the industry like Normani and Summer Walker, the singer and performer Chris Brown hasn’t been lacking in work opportunities. In fact, the 33-year-old is thriving, with tour dates booked all over Europe and America and eager fans spending hundreds of dollars to see him. But how can the contentious entertainer still continue to thrive despite his recurring controversies, more specifically, his lengthy history of abusing women?

Earlier this month, the scorned artist took to Instagram to go on a rant about the resurfaced criticism he received due to his 2009 assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna. Chris said he wants critics to kiss his “f-king ass” if they “still hate” him for his “mistake” of violently beating his then-girlfriend Rihanna. He then added that people tune in to watch the turbulent relationship between rapper Blueface and his girlfriend, Chrisean Rock, who “beat the f-k out of each other in front of the world.”

“But that’s [sic] OK? It’s entertainment? ALL yall [sic] can suck my d**k disrespectfully.” he continued on his rampage.

But a quick Google search can easily reveal that his despicable attack on Rihanna wasn’t his only “mistake” and that the RnB star has a long list of assault allegations against him.

In 2017, a five-year restraining order was placed on him after his former girlfriend, Karrueche Tran exposed his physical aggression during their relationship and the violent texts and voicemails he sent after their break up in which he allegedly threatened to kill her (Brown declared the claims were BS, but with all the evidence in her favor, we side with Karrueche here.)

In 2019, the singer and two other accomplices were accused of aggravated rape, and they were taken into custody in Paris. In January 2022, Brown was struck with a $20 million lawsuit after he was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman on a yacht in Florida while they were at a party.

These are just a few examples, but there are many more instances of the singer resorting to physical violence against women or just all around being an unpleasant person, and this time around, his young age isn’t an excuse (not that it ever was).

Brown also has a long list of non-violent offenses that equally display his terrible character. The singer is known for making many anti-black, colorist, and texturist remarks. In 2019, he released the single “Need a stack,” where in the lyrics, he says, “Only wanna f*ck the black b*tches with the nice hair.” This line caused a lot of controversy in the black community, and a number of black women emerged to speak on the negative experiences they had with Brown, such as being told they were too dark to come to his parties.

It’s hard to ignore the hypocrisy of the female entertainers who claim to want to “empower women” but celebrate Chris Brown, who is literally known for beating up and abusing women.

Most recently, Chris Brown collaborated with Chlöe on their new single “How Does It Feel,” but people weren’t too happy about it, and Chlöe received a lot of flack for working with him.

As early as last year, singer Kelly Rowland defended Chris Brown when he was booed by the audience after she came to accept his award for Favorite Male R&B Artist at the AMAs. She claimed that Brown deserved “grace” and that “we all come up short.” Yet, in the past, Rowland has spoken at length about female empowerment and women supporting each other. Where is the support for the women he allegedly assaulted, then?

The only question left is, why do people continue to support him? There are plenty of talented male artists in the music world to choose from, so how does Chris Brown still manage to get picked after a long history full of controversy?

You could say it all boils down to one thing … good, old-fashioned misogyny—or, more specifically, misogynoir.

The simple, sad truth is that the world is more likely to turn a blind eye to abuse aimed toward black women and other women of color. And unfortunately, many successful black women in the industry continue to support him, helping him stay relevant.

(featured image: Helga Esteb/Shutterstock)