Club Shay Shay - Chris Brown

Episode Date: September 13, 2023

Chris Brown sits down with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay for a conversation that spans both the entertainment and sports worlds. Chris shares stories from his Grammy-winning career such as going on tour with Beyoncé, writing music for Rihanna and not being able to perform at the Grammys. Shannon can’t let Chris on without talking sports; Chris talks Zion Williamson’s girl problems, gives advice to Ja Morant, reveals if he's a better basketball player than J. Cole, and Kyrie Irving being his favorite basketball player. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Make sure to listen to the Good Morning Football podcast Monday through Friday on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Mike Wright from the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty podcast. You heard that right. the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast. You heard that right. The Fantasy Footballers have officially entered the Dynasty space. Every week, we bring you the same in-depth analysis and entertainment

you've come to expect from the Fantasy Footballers, only now it's from the Dynasty perspective. Join me and the rest of the crew every Wednesday for a new episode. Listen to the Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You own your Masters. Yeah. And you were one of the youngest to ever do that at the age of 29.

Would you ever, I mean, you see a lot of artists selling their catalog. Is that something Chris Brown would look to do in the future? I don't think I would because I feel like as a black artist, that's what we've been wanting forever. To be able to get that. Get our masters. Right. So for me to be able to do that and be one of the first young cats to do it, it's like, oh, I'll beat the game. But I feel like I wouldn't do it at this point because that's something my children's children's children can't eat up. Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Che Che.

I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Che Che. And for today, we have a very special edition of Club Che Che. We're on the road. He's one of the most accomplished R&B performers and hit makers of his era. He surpassed Elvis Presley for the most gold certified singles and Billboard Hot 100 entries among all male vocals in history. The first male singer to have 20 platinum singles. The first R&B singer in history to own 100 Hot 100 hits. One of the highest grossing African American touring artists of all times. One of the highest grossing African-American touring artists of all times. One of the best-selling digital artists of all time.

A Grammy Award winner, global superstar, songwriter, dancer, actor, producer, entrepreneur, author, father. Some call him the king of R&B. When they say R&B is dead, I say check this man's resume. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Brown. What's up, man? Man, it was a long time coming. Man, Jacque's the king of R&B, man. Yeah, Jacque.

I'm going to let him keep that title. You're going to let him keep that. You're going to let him keep that. Little bro got it. Bro, how you doing? I'm great, man. Man, you know, before I start every show, I always, bro, I have my own cognac. I brought you, I gift you a box.

Thank you, thank you. But I want you to try it. Come on, let's get it. Let's do it. Oh, I was about to do it. Okay, come on. You. Let's do it. Oh, I was about to do that? Okay, come on. You can open it if you want to. I'm going to save that for later.

Okay. I don't want to be too saucy. Hold on, hold on, hold on. We got to get a toast for it. We got to get a toast for it. We got to get a toast for it. Bro, continued success. Thank you so much.

Congrats on everything you've done so much more to accomplish i appreciate you it's smooth smooth you like that you have that something you can yeah i don't like when it be like yeah it's easy you don't got that burn do it nice and smooth yep y'all heard you heard the man it's smooth bro how you doing i'm great man i'm great great I got it. Nice and smooth. Yep. Y'all heard? You heard the man. Yeah, smooth. Bro, how you doing? I'm great, man.

I'm great. Great? Yeah. Man, I really appreciate you taking time. Jaquese reached out and said, man, Chris Brown's manager trying to get in touch with you. Do you mind if I give him your number? I was like, sure, no problem. And I'm like, because you and I, we had talked a little bit before. And you was like, I'm going overseas.

When I get back, let's do it. Yeah. I said, this man, bitch, I see he ain't gonna find time I got to man I got it it would happen so quick cuz this is like a week yes we did I thought you like are we gonna do it in July August he said nah we're gonna do it in a week yeah I had to come through because I don't like to skip out on my promises man no we talked I was like now I got you I saw you you did you say you have it you got me so let's

let's talk about what you got going on um before we get to that basketball i know you love basketball yeah uh ron artest said he believed had you not chosen the music path you could have been an nba player yeah uh with a lot more discipline i think i think i definitely think i could have uh pursued it. I really loved it. I still love the game. I play all the time. As far as training and having to get conditioned, I think I could have did it.

I think this profession kind of made me like that. Allowed you to do kind of on your schedule as opposed to someone else's schedule. Yeah, so I got to kind of even get acclimated in being a team player. Right. You know what I'm saying? Because when I hear everybody snoop dog, I hear a lot of the NBA players, they're like, okay, what rapper could really hoop? I'm talking about really, really hoop.

The first two names come up, you and J. Cole. Yeah. So, one-on-one, who win? Well, right now, I mean, J. Cole, I got to give him his credit because he's improved his basketball game. I know you work with a couple of other guys that I work with too as far as like basketball training, but he's amazing. I'm still not going to doubt me now.

Yeah. You know, so give me like a week of practice and then I think I got him. I left a couple of guys out. Drake, he be hooping, Lil Durk. Down with them. Oh, you like him. No, this is right. If you and J. oh, I think I'm gonna get Jake hold up We can make that happen. I love I love that. I'm saying it humbly though

Cuz they call this is because I watch kind of watch both of you guys in the celebrity games at the NBA All-Star Game See you play a couple times with some real players. Yeah, you you for real guy game Yeah, if I'm if I'm serious about I play most of the time I try to just have fun All-Star game. Seen you play a couple times with some real players. You for real got game. Yeah, if I'm serious about it, I play. Most of the time, I try to just have fun. But I'm not taking the L.

I got to do that. How much do we need to put up to make sure you take it serious? If we put up 100,000, we'll take all. Oh, no, I'm in there. That's mine. I'm taking that.

That's mine. That's mine. So Cole got no chance. I mean taking that. It's mine. It's mine. So Cole got no chance. I mean, nah. Nah. So if you were to say, if you're an NBA, your game, Chris Brown, your game reminds you, me of what NBA player? You know what's funny, bro?

A long time ago, when I used to play, a lot of my homies, they was like, you look like CJ McCullough ago, when I used to play, a lot of my homies, they was like, you look like CJ McCullough. Okay. And I was like, why? And then I looked at some of his high school pitches and then some of his games. He's long, lanky, played like me. So I was like, I mean, I'll take that.

Right. Any NBA player, I would take. You would take. That's a hard profession to get into. Right. Did you hoop in high school? Yes. Definitely hooped in high school.

I actually played varsity on the JV squad, but, you know, as a bring-on. Right. But I was always playing with older guys at a young age. When I was like 10, 11 years old, my dad used to take me to the gym and drop me off. He's like, look, I don't care. Get in the game. I don't care how old he is. Get in the game. Right.

And I'm playing with grown men, 27, 30-year-olds. So what's your favorite NBA team? Favorite NBA team, man, I'm in L.A. right now. I wish my Lakers could, yeah, you know, I really want LeBron and them to really do something, man, and make some history happen. But I'm such a fan of the game and certain areas or certain different teams that it's hard for me to be like, hey, I'm this team all the way, you know, because it's like, dang, I'm friends with this guy on this team.

Me and him have a personal relationship, so I'm rooting for him. Right. And then on this side, so whoever wins, the best player wins, but yeah. Who's your favorite player? Favorite player, Kyrie. You like Kyrie? Kyrie, Kyrie. He's one of my closest friends, too.

