General

Chris Brown is retiring from music after the next album (maybe)

Chris Brown, the R&B artist who is infamous for giving his girlfriend Rihanna a black eye, is retiring from music after this album. Well, maybe he is.

Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault after beating up Rihanna in 2009. The plea deal included five years of probation and six months of community labour. Brown was dropped by sponsors and cancelled some performances after the assault charge, but it didn’t seem to have any effect on his long-term popularity.

He went on to win a Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2011. And, after a Grammy performance in 2012 he issued this tweet to his detractors: “HATE ALL U WANT. BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now! That’s the ultimate F–K OFF!”

More recently, sponsors pulled their support for a Halifax music festival after it was announced that Brown would headline.

Being portrayed as the bad guy seems to be getting to Brown who, on Twitter, threatened to quit after his next album is released in 20 days.

Brown was actually 19 when he was charged with assault. Given that error, and the fact that Brown is only 24 now, it’s unclear whether he’s actually retiring, or just taking some time off to plan his retirement comeback album.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: