Chris Brown

Dubbed “The King of R&B” by several of his contemporaries, American singer Chris Brown was born on May 5, 1989, in Tappahannock, Virginia. At the age of 16, he became the first male solo artist to debut at Number 1 on the Billboard charts in more than ten years with the single “Run It.” Filled with sweet harmonies and soulful R&B, his 2005 debut album Chris Brown sold over 2 million copies in the US and drew comparisons to a young Michael Jackson. The hits continued with “Kiss Kiss,” “With You,” and “Forever,” and his second album Exclusive in 2007 enjoyed both critical and commercial success. But, just as the fame seemed to be reaching its height, Chris Brown was charged with felonious assault of his girlfriend at the time, singer Rihanna, and was sentenced to five years probation, violence counselling, and six months of community service. His fourth album F.A.M.E. was released in 2011. Although receiving mixed reviews, the album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 and Chris Brown set out on tour of North America and Australia. He won several awards for F.A.M.E. including the Grammy for Best R&B Album. Shortly before his sixth album X was due for release, Chris Brown was once again arrested for felony assault. Late 2014 saw X finally being released and it debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard 200. 2015 saw the release of Chris Brown's first collaborative record with Tyga—Fan of a Fan: The Album—and a tour with Trey Songz. He released “Liquor,” the first single from his seventh album Royalty, with the full-length coming out in late 2015. The album debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard 200, achieving much greater reviews than his previous efforts. Heartbreak on a Full Moon followed as his eighth album in 2016 with the lead single “Grass Ain't Greener” launching the record over the summer. In January 2019, Chris Brown released the single “Undecided,” followed in June by the chart-topping album Indigo, which featured collaborations with Tyga, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Drake. In 2020, he teamed up with Atlanta rapper Young Thug on the collaborative mixtape Slime & B, whose lead single “Go Crazy” spent an entire year on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the longest-running Number 1 song on the R&B/hip-hop charts, breaking the record previously held by his own 2019 hit single “No Guidance.” Hailed by fans and critics as a return to form, his tenth LP Breezy appeared in 2022 and climbed to Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Some of the guest appearances in the album include Lil Durk, Fivio Foreign, Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, Wizkid, Jack Harlow, and Tory Lanez. Chris Brown released his eleventh studio album 11:11 in 2023, which featured contributions from Future, Fridayy, Davido, and Lojay. Album track "Summer Too Hot" was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.