But as far as seeing him play, being around him, playing with him, he's probably one of the most phenomenal guys when it comes to the English on that backboard. So what do you like so much about Kyrie's game? His tenacity. He's aggressive, but he's graceful. Right. And I think he makes other players better. Right.

I think he's getting into that consciousness of saying, hey, look, we got to do this together. So I think he brings out a lot of spunk and a lot of real talent out of a lot of players that probably already knew they had it. But he encourages that. I know you follow the game closely, so you see some of the trades that transpired. You see Bradley Beal goes from the Wizards, goes to the Phoenix Suns. So now he pairs with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. You see Chris Paul gets traded. He gets moved again.

Now he goes to the Golden State Warriors to go with Steph, Draymond, and potentially Draymond. Draymond's an unrestricted free agent. You see Jordan Poole go to the wizard. So you think this is Kevin Durant's opportunity now to get a ring away from Golden State? I thought it was this time. You thought it was this time? I thought it was this time.

But I think it's up in the air. I think Chris going to Golden State, man, that's a good place for him. I just want him to get a ring. Right. I like Chris been doing this thing for a while, but I just want him to get a ring. Right. I like Chris been doing this thing for a while, but I really want him to get a ring. But I think KD is like, you know, they're going to be coming. They're going to be coming. Would you like to see Chris Paul on the Lakers?

He would have been a good asset, but I feel like he would have, you know, there's two type of players. There's the coach's player and then there's the, okay, there's the militant or the follower. So I feel like he would help and assist in them getting it together. Like, you know, bringing them all in. Right. Making sure from even from Anthony Davis to, hey, look, we got to do this. Y'all make sure y'all stop this. He's going to, he has that tenacity.

Right. So I feel like him and him and LeBronBron, I think they would have paired up. I don't think they would have clashed. What about a Kyrie LeBron reunion? I would love it. I would love it. I think. Here in L.A. or you want LeBron to go to Dallas?

Nah. It's got to happen in L.A., huh? Yeah, it's got to be in L.A. I would love to see them paired up. I think their chemistry is undeniable. And I think seeing those two guys in motion is just going to spark a whole other uprise in those guys. So I feel like that's what I want to see. I don't know what Kyle wants to do, man, but I would love to see that.

I want to get your take on this. You've been in the spotlight man basically your whole life i mean since you're probably 12 or 13 yeah and you get zion williamson who's been in the spotlight since he's probably 15 16 yeah and you see the issue he having with girl what advice would you give him how would you tell him to navigate this situation he's in it now yeah there's there's there you can't turn it back he has a girl he has one young lady pregnant. He's welcoming a child. And then you have this other one over here just putting all his business out. I mean, it's hard out here.

I would just pray for Zion, man. I feel like, hey, man. Is that what he's in need of, prayer? Just pray and, you know, be the best man you can be at that point. You know, I'm blessed to have three children, three different baby moms. But at the same time, the relationship that I built with them and the energy that I kind of come with is a little bit more. I don't know. I'm an R&B guy, so I'm a little bit more subtle with it.

Is it hard? It's very hard. But you got to also watch out. It's like, you know, we all want to be in the same spots, the same places, the clubs. We want to be, to this day, still want to see some beautiful women. But at the same time, you just got to be mindful of the certain company you will keep or the traps that will set themselves. As athletes, I'm pretty sure that the guys on the team probably give him real pep talk. Look, you can't do this.

But on the road, on our end, it's a little bit different, but I understand what he's going through. So he just got to hold his head together, man. Hold your head. So hopefully he's learned from some of the

mistakes that he has made. Because I'm sure this social media is a different animal. Man, animal, animal. I'm engaged with the social media stuff, but I try to stay away. My fans are always asking, why are you never posting selfies? I'm like, sometimes. I just be wanting to chill. You want to get away from that.

Yeah, sometimes you need that peace of mind. So I feel like in this era, it's so easy to contact someone yeah you know so so if you so even if they made it too excessive too accessible you can scroll down your explore page and you're like oh man hold on and just say hey and they hit you back and it's like you can say that most people can't say that they gonna say bye you can say hi can say, is this really you? You say yes. Yes, you got to use that vanish mode. So that thing disappears after a couple of days.

Definitely, definitely. Let me ask you this. Obviously, the John Morant, he was suspended for the first 25 games of the season. Yeah. If you could see, if John jaw sitting right where i'm sitting yeah and you could talk to it what would you say i mean i don't know what i what i would say because because i also look at my life and i and i kind of look at it as a mirror with certain things especially when it comes to like uh being in and shunned in a certain negative spotlight i i feel

like he's he's gonna i mean everybody learns man he's he's young and spotlight. I feel like he's going, I mean, everybody learns, man. He's young. But I feel like he's, you know, people make mistakes. You know, sometimes we make continuous mistakes. Right, right. But, you know, I feel like I can't tell him how to write his story or find his path. I would just say just do what you came in to do right i would that's all i can

say you try to surround yourself with as many good people yeah as you possibly can yeah and if you feel somebody is not adding yeah you have to remove them yeah has there been a situation where you felt someone was not adding to chris brown they were taking 100% that you had to like bro I'm sorry but I've got to stop the ride here you have to get off yes absolutely absolutely through the years is it hard it's very hard because you build relationships with people and you have and you have like brotherhoods with people people people state like when you're on the road you got people with you every day or and you know some some people I'm a family first type of guy

yes but family doesn't necessarily mean have to be biologically right it's not necessarily blood because sometimes blood yeah you know so i feel like i i have a i have a nice entourage or a nice group of people now that that are for me that understand the the bigger goal right you know so i think now it was very it was very hard for me because I would hang out with, we'd be with gang bangers, we'd be with the wrong type of people, you would be with just people that don't go with the life path that you might want to choose. Correct. So I feel like, but you kind of start absorbing their energy. So if it doesn't benefit you,

I feel like you really have to kind of like separate yourself and I was my children were able to kind of like get me out of that so it was the kids for you for me per se yes definitely my kids because it made me have a real responsibility like I could be reckless without what there's no one to care for but you know my children responsibility yeah so it kind of made me start thinking yeah and that sees what chris is doing yeah what sees what daddy's doing yeah so you feel that had you not had kids you might have been on a different path possibly possibly i might have been a lot more uh careless careless because i was i was reckless i was definitely I've been reckless when I was young, a lot.

Rob Markman That's still young, Chris. You know that, right? Chris Yung Yeah, but I'm talking about 1920, 21. I was feeling myself, you know? So I think now I'm able to be appreciative of like, let's say if people like a song I have or people listen to my music, you know what, I really like that song. I really feel it and be like, for real? Oh, thank you.

