Most of the headlines about Chris Brown in the past couple of years have been pretty negative. After the scandalous ending of his relationship with Rihanna and the allegations and highly publicized violent incidents, opinions about him are split, with some people who still support his music and those who are rightfully appalled by his behavior.All this bad press has led people to wonder whether he's recently decided to stay out of the spotlight. It seems reasonable, but it could also be that he's purposely being kept in the shadows.
The First Chris Brown Scandal
In 2009, Chris Brown went from being a critically acclaimed rapper to becoming well-known for his troubles with the law. Most readers will be familiar with the horrible turn his relationship with Rihanna took.
He was arrested for assault and pleaded guilty to a felony, and soon after the whole world knew the hell he had put Rihanna through during their relationship.
Not only that, but all the media attention made things terribly difficult for her even after they broke up for good because if she wasn't being criticized she was being asked about it and forced to relive it.
"It’s in the past, and I don’t want to say 'Get over it,' because it’s a very serious thing that is still relevant; it’s still real. A lot of women, a lot of young girls, are still going through it. A lot of young boys too. It’s not a subject to sweep under the rug, so I can’t just dismiss it like it wasn’t anything, or I don’t take it seriously. But, for me, and anyone who’s been a victim of domestic abuse, nobody wants to even remember it," she explained.
"Nobody even wants to admit it. So to talk about it and say it once, much less 200 times, is like… I have to be punished for it? It didn’t sit well with me."
There Are More Recent Charges Against Chris Brown
Chris Brown's conviction for assault in 2009 was not the last time he found himself on the wrong side of the law.
In the following years, he was charged with assault on several occasions (some of the charges were dropped), was involved in more than one violent incident, did actual jail time, and had a restraining order placed against him for domestic violence by an ex-girlfriend.
He has also been denied entry to a few countries due to his violent criminal past.
But the latest charge against him is one of the worst, if not the worst, he's ever faced. Brown was sued for $20 million by a woman who chooses to remain anonymous and claims that the rapper took her back to her yacht and assaulted her in 2020. Allegedly, Chris Brown also used substances to subdue the woman before he assaulted her.
"The woman says a friend FaceTimed her from Brown’s yacht on December 30, 2020, while she was vacationing in Miami, and Brown invited her during the call," Vulture reported.
"Later that day, she went on the yacht, where she says Brown gave her two drinks and allegedly assaulted her in a bedroom. She says she felt 'disoriented,' 'physically unstable,' and sleepy, per the lawsuit."
These claims have been denied by Brown and his team.
Is Chris Brown Purposely Keeping A Low Profile?
Despite not having dealt with too many consequences for all his legal troubles (he still has a successful career, supporters all over the world, and not a lot of legal repercussions), there are lots of people who are angry about Chris Brown's behavior and the lack of backlash for it.
This could not have been clearer at the American Music Awards. When he won an award for Best Male R&B Artist, a big part of the crowd booed, and Kelly Rowland, who was accepting the award on his behalf, had to quiet them down.
"Chris Brown is not here tonight, so I'm accepting this award on his behalf," she said before being interrupted. "Excuse me, chill out," she continued.
"But I want to tell Chris, thank you so much for making great R&B music, and I want to tell him thank you for being an incredible performer. I'll take this award, bring it to you. I love you. Congratulations, and congratulations to all the nominees in this category."
Rumors about the rapper keeping a low profile came up not only because of him not being there to receive the award but also because he was scheduled to perform a tribute to Michael Jackson, which was changed at the last minute.
The rapper complained about it on Instagram though, so it's safe to say it wasn't his doing, and afterward, the AMAs said it was all their doing, although they didn't mention his scandals being part of the decision.
"Live shows change all the time, it’s the nature of this business; unfortunately, this element of the AMAs didn’t come together as we couldn’t align on the performance, to no fault of Chris Brown," they said.