Template:Infobox musical artist 2
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989), better known as Chris Brown, is an American singer and dancer who rose to fame in 2005 with his platinum selling, self-titled debut album. His first single was a Scott Storch-produced "Run It!" featuring Juelz Santana. With this single, Brown became the youngest male solo artist to release a single that climbed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. As of (07/19/06) the album has sold 1,420,000 units in the U.S. and over three million worldwide.
All About Chris
Early life
Chris was born to Clinton Brown and Joyce Hawkins in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia. He is one of two siblings. (He has an older sister.) He gained his love of music at an early age and was influenced by the sounds his parents played on the home radio such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke, Donny Hathaway, Aretha Franklin, and Anita Baker. Many may not know, Chris Brown was a rapper before he became a singer. By the time he was 13, Chris was discovered at a gas station where his father worked. From there, he was taken to local music producers so that he could begin a career in music.
Music career
Brown's local music production team had connections with record labels, and he then flew to New York to audition for Def Jam Recordings Vice President Tina Davis, who currently works as his manager. He was signed to Jive Records.
Brown left school in late 2004 to begin working on his self-titled debut album, Chris Brown, which was released on November 29, 2005. His debut single "Run It!", was #1 in the United States, Japan, and Australia. Following "Run It!", "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" became Brown's second top 10 hit in the US, peaking at #7, and #13 in the UK. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA. His third single "Gimme That" was released in March 2006 which featured Lil' Wayne for a remix, originally not featured on the Chris Brown album, but was later included. The single debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at #80 and climbed the charts quickly. Chris also co-directed his music videos for "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme That". His fourth single is the ballad "Say Goodbye", which is also a part of the Step Up Soundtrack. After the wrapping of Brown's summer 2006 tour, he will begin work on his sophomore album in October, set to release early 2007. In June 13, 2006 a DVD released called Chris Brown's Journey shows Chris traveling in London and Japan, getting ready for his first visit to the Grammys, behind the scenes of his music videos, bloopers, and much more. It is certified gold with 500,000+ copies sold and is on its way to platinum status.
The video for his current single Say Goodbye also features a quick clip from one of the tracks in his album, "Ain't No Way (You Won't Love Me)", most likely to be his fifth single. He has been known for putting other tracks in his music videos, having used both Run It! and Gimme That for his Yo (Excuse Me Miss) video. It is also rumored that T.I will rap for a remix, but it is not confirmed yet.
Career outside of music
Other than his music career, Brown has begun some acting. He made a short appearance on UPN's One on One in March 2006. He also made his way to movies. On a radio station interview in Australia, Brown said that he is going to have a role in a dancing movie entitled Steppin' (release: c. January 2007) along with another R&B star, Ne-Yo. Shooting took place on June 11, 2006. In the same interview, he said that his role is an ambitious dancer and the younger brother of the lead character.
He was also selected to play in the NBA's Celebrity Game alongside such stars as Brandon Routh and Nelly in the NBA's All-Star Weekend 2006 in Houston.[citation needed]
Although Chris Brown is not enrolled in a public school anymore, he currently is attending home school being taught by tutors.
He eventually wants to own his own record label and launch a clothing line.[citation needed]
Personal life
Brown's third single "Gimme That" is about him being attracted to a woman who is three years older than him. The song is not very different from his personal life. In an interview, he stated that he had 3 serious relationships at his young age. At one point the woman was three or four years older than him. Brown has three tattoos:
- On his right arm he has Jesus with music notes to symbolize his gratitude towards God for giving him the gift of song.
- On his left arm he has his C initial with a hand under it and two stars on the sides.
- His most recent tattoo is on his left arm. It's a spray can with a 2 ↑ and 2 ↓ sign for Virginia. Many say that he draws resembelence to the great centerfielder Aaron Francis in Georgia.
- He says that he wishes to do a duet with R&B singer, Ciara.
Awards
- 2006 Soul Train Music Awards - Best R&B/Soul New Artist
- 2006 NAACP Image Awards - Outstanding New Artist
- 2006 TRL Awards - Fake ID Award
- 2006 BET Awards - Best New Artist
- 2006 BET Awards - Viewers' Choice
Discography
Albums
- Chris Brown (2005) #2 US (US Certification: Platinum)
U.S. Sales: 1.4 million
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Pop 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | Hot Digital Songs | Hot Ringtones | UK | AUS | |||
| 2005 | "Run It!" (feat. Juelz Santana) | Chris Brown | |||||||
| 2005 | "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" | Chris Brown | |||||||
| 2006 | "Gimme That" (feat. Lil' Wayne) | Chris Brown | |||||||
| 2006 | "Say Goodbye" [1] | Chris Brown | |||||||