And it's a real thank you, it's not like, oh, all right. So I think my kids made me kinda like see other aspects that were fun in life, but I'm still able to have my career of the lifestyle that I live, but maintain it in a better balance. Do your kids make you appreciate more of life? Yeah, they make me appreciate the stuff that I used to do when I was a kid cuz they do everything that I used to do when I was a kid so and then being able to talk to them like my dad would tell me certain things but there will be kind

of there will be limitations on it I feel like I'm just like hey let me tell you this because cuz you're gonna because I know you're gonna do this right let me explain to you early so it's a little different like my kids are definitely my friends until I have to be their father right old old old right like older and I'm like look okay look you can't be doing it right now right now I'm in the fun stages right yeah so how difficult is it for your kids considering your parents didn't have what you have so how difficult is it gonna be for you to rear your kids compared to how your parents read you

the funniest thing for that is that I love the people that I have around but I always tell tell my mom I tell their moms I'm like look I didn't have none of this like but I still had so much fun as a as a child my mom and my father they they allow me to be like kids need things now though chris to be happy oh they you didn't need i spoil them now i spoil them now okay but i i always joke with my oldest daughter and i'm like look i'm finna take you to the hood you finna go and learn all and stay over there with your cousins for a couple weekends right just so you just so you nothing is handed to you i want you to understand like i want you to be just as sweet how my mother is and how my mother instilled in me you know what i'm saying but at the same

time find yourself love life and don't you don't have to follow in daddy's footsteps right like if they want to sing great if they want to perform entertain business right perfect but i'm just as happy if they want to do anything else with when you were growing up let's just say for the sake of argument you're seven eight seven to ten years old what did chris brown want to be seven eight man i i'm not gonna lie at that time i love so i love music so much but it was kind of like my own personal like okay nobody really knows i love this music like this i really wanted to like play sports i wanted i wanted to be an nba did you play football yes definitely play football uh ninth grade i'll be real with you like my ninth grade year, I broke my wrist in both bones.

I snapped it. Boom. Catching the, I was wide receiver. But I caught a pass. Boom. I'm right at the 10-yard line. My cousin that plays on the other team hits me, breaks my arm. He broke your wrist?

Broke my wrist. It was done. Cubs, how you do me like this? Man, I was like, what you doing? He was apologizing and everything. And we went undefeated there. Y'all was so mad. But what happened was it kind of almost prohibited me from playing basketball.

So I was like, you know what? I might need to, if I really want to do the basketball, I'm in there. Yeah, get a football. Yeah, I'm going to get a football. But I love football, though. Still love football. You have a team? You have a player?

Favorite player? You know, I'm from Virginia, so it's a whole bunch of, it's either the Redskins or you the Cowboys. Yeah. You know, because we don't really, you know, Virginia, we don't really have a football team. You don't have a team, for example. But in my household, it was the Redskins or it was the Cowboys,

and they used to argue. Yeah. So you like the Cowboys? How do you like the Cowboys? Hold on. If you from that area, if you from the D.C., the Maryland, the Virginia, you hate the Cowboys. Nah, nah, nah.

In our household, they love the Cowboys. They love the Cowboys? Yeah, they love the Cowboys. Y'all had to be undercover Cowboys. Yeah, put big coats on. Big coats. Don't wear the jersey to the game. So 7A, you're like, okay, I think it really... So when did you start to take music serious and say, you know what?

This basketball thing got to take a backseat. I was actually doing music secretively. I was doing like nobody in my school knew that I kind of like did music. They know I could sing and things like that. But I would be in basketball practice. I'm saying 8th, 9th grade, basketball practice, 6.30, then drive an hour away, go to the studio and be there until maybe, let's say, 3 in the morning and then got to get back and go back to school.

So I was doing that a while. Rob Markman, Wow. But I had met these producers, a couple guys that were from the area, and I was like, no, I'm serious about it. So I was a little nervous because I never really recorded and did stuff like that so my first time actually doing it i was i was kind of like just wet behind the ears like hey man what are we gonna do like how do i do this like am i do i even sound good right but i knew i i had it in me to do it so i just was like this is this is kind of calling me faster than i think the other thing right yeah so but how was but how was it, like, given so much,

you're a child superstar, and the expectations that come along with that? Man, I was kind of still in bliss. Like, when I was, like, 15, 14, my first song came out, I was kind of, like, shocked. So everything was new. So I kind of had tough skin because I was you know I wanted to I was ready for it so where they had to be

doing hours and hours of van rides from from the east of the west coast or you know going to do the Bible Belt doing every interview every radio station I did it was something I wanted to do I feel like I felt like it was my calling like and I'm from a small town so I I was like, how did I even get here every step of the way? So I was appreciative. I was ready for it. Did you do talent shows going up? I think I did one actual talent show.

It was at summer camp. Oh, okay. It was at a summer camp I did. You better have a one. Oh, I won. Okay, I was going to say, because somebody got bragging rights. Yeah, I know. I definitely won, and I did.

It's funny. I did Thong Song, Cisco. Oh, man. Bro, I had two, like, my little homegirl dancers. I had to be like, bro, I had to have been seven, like seven or eight. Oh. I hope that was at the end of the week camp but not the beginning of the week because they're probably gonna see you home oh no no they the the the camp leaders they they laughed

but everybody kind of went crazy in there and i was like i think i might can do this right you know but that was my first actual talent show i didn't really like i used to go to the mall and sing i used to go to the mall like my homeboys would go come with me like the weekend would go drive up to the mall and be like and they'll see a group of girls and you know, I'm like the food course is her mom Yeah, I was like, you know it They might you know, just sing and I'll sing Mario. I'll sing somebody song that's hot on the radio usher song Like so and they would they would be like hey, what's your name? Okay, we good Okay, I got we could do this. We can do this every weekend. Let's do it. So you were staying in the mall to get the girls?

Yeah, absolutely. 100%. It worked every time? Yeah, it worked every time. Unless they were too grown. They'd be like, y'all some little boys. We can't mess with y'all. So what have you learned?

What would the 33, I think you're 33, about to be 34. No, I just turned 34. You just turned 34. What would the 34-year-old tell the 15 to 23-year-old Chris Brown? 15 to 23-year-old. What would the 34-year-old tell him? I would say, I never thought about that. That's crazy. I think I would tell him, be humble.

The road ahead isn't the end. It's just the beginning. But be humble in everything you do. It says you were discovered at your dad's gas station. Yeah, kind of, yeah. So how did that go? Okay, your dad said you had to put the soul did you wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast nfl daily with greg rosenthal

five days a week you'll get all the latest news previews recaps and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee no dumb hot takes here just smart hot takes we'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen.

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Moneyball, The Blind Side, and Liar's Poker. On every season of my podcast, Against the Rules, I take a broad look at various characters in American life. The referee, the coach, the expert. My next season's all about fans and what the rise of sports betting is doing to them, to the teams, and even to my family. I'm heading to Las Vegas and New Jersey and beyond to understand America's newest form of legalized gambling.

Listen to Against the Rules on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Pump gas or you just at the gas station with your dad and you just singing and people like, man. Yeah, I used to help my dad. I used to go there after school and then uh you know certain people come in he was like hey i'm uh does anybody in this town like do music town or anything and then and i was just listening to the guy and my dad was like my son sings and so he basically gave us like uh his contact information and through him

i met the producers and the people who actually got me to you know Get to New York and meeting the record labels So a lot of a lot of that a lot of that time that was kind of like a four-year process But that kind of started right? That's how I was discovered. So I mean Teddy Riley from your area area Timberland Magoo Missy oh you ain't you for real? Yeah, you ain't bumping another deal, mate? No, because Virginia is so big. I'm sure, like, Virginia is big and it's different places. Where I'm from is maybe like, I want to say, an hour and a half away from where they are.

