Warning: This post contains mentions of domestic abuse and rape, and may be triggering for some readers.

In 2009, US singer Chris Brown had the world at his feet.

He was working on his third album, and dating Rihanna, just as her music career began to take off. Fast forward a decade, Brown is now a dad and rumoured to be having another baby with a former partner.

He’s also a convicted felon who’s had two restraining orders granted against him, and in January, he was arrested in Paris on suspicion of rape. He was later released without charge.

And yet… he’s still a successful performing artist, with almost 60 million followers on Instagram.

It’s been quite a ride for the musician. Here’s everything we know about his many ups and downs.

 

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❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by CHRIS BROWN (@chrisbrownofficial) on May 26, 2019 at 11:43pm PDT

Crimes, legal battles, and violent behaviour

Brown has kept busy with bad behaviour over the last decade.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna, then his girlfriend, in 2009, in an incident that made headlines around the world. Brown was sentenced to five years’ probation, 180 days community labour and domestic violence counselling.

In June 2010, Brown was denied entry into the UK on the grounds of his criminal record.

In March 2011, he stormed off the set of Good Morning America and smashed a window in his dressing room after one of the hosts asked him about Rihanna.

In 2012, Brown was involved in a fight with Drake and his entourage at a New York City nightclub. Police investigated, but neither singer was arrested over the incident.

In early 2013, Brown was investigated over an altercation with Frank Ocean, but Ocean decided not to press charges.

In July of that same year, 1000 additional hours of community service were added to Brown’s probation terms after an alleged hit-and-run in Los Angeles.

Just three months later, Brown spent 36 hours in a Washington D.C jail for misdemeanour assault on a man who tried to take a photo with him.

Brown then entered rehab, and was made to stay even after completing his 90-day stint by a judge. The judge ruled that if he left before an April 2014 hearing, he would go immediately to jail.

In March 2014, Brown was removed from the rehab centre for violating its rules and sent to jail. He was released in June 2014.

In 2015, Brown was not able to leave the Philippines for a number of days after a fraud complaint was filed against him for a cancelled concert.

The next year, Brown was arrested in Los Angeles after a woman said he had pointed a gun at her. He was arrested and released from jail on $250,000 bond.

In 2016 singer Chris Brown spent nine hours in a standoff with police after he allegedly pulled a gun at a woman. Post continues below.

Ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran was granted a five-year restraining order against Brown in 2017, claiming he threatened to kill her and had abused her during their relationship.

In March 2018, photos surfaced showing Brown with his hands around a woman’s throat, though he insisted it was in jest.

In May that same year, Brown was sued by a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by his friends while at a party at his house in February 2017.

Last July, he was arrested on a charge of felony battery stemming from a 2017 Florida concert in which he allegedly punched a photographer. He was released on bail.

In December 2018, Brown was charged in Los Angeles with two misdemeanours for owning a pet monkey without a permit.

This January, he was arrested on suspicion of rape in Paris. The arrests were first reported by Closer magazine, which said Brown, his bodyguard and a friend were detained after a 24-year-old woman alleged she was raped at the singer’s suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

Brown strenuously denied the allegation on Instagram, sharing an image that read: “This b***h lyin’.

“I wanna make it perfectly clear … This is false and a whole lot of cap [sic].

“For my daughter and my family, this is so disrespectful and is against my character and morals.”

Romantic relationships

None of the above seems to have hindered Brown from moving on with his personal life – except for with Rihanna, of course.

On February 8, 2009, Brown and Rihanna had an argument whilst sitting in a car. It escalated to Brown assaulting the singer, punching her several times in the face. Her injuries were so severe, she required hospitalisation.

Brown was found guilty of assault, and Rihanna was granted a five-year restraining order against him.

In a video and in interviews, Brown expressed deep regret over his criminal behaviour.

In his 2017 film, Chris Brown: Welcome to my Life, he explained that he had lied to Rihanna about a previous girlfriend, and their relationship began to fall apart – leading to their argument in the car. He claimed violence in their relationship was mutual.

“From there, it just went downhill because there were too many verbal fights, physical fights as well. Mutual sides… We would fight each other.

“She would hit me, I would hit her and it never was OK.”

In 2009, the media had widely distributed a shocking photo of Rihanna’s battered face. In his documentary, Brown said: “I look back at that picture and I’m just like: that’s not me. I hate it to this day – that’s going to haunt me forever.”

Brown went on to date model Karrueche Tran in 2011 for several months.

In 2013, Rihanna and Brown briefly reconciled, and when they permanently separated, Brown resumed his relationship with Tran.

In 2015, the singer had a daughter, Royalty, with a woman named Nia Guzman, after which Tran ended her relationship with Brown.

The proud dad often shares photos of Royalty on his Instagram.

 

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My baby first day of school! ????❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️! Where has the time gone? SO PROUD OF YOU BOOBOO

A post shared by CHRIS BROWN (@chrisbrownofficial) on Aug 27, 2019 at 10:32am PDT

Tran subsequently received a restraining order against the singer because of threats he made against her life.

Brown was first linked to model Ammika Harris in 2015. In December 2019, Brown announced the birth of their son, Aeko Catori Brown, although the couple is no longer together.

Music career

Although many Rihanna fans would have deleted Brown’s music from their playlists, and some radio stations briefly dropped him in 2009, any backlash doesn’t seem to have hurt Brown’s music career in the long-term.

This week, Brown posted on Instagram that he had now sold almost 70 million singles in the United States, making him the seventh best-selling singles artist ever.

 

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A post shared by CHRIS BROWN (@chrisbrownofficial) on Aug 31, 2019 at 3:39am PDT

Brown’s chequered personal life, nor his criminal activities, have affected the way his fans feel about him, and they’ve proved that with their hard-earned money.

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.

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