Okay. You know, and then we don't have like musical centers or performing arts stuff that we can showcase our talent. Virginia is really like a sports, you know, state. So I feel like We were kind of like The rose in the concrete Right I feel like everybody I think everybody was kind of like

Oh you made it Man it's amazing Right But you know The surprise Yeah Teddy Raleigh and all them They kind of started it off Because Virginia Beach kind of was

Yeah Was I remember my moms and aunts Pumped in the park Man they going They said we going down there For the weekend We'll never be able to go R Man, they said, we going down there for the weekend. We'll never be able to go.

Rump shaker. Man, they was going out there probably wilding. Mama, I hope you won't. She was. I appreciate it. So when you tell your parents you're dropping out of high school. Yeah. Did they say, boy, you crazy?

Well, I kind of made it sound nice. Okay. I said, Mama mama I got this opportunity I remember being in the phone I was in New York but I was in the record label's office But I went to the bathroom and I said mom I really think I got a record deal I said but I'm not going to get out of school

They'll give me a tutor So I actually finished school But it took me Instead of me finishing It took me like two years Because finishing. When you're supposed to. Yeah, I left. It took me like two years because I was doing, I was on the road. I was working. Right.

My ninth and 10th grade, I left my 10th grade year. And that's when my single came out. Right. So I was supposed to be class of 07, but I ended up becoming class of 09 because I had to wait. Why was you, what made you bet on yourself? Why were you so sure that this was the opportunity that was too good to pass to pass up and i'm willing to like you know what forego my final two years i feel like the dream i don't i never lost that um when they be like what you want to be when you

when you grow up and you still have those those uh grandiose ambitions i felt like the light bulb was clinking like hey this is that. You've been asking for this. This was your asking for a go. And look where we are in this situation. Like, my family didn't have money at all. So it was like I wanted to do better than my whole, like, before me and before them. You know what I'm saying? I wanted to be able to say, you know what?

I did this out of everybody in my family right everybody in my town everything you know I saw I saw the opportunity to make it a better opportunity for them and definitely make a better opportunity for my mom you leave you move to New York New York is really really different than Virginia yeah they didn't get lonely did you get homesick did you say damn I don't I don't know if I did the right thing here? You know what? It was fun because of the freedom. My mom didn't know at first because a lot of the times I would go on a Greyhound from Virginia and go all the way to Harlem.

You were by yourself? No, I would be with the guys who were in the production team. Okay, okay. And they had a son. He's my brother to this day. But we were the same age So he kind of showed me the ropes right and he and he grew right up in in in Middle Harlem So I'm like I was kind of it was a cautious shot It was like man, I felt so green like I felt so out of it right and I would speak to people I would go and see me be like hey, how y'all doing?

You got me from the south yeah so i had to i had to really kind of like get acclimated but over over about a uh three month period i kind of started started finding my way and i think that kind of made me be adaptable in in every situation and being an artist going whether it be belgium whether it be london aust London Australia like I'm able to be presentable in a room right amongst different cultures and ethnicities whatever nice that you think this wasn't gonna happen yeah all the time all the time I feel like a lot of like a lot of people don't see knows that everybody gets like like they just see the success and right and they don't think that it takes hard work and they just got discovered you and they don't think that it takes hard work. Because they think you just got discovered.

You went to this place and then boom, it blew up. Yeah. Like it would sound like that if it was written in a, you know, fairytale story. But a lot of hard work, a lot of late nights, sleepless nights, stressful nights, crying in the studio. Right. Not thinking I'm good enough like as a younger artist. But yeah, a lot of that. But I think like I could, I didn't let that doubt overshadow the dream.

I feel like my heart was in it, so I was ready for anything. Even to this day, my heart and my passion is in what I do. It's still there. Yeah, so I feel like that's what, I guess, keeps me consistent or keeps people interested or engaged in my music. Right. Def Jam, you get a contract offer from Def Jam. They offer you a contract on the spot, and you turned it down.

Why did you turn it down? The numbers? What made Chris Brown? Because this is your opportunity. This is Def Jam. This ain't no glass of music. This is Def Jam. And they offer you a contract, Chris,

and you say, nah, I'm good. I'm country. The man went and talked to my mama. Huh? So basically, he wanted me to, basically, like with the production guys. I'm not going to say the executive name because I love him to this day.

I'm never going to expose him. But I wanted to get him on the phone with my mom and be like, okay, cool. So could you explain this to my mom what's going on? You know, I think I'm 14 at the time. So, yeah, 14, just turned 14. And my production crew was there, but, you know, they're my handlers at that time. But, you know, at the same time, we're all in the same excitement.

But I just wanted to make sense. My mom is, her word is. She's an adult. Yeah, she is. Tell her what you're telling me. I'm a mama boy, so you just wanted to make sense my mom is her word is she's an adult. Yes She's all right. Tell her I'm the mama boy. So you got to tell talk to my mom, right? So as soon as that happened, oh, he was like, I don't need that We're good and I and I kind of didn't like I didn't like what that I felt like they wanted to get over Like I was you know, I wasn't I wasn't green. I was very street smart. So I just was like, well, why wouldn't you just... Right.

I'm not saying, hey, say hi to my mama, such and such. No, just tell her what you're telling me. Exactly. So that kind of made me kind of have reservations. But then Tina Davis, who was my manager at the time, she was working at Def Jam. Right. I think they had a merger, so she went her separate ways. Right.

But I had learned so much from her, even from going into the different meetings, how to prep, how to be ready to perform. So I was like, you know what? I need someone like that that can show me that because I'm just going off the raw music at this point. So she was able to, I was like, Tina, would you mind managing me? And so she was like, cool, let's do it. would you mind managing me and so she was like cool let's do it and from there she actually got me uh all the other other deals or other other uh sit-ins with the labels that i was sitting with so yeah did he turn you down yeah yeah so how did that meeting go so so what so how did the meeting go and then what did he say why did he turn you down and this was this is probably maybe two or

three years prior okay so i was like 11 or 12 okay at this time um the same kid that i said that showed me the ropes in new york yeah he he me and him had songs it was like a group so me and him had different like uh songs that we would do together and i would do solo songs so we both got to audition he's like all right cool let's go let's go and meet him and let's go sing. So we went in there together. He was like, cool. We did the song that we have together and I'm singing on the chorus. And so he was just like, cool, cool. Yeah, I talked to y'all. You know, he, yeah. Can you go outside for a second? We're going to just talk. It was like, nah, we don't want him. They didn't want you no they want me so i was like as a 12 13 year old i was in that elevator probably

crying like a mug so i just knew who did he was right of course of course and at the pinnacle i'm like man i'm first of all just excited just to meet them yeah like so being in the room kind of made me uh made me like shaky so i probably was nervous and singing crazy but at the same time he's like oh yeah i'm gonna pass on that right so i was kind of i was like you know what i'm gonna show him like so that was my that was my uh my motivation to keep going too it's so because knowing who diddy was yeah for diddy to say nah you need to go on outside it probably would be like a basketball player saying phil jackson saying nah go away you know one of these prominent coaches saying nah bro you're not i don't think you're good enough yeah so you go so you're on the elevator what are you thinking like am i not good enough because p diddy

just told me like nah of course course, of course, of course. I was definitely in the elevator like, man, this might be it for me. You know, because when you're a kid, you think anything that's over is over. But I think I just took that motivation, me and my homeboy, we just was like, you know what? Let's just keep going back in the studio. Let's just make more songs. Let's get better.

We just started. So I think, but I thank Puff for that, man. I appreciate it, though, because that made me get on my grind. You say you hired Tina Davis as your business manager. What did you learn from her? I learned everything from media training to how to be presentable in a room, how to speak to people, how to listen to people. I was so country and like, hey, what's up, y'all? I'm just loud.

So I feel like she guided me through a lot of the music industry, the business of how it works, meeting PDs, program directors, and going to different radio stations, teaching me how to have showmanship. Rob Markman, Jr.: She was like, nah. She used to tell me, because Neo's a good friend of mine as well, and she worked with Neo before, so she was like, nah, uh-uh, you don't got showmanship like Neo. And I was like, huh what what am i not doing so i would have uh just rehearsals but not even dancers just rehearsals of me just figuring out how to be me on stage or what what was me when i get on stage right you know so when you hear that first song you hear it come on

the radio what's going through your mind man i, I'm cussing, first of all. I'm in the basement, so my mama don't hear me, but I'm cussing. I remember I had a spot in Jersey because right when I signed my deal, I wasn't out of school yet, but they had to push me. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis

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with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or Liar's Poker. On every season of my podcast, Against the Rules, I take a broad look at various characters in American life. The referee, the coach, the expert. My next season's all about fans and what the rise of sports betting is doing to them, to the teams, and even to my family. I'm heading to Las Vegas and New Jersey and beyond to understand America's newest form of legalized gambling. Listen to Against the Rules on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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I could be closer to the label to start working. Right. So I was still doing school in the gym and I had just left them and I was like, yeah, I'm about to be on the radio. Everybody's like,

man, you ain't on the radio. What you talking about? So then when they say, I remember the song came on, my cousins was calling me like, bro, they playing you on the radio, bro. And I'm like, you lying. And I remember I turned it on.

I think I sat in a corner and was like, and yelled for like five minutes straight. Like, I felt it was the best feeling. Like, I still feel like that when I hear my songs on the radio now. It's not the same as excitement, but it's still the same. It's still that first time in it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's definitely, definitely. Run It made you the first artist since 95 to have a debut single to top the charts. Man, man. Did you know that song? I mean, obviously it was the first song that was released, but did you know that song would forever change your life? No, no. I'm going to be real. When I did that song, we were in Miami.

Hit Factory, Scott Storch, Sean Garrett. And I was just learning. I was a student. Because this was my first ever album. So any producer I would meet, I'm just soaking it all in. So I'm scared. I'm thinking, I don't sound good. I don't know if they...

Do I sound good? I don't know if they, do I sound good? I hate, I don't know if I like the song because I was too nervous in my head. But then it was like, nah, this is the one. But I knew I wanted to dance in it. Right. The music was bumping. So I was like, look, I want to dance. I just want to showcase this.

But I didn't know. I think I never had an expectation that it would have the success that it put me at. Right. You know? So what's your favorite song? Of all the songs you've done, what's your favorite song? And give me your top three. My top three.

Man. It's so hard for me because I have, just to be honest, I have about 15,000 unreleased songs, right? What? Yeah. I got like, in my phone alone, like in certain apps, I have, I want to say maybe 1,800. Just 1,800 to like, yeah. So obviously we're in your studio. Yeah.

So you'll come down here like, you know, and just crank out songs. Yeah. Yeah. It was a point where I used to stay in the studio. Like, when I was doing a lot of my earlier albums, I had to learn. But around, I want to say around the Fame album and certain stuff like that, I was kind of like in my zone. I knew what I wanted. Yeah, okay, using your bag.

Yeah. So, even for me now, I put the studio in my house because I can draw inspiration faster. If I think of something, if I think of an idea, like, oh, I got an idea for this song, I don't have to wait or set up the studio and be like, okay, I got to go to the studio now. So if you're in your bed at night and you think of something, you just come down here and just... Yeah, it depends because I make sure my engineers are awake. If it's like 5, 6 in the morning, I'm like, man, I'll just do it in the morning. But maybe if it's midnight, I'm like, hey, man, you up?

Let's do it. Wow. So 18,000 unreleased songs. I mean, how do you get to 18? How do you get to like 100? OK, somebody said, well, I got like 20. I got 50 unreleased songs. But you're saying in some of your your apps you have 1,800.

Yeah. So you just like go days, months, years where you just record. Yeah. I literally recorded like four songs yesterday. But I did like, I do it in spurts. So sometimes, some days I'll just relax. I might do one song. But then some days it's just like we just, because I feel like it's like sharpening your sword, man.

Like being better at your craft, like shooting, getting your jump shots. Right. Like I feel like I don't want to be complacent and thinking I got it all figured out. Right. I never want to think that, oh, yeah, I'm Chris Brown, so whatever I put out is going to be great. I want to make sure it is, you know? Are there any songs that you wrote for an artist that if people actually knew you wrote it they would be surprised um I think back in the day they did I wrote a I wrote a lot of couple pop records I wrote a couple

Jonas Brothers songs I wrote a couple uh well I wrote a couple of Rihanna songs damn I do a couple of country records. I used to write a lot for a lot of different artists, but it was more so me experimenting with what music was. I wasn't just doing R&B, so I would just write. But Latoya Luckett I've written for. There's been a lot of people I've written for, but I feel like a lot of people didn't know I really write, because as an artist, you know, you get a lot of artists, music artists that don't- Don't write for themselves.

Yeah. And I can't shun them, because I work with a lot of producers, a lot of writers, and we do different things, but I've also had time to sit down and just really have my own songs that people love and I'm like I'm glad they love that I wrote that song you know so yeah what's what's your favorite music genre is it pop is r b uh dance euro rap I'm eclectic I'm eclectic so I like I like certain songs like I think when a song comes out and it just it moves me I just just like it. It could be a country song, it could be a piano song, it could be a heavy metal song. I just think whatever frequency that attunes me to it is what I gravitate to. In my lane of my music,

I love doing feel good music, fun music, music people can dance to, but at the same time, give them certain things that get them through their life. Because I see a lot of my fans, or I talk to them, whether it's meet and greets, whether it's Discord, or whatever it is, and we talking, and it's like, they explain to me how certain songs got them through life situations, and I'm like, wow, that really, it kind of sinks in with me. It makes me kind of like, dang, I'm really doing the music for actual purpose So when I do certain songs speak from my experience

But also try to speak to uplift somebody make them have fun or make them be like a man This makes you make me feel good inside. Are there any features that you turned down? You like damn I should have hopped on that one Any features that I turned down that I, no. I ain't gonna lie, I'm on a lot of features. I feel like it's certain songs

that I wish that I was on when I would hear certain songs, but then I would be like, that's just my artist ego wanting to be a part of it. Yeah, but I feel like even there's certain records out now that I'll hear, and I'm like, man, that's amazing. But I think that's good for me because I don't think I get convoluted

in what I sound like. I'm able to appreciate other people's music and not be like, oh, it's just only about me. Have you ever been removed from a song after it's been recorded? I don't think so. Have you removed somebody from a song after it's been recorded? Yes. So how do you go about telling them or telling him or her that their verse isn't going to make it?

Man. Do you tell them or do you have somebody else call and tell them? I think it would be better coming from you, though. Yeah, I would tell them. I would tell them. I've done songs, like, even with my, I ain't going to say their names, certain artists that are, like, really friends with me, and we've done songs, but I may have had

two songs already with them. I'm like, look, I'm going to take you off this one because we already got this other song. Right. So I've done that, but then it's not- That's the one you tell them. No, no. That's been the reason.

Okay, okay. But the other ones that got taken off just to get taken off, it just didn't fit. It didn't fit the record. Okay. And I felt like the timing with it, and we just i'll explain it to him and i'll be like look it just doesn't fit the timing for for what we're doing and how we want to shoot the record but i i haven't let down too many people though i haven't tried to let down too many people you're a big guy you're in the train you like to work out so what do you do so so what do you do you're on tour how does chris brown

manage to stay in shape because you got to give you a you a performer You're not just a singer you a performer you're an entertainer. Let me take that back. You're an entertainer. Yeah, so Singing dancing. That's a part of the act. Yeah, so how do you maintain that level? Night after night after night week after week after month after month. Man, I just think I got more adrenaline than most people. But at the same time, my team, man, I think everybody keeps a tight schedule when it comes to what we're doing on the road. Our chef makes sure we eat the right stuff. I don't try to eat stuff that's going to sit heavy. I want to see anything that builds my protein or just builds my endurance.

That's what I'm on. Right. And I'm really finicky about it because we also have after parties, after shows, on tours. It's a long road. But at the same time, I make sure I at least get my eight hours of sleep. Right. So the rest is that. Me and my dancers, that workout is like no other.

Yeah, man. So we got our workout regimen. We do our, like, 15 to 30-minute flash set before we go, before we get on stage and then repeat it over and over. Right. So I've been able to have this fast metabolism. Hopefully it never slows up. How do you protect your voice? With me?

Well, I wouldn't advise this to everybody else because I do smoke every now and then, a lot. But for me, I use these, they're these pills, they're called mullin' pills. They're good for your lungs. And I make sure that I'm not just smoking, smoking, smoking before I go on stage. So a lot of the times whenever I am smoking, I'm doing something counteracted.

I'm making sure I'm... at all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl.

I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey there, it's Michael Lewis, author of Going Infinite, Moneyball, The Blind Side, and Liar's Poker.

On every season of my podcast, Against the Rules, I take a broad look at various characters in American life. The referee, the coach, the expert. My next season's all about fans and what the rise of sports betting is doing to them, to the teams, and even to my family. I'm heading to Las Vegas and New Jersey and beyond to understand America's newest form of legalized gambling. Listen to Against the Rules on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Can't get enough football? Look no further than the Good Morning Football podcast. Join me, Jamie Erdahl, alongside Peter Schrager,

Kyle Brandt, and Akbar Bajabiamila for a daily breakdown of the league's biggest stories. From game plan analysis and player interviews, we've got you covered for all things football. Hey, you want to know the secret ingredient that makes Patrick Mahomes unstoppable? Or maybe which reality show best describes the Jets season? Look no further. We bring you everything, all the games, all the matchup previews, our impeccable predictions. Get your football fix right here on the GMFB Podcast.

We've got recaps retweets and reactions to all the wild moments you might have missed both on and off the field we bring it like nobody else straight from the stores whether you're a football fanatic or you just enjoy a good laugh make sure to listen to the good morning football podcast monday through friday on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get. T, and vocal rest is the best. Like, I'm yelling on stage two and a half hours. Right. You know, so after that, chill out after that.

Right. Say, what's up, bro? Cool. You know, I try to refrain from doing anything that's going to put too much of a strain on my voice. Right. What I have to applaud, bro, I don't know. anything that's going to put too much of a strain on my voice. What I have to applaud, bro,

I don't know. I mean, I have to go back to like James Brown to see somebody to sing and perform like you. I mean, it's continuous. It's nonstop. I mean, I first, the first time I ever heard of Chris Brown, I heard you say something like, oh, I can outdance Usher. I said, man, this man don't know

that damn bad. I said, he's 13 and he already like that. I said, who taught this man to lie like this at 13 and then i watched it i'm like and then you're like i might get my i'm like i don't know he might i mean to see the way he moved man and the way he can get toward his body i don't know he might be on to something, when did you learn to do that? I watched that. That's from being a kid at the cookout, man. That's from your uncle's like, man, come out here, man. Do that dance you be doing, man.

So I feel like my childhood gave me that freedom to really like, you know. Right. Be from MC Hammer. Watch the MC Hammer. Yeah. Michael Jackson. I always was moving and i and i had a fascination and love with with rhythm so i feel like you know even in even in sports you got to have the rhythm right so so that just was like natural to me it came natural i feel like it's

from the soul yeah so i feel like even even dancing now like i can learn technical stuff i can learn stuff but i i like to just i like like when people see it to be like, that feel good. He having fun doing that. Yeah, but you do realize a lot of the stuff you do, they can't do, right? I mean, you're like the only one that can do that. Somebody got to do it. Yeah, but I mean, I like to see a dance like, you know, okay, you moonwalk. Okay, break dance.

I mean, you do love break dancing. But a lot of the stuff that you be doing Chris like man people gonna break their neck Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't invite people to try some of the stuff I do That's why it's good to just see it at the show kids y'all can have fun Y'all looking more flexible, right? But at the same time like I just I'm thankful to be able to still had these knees to be yeah And I don't get up like man. I'm tired. I gotta go dance right? I love it Right so so as long as I I'm able and God blesses me to be able to dance and showcase this talent

and hopefully inspire the world, I'm going to keep doing it. Why don't you think other artists have adopted your approach to become performers? I mean, sometimes you see performers or you see singers. I mean, there's nothing wrong. Yeah. I mean, but I look at you as an entertainer. I look at Beyonce as an entertainer. Absolutely. But they like singers. I mean, there's nothing wrong. Yeah. I mean, but I look at you as an entertainer. I look at Beyonce as an entertainer. Absolutely.

But they're singers. Adele is a singer. Yeah. She got a mermaid dress on. Hey, she on that mic. I saw her at the observatory. Unbelievable. Yeah.

But I saw Beyonce and I'm like, how she do that for two hours? I watch you. I'm like, how he do that for two hours? I think you. I'm like, how he do that for two hours? I think I think because, you know, different. I think it's different stars, man. There's different stars in the sky. So I kind of I kind of my take on it is everybody has their thing. Right.

You know, I feel like in our in our genre, it's like a old art. But, you know, because you've got to really do your research, or you've got to really want it. And I think Beyonce, I've got to always give her credit. She wants it. She has always wanted it. You know what I'm saying? And she is it. I feel like with me, I've always wanted it.

I've always wanted to leave a legacy of being one of the baddest. I don't got to be the baddest but I'm gonna be one of right you know dude what does it make you feel like when other artists come up to you and say brah that was unbelievable for me I'm still in shock like I have a imposter syndrome I wake up to this day and be like am I am I how did I get here right like so when people even acknowledge it i'm more i'm more receptive and appreciative i'm kind of like for real okay cool they like my stuff i'm still fans of other artists so it's like so it's still me being like okay they really love what i'm doing right i'm gonna keep doing it right all right when you first started out you used to open up

for beyonce yeah you're like you know that i'm gonna try to open up for Beyonce. Yeah. You're like, you know, I'm going to try to swipe some of her fame. I'm going to have, I want some of her fame because I know what she's going to do after me. Man. I need to make sure I do something before.

So, them people talk about, yeah, Beyonce was great, but you should have saw Chris Brown. Chris Brown was unbelievable. Yeah. Yeah.

I was a student. Being on there, I was with Destiny's Child. I think I was like 16 or 17. I opened up for them in Australia. And for that, that was just a blessing because to be able to go from me having a little TV and me watching these people performing and being able to see them. And they're like, hi.

They know my name. I'm like, oh, my God. They say hi to me. Watching them perform from stage presence, lighting, production, dancers, timing. Right. I learned so much from all of those experiences. And I soaked it up and I said, well, I don't want to copy anybody. Right. But OK, well, if I could do that, I'll do it like this. So I was able to digest and learn from from all those experiences. So it was it was actually a blessing it was a blessing

i had drew skill my show and he said he went on tour with you yeah he said it's unbelievable the amount of distractions that's going on like girls just running everywhere but you're laser focused yeah on what you need to do yeah because because because i look at it like these people spending money to come see me like even to this day like you spending a ticket or whatever for your family you coming through with your it's kids there is grown people there it's all ages but the one thing i need them to do is leave happy i need them to leave not not for my pockets you know they need to leave happy for my soul right like this this ability that i'm able to have or this this talent that i'm i'm going with i want to express it with love the frequency i want to

give out is love so like that's what gets me going and when they when they get coming there i'm excited i'm i'm more nervous than than they are right so but but i'm gonna make sure that they gonna leave and be like you know what i got my money's worth man i read that you this guy broke up with his girl you called his girl up on stage and gave the lady gave the young lady a lap dance and he broke up with her how you do that man see it wasn't intentional what do you think was gonna happen see i didn't know she had a had a had a guy that's her fault because she knows she had a guy she should have said it she definitely should have said it. There it is. She definitely should have said it. My dancers pull up a girl on stage during our set, and we usually like to give the fans an opportunity, but sometimes it's very, very, very attractive women come on stage, so I'm

like, okay, cool. So me grinding on them, they don't really have a problem with it. It's just, I guess she had a man there right so but i didn't know i didn't find out till afterwards i was like man we should have just do we send him flowers or send her flowers she should have thought this without she should have said nah yeah she should i mean no no no no no yeah because the lady see if if i'm out with a young lady it's not my job to check the guy it's her job job. She should have been like, no, you know what? There you go.

I can't come up. I'm with someone. Right. And if a lady check on me. We're not going to be like, forget him. There you go. We'll be like, okay, great. Right.

And you'd have been okay. But now you're probably like, come on. He don't want mine. But I'm surprised. First of all, I commend him for going. Yeah. I mean, because not a whole lot of guys are going with their girls. Yeah. They might go. They go. Some of them go. They might be in the back. commend him for going yeah i mean not a whole lot of guys are going with their girls yeah that they

might go but they go some of them go they might be in the back they might be a little bit further back like nah you ain't getting front row right uh-uh he's not finna look at you at all let's talk about i'm looking at the grammys yeah and uh you have one but reading you and researching this you feel you should have more yes i feel like a lot of, you feel you should have more. Yes. I feel like a lot of artists feel like they should have more. But I, you know,

I feel like I don't want to discredit the Grammys or this, or feel like the angry artists when it comes to that. I feel like. You won't be the first. You won't be the last. Yeah. I feel like it's just, I feel like music at a state right now is,

it's not based on what people love. Right. I feel like, I feel like, well, with the Grammys, no disrespect to y'all, but I just feel like there's a lot of old ears over there. Right. A lot of old ears. There's a lot of people that's not really tuned into what's going on. So, and, you know, it's a broad range of artists that I can think of now that deserve more Grammys and more recognition. Right.

But, you know, I feel like at this point in my career, in my life, I'm like, you know what? I have one, right? That's good enough. You know, for me, I feel like. He lonely, though. He could be lonely. But he could be lonely. I'd rather, what I get my joy from is feeling them stands up.

Right. Like, I could care less from is filling them stands. I could care less about getting on the stage. Well, I would love to get on the stage at a Grammys or any awards. I don't have a problem with it. But it doesn't fill my heart more than it does to see twice as many people in an arena. Or I go over and I sell out six nights. That's priceless to me. Right. So I feel like I've just started loving what I love the most about what I do.

Just the music and the passion and just focused on that. You call some flack because you wrote Robert Glasper. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You say, who is this cat? And I mean, he did the song with Michelle Ndeguachela, who's my favorite all time artist, and her. Yeah. Great song. And you, you know,

you say, no disrespect, you took it back. Tell me what your mindset was. Okay, you're sitting at home. Impulse. So that's where, hold up, who the homeboy? Hey, give me that.

You about to do something, you about to do something, give me that. Yeah. And put it in his back pocket. Yeah, they probably was maybe 15 seconds too late but at the time I think but at the time because me I was misinformed so even even when I had to I had to do my research and be like you know what this

this guy's talented you know and I reached out to him I said look I said look I don't want you to think that I have ill will towards you or anything we we should work. Yeah, yeah, he legit. Yeah, so he reached back out to me, so yeah, we gonna get in the studio and work. But that was me, that's, you know, being a sourpuss. Right. Are you disappointed that the award shows, given your background, given what you've done,

given how you packed the arenas, given how, the numbers speak more than Elvis, and a billion this and that. Yeah. That they haven't allowed you to perform? Um. You're a performer. At times.

You want to perform in front of your peers. I want to showcase what I'm really capable of. Yes. At all times. But I've taken my position to say, I'm not stopping. Right. You know, so it'll happen. Right.

It'll happen. You know, it'll happen. Do you remember the last award show you performed at? I think my last award show might have been BET. My last award show might have been BET Awards.

Yeah. Yeah. Keller Rollins supported you. Yeah. She got some criticism. Yeah. I love you, Kelly. I mean, what uh uh lizzo yeah say your favorite criticism and cheering some others have come to your like the man is unbelievable yeah and they call criticism what is it with this cancel culture

i think it's i don't think it's even a cancel culture. I think because my fans and the people who do love me, they kind of overshadow it. I'm still here. But I just feel like people are sensitive as hell today, man. We don't get to really shoot the shit. We don't get to say what we really want to say a lot of times. A lot of things is contrived and conformed. You don't get to be yourself because you can't have an open expression of freedom freedom to say anything right and you don't have to discredit anybody or

cut anybody out or say anything rude about anybody but i feel like everybody's too damn sensitive at this point right like but you've mentioned some of the people that that's in this business yeah that have had some transgressions yeah that have been forgiven and gone on to and it hasn't stopped you from making money yeah but it those people were able to go back be on stage being movies and do all these other things it's my smile and I think I think is I think it's because I think people think I have a careless outlook on it right it's not that I have a careless I look I don't care to make you believe that I'm a I'm a great person right or a good person right I'm just gonna be one right so I feel like with that you know

I mean I'm and I don't take no nonsense I'm like I'm just I'm a humble guy I'll be cool but I really don't I really don't take my nonsense I try to stay in my lane get out the way don't bother nobody but I'm not't take no nonsense. I try to stay in my lane, get out of the way, don't bother nobody. But I'm not going to take no nonsense. If you were to get back, if they called and said, Chris, this year's Grammys, we want you to perform. Yeah. You there? Of course. I'll do it.

No ill will? It wouldn't be ill will because it would be about the performance. I would want to give that to my fans. It wouldn't be necessarily about the Grammys. It would be about me putting on the best performance. The fans seeing Chris at an awards show. Yeah, and just going out there and doing my thing. You'll kill it.

Yeah, man. This might be the greatest stage performance anybody's ever seen. Well, I'm going to try to make it that every time. Every time. Anytime that like gives itself that opportunity even on my or my when you come to my shows yeah i i want to make it like you're watching it on an award show right i want it needs to be theater it needs to be needs to be fun you know try to leave the you try to defend you want the fan to leave said i've never seen anybody do that before yeah yeah every absolutely i want to do that every time and and just like i said give them that joy and give them that uh that it factor i'm trying i'm trying to be the the greatest to do

it while i still can do it when they say r&B is dead, Chris Brown says what? It's not. It's not. Just hip-hop is more prevalent. I would just say hip-hop has been influential over the whole world. But I feel like R&B has its place. And there's a lot of R&B artists out. Because I don't want to discredit it.

There's a lot of great R&B, female-wise and male-wise. I just feel like we just have to have platforms. I feel like we need bigger platforms to show music videos. I think we need, not just for R&B, just for music, period. We used to have 106 and Park. We used to have outlets to where people would be engaged and have to see you at a certain time and have to be invested in your music and certain things like that There's other avenues like that on the internet, but I'll pray did by just be just by BET. So maybe he'll he'll break

What yeah, what a six in part? Yeah Let us let us start showcasing new artists new talents so people can and so everybody doesn't have to go find an artist like right Like let these talented artists be broadcasted like let them let them let them rock I feel like it's it's needed I feel like I go to flip through my channels unless I have to type in the name of the artist it's cool but I would I would like to be presented with with artists like oh man that's tight who is that guy how do we get our beat will R&B ever be what it once was because I was talking to Timberland I thought that was Timberland and he says I don't thank you

to be at the height it once was. It depends, because everything shifts. There's always a shift in music. So it just depends on the right artist. It depends on the right timing, the season, what the world is, what the state of the world is, what people are going through. Music, especially R&B, comes from pain, a lot of pain. There's a lot of pain going on in the world.

I think right there, everybody's trying to negate that, or try to be like, you know what, hey, I just want to feel better. Or I want to talk about substances and records and whatever crazy stuff it is. But I think it's going to be time for it. What's your thought on AI you like it? it's I'm kind of I'm kind of

I'm 50 50 because the capabilities of the science scientific Community, I love it. You know, they can make me sound like Chris Brown. That's crazy If they won't need real real Chrisris brown see i can play me a half of that i said this this that's what this is what i said if i heard it when i hear when i hear the ai version of chris brown and it's just a complete song and it's a great song right i'm gonna figure out if we're gonna license our our voices out right because i know i'm not gonna be the one to do it but there's gonna be an artist that. I'm like, no, that's me. Right.

And they're going to benefit from it. But I'm 50-50. I feel like it takes away a lot of the mystery or the artistry that makes you a beautiful artist. Right. If you can just have a computer do it for you. Yeah, it's crazy. But I feel like I'm in this technological world too so i'm fascinated with it as well you know i want to get you out of here on these two right

here you're a very good businessman reported that you own 14 burger kings how were you able to become so business savvy at such a young age my team my team i've been able to have have a great team that you know i've been through my ups and downs like i felt a lot financially in the beginning just you know uh you're gonna make mistakes yeah you know but now it's it's about it's about just trying to i want to i want to create stuff that's going to create stuff and you know right i want to be able to have stuff that's going to be here for everybody for longevity so And it doesn't necessarily have to be titled around my actual name or brand. I just want to be able to have a legacy for my family outside of music. Correct.

I want to be wealthy instead of rich. Ah, okay. Your catalogs, that seems to be a big... You own your masters. Yeah. And you were one of the youngest to ever do that at the age of 29. Would you ever, I mean, a lot of you see a lot of artists selling their catalog. Is that something Chris Brown would look to do in the future?

I don't know. It depends. It depends on, I would, I don't think I would sell them. I think I might, I might do deals. You might lease them out. Lease them out and stuff like that later. But I don't think I would because I feel like as

a black artist, that's what we've been wanting forever. To be able to get that. Get our masters. Right. For me to be able to do that and be one of the first young cats to do it, it's like, oh, I'll beat the game. But I feel like I wouldn't do it at

this point because that's that's something my my children's children's children can eat uh right you know so I think I'm gonna yeah tell me the story about Jaquese Jaquese said he came to LA he said he lived in the crib you like hey yeah so so so Jaquese he's been around me since he was a teenager, braces, everything. I've seen Jacquees' videos through mutual friends that we knew. Okay. And I knew that he was a fan of me. Right. And if I see talent and I see the same spunk that I had in my eye, I was like, you know what?

This kid is really, really talented. So he came to L.A. for like a week. He was staying at a hotel. I was like, bro, why are you wasting your money at a hotel? Wow, the people we both know they they have my crib each other you good, bro I know it's no no parents at the house. I'll tell you Come to the house But so I had to show him the ropes like he was around he was around and he was able to he was able to learn

For me in the studio as well like like so I would be in the studio with him and just teach him stuff He will actually like big bro. What's this? Oh, is this cool to do? He was able to learn from me in the studio as well. So I would be in the studio with him and just teach him stuff. He would ask. He'd be like, big bro, what's this? Is this cool to do? Is this not cool to do? And I would just tell him, hey, bro, don't do this. Don't do what they're doing. That's fried.

Right. So a lot of the things with Jacquees is real family. So when I see him do his thing and where he's at now, I'm proud of him, man, because I saw the grind before everybody else saw it. Right. You know? I had Timberland. I'm going to get you out of here on this one.

He said he got some great advice from you. He said you called him and said, bro, don't do any more interviews. Hi. You remember that conversation? Man, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Because, you know, Tim is family. Y'all from the same area, the Virginia area. So I learned so much from him. But I remember, I love weed. So we used to smoke a lot of time. And then I just remember seeing him. I said, hey man, don't do that no more. Don't do that.

Nah, we can't do it. Nah, it's not a good look. It's not a good look. You got a new single. The new single's out, Summer Too Hot. Yeah. Levitt's solo album is on the way. Yeah.

What can your fans, what can we expect from Chris Brown on this album? Less songs. Less songs. Yes. Only saying that, my fans know what I mean. Because I'm used to putting, I think my last album had like 30-something songs on it. What? The one before that had like 56.

So it's a lot. Can we get like 12, 13? Yeah. It's really good. The album's going to be called 11-11. Right? It's my 11th album and it's only going to have 11 songs. Right.

Okay. But 11-11. Is it going to be released in November? No. We're trying to figure it out. Okay. Possibly. But we're trying to figure it out now.

Right? As of now, I'm still in the studio. We got a lot of good records that I've been cutting. And the new song I just put out, I just put that out basically to just have something for the summer. Have people feeling good again. I know it's about to start getting hot, hot out here. So let's just have fun.

The video's coming. We about to dance. We about to dance, man. We about to dance again on them. Congratulations on all your success. Thank you so much. I know y'all. Thank you for performing at Drea on the 29th.

Yeah. After the fight. Yep. You going to be at the fight? I'm going to be at the fight. Oh, yeah. I'll be there, too. So, yeah.

We got to link up, man. Thank you, brother. I appreciate you. Congratulations on all your success. No, thank you for having me, man. Continue your success. God bless, bro. Thank you, bro.

Chris Brown. Chris Brown. Chris Rowe. That's why all my life, I've been grinding all my life. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolfe.

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