Chris Brown
Template:Infobox musical artist 2
Christopher Brown (born May 5, 1989) is a American R&B singer, dancer, and actor. His first single was "Run It!", a Scott Storch-produced 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 July 19, 2006, the album has sold 1,420,000 units in the U.S. and over two million worldwide.
History
Early life
Christopher Brown was born to Clinton Brown and Joyce Hawkins in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia. He is one of two siblings. 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. By the time he was 13, Brown 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 got his big break when his local production team had connections with record labels. He then flew to New York and auditioned for Def Jam Vice President Tina Davis, who now currently works as his manager. From there, he was sent to L.A. Reid to perform for him. Davis took Brown to many record labels such as Warner Bros., and Jive. Brown ended up choosing Jive Records because he felt it was in his best interest.
In 2005, Brown came out with his debut single, "Run It!" which was #1 in the United States and abroad. His self-titled debut album was released on November 29, 2005 and is now certified platinum. It debuted at #2 on the charts selling over 155,000 copies in the first week of sales. Brown worked with the likes of Scott Storch, The Underdogs, Dre and Vidal, Bryan Cox, Bow Wow, and Jermaine Dupri in production for his album. 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 that is not heard on his album. The song was written by Sean Garrett and produced by Scott Storch. 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, the ballad "Say Goodbye", was released in July 2006 and is also included in the Step Up soundtrack. Brown is currently writing songs for his sophomore album, which is to be released in 2007.
On June 13, 2006, a DVD was released entitled Chris Brown's Journey. It features Brown touring in the UK and Japan, rehearsals, getting ready for his first visit to the 2006 Grammy Awards, behind the scenes of his music videos, bloopers and much more. The DVD was certified gold with more than 500,000 copies sold.
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. Brown is slated to make his silver screen debut in Steppin' (release: c. January 2007) along with Ray-J Ne-Yo and Robin Thicke. Filming for the movie began in June 2006. In the movie, Brown will portray an ambitious dancer and the younger brother of the lead character.
Although Brown is not enrolled in a public school anymore, he is currently attending home school where he is being taught by tutors.
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. 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 singing.
- 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.
Trivia
- He is 6'1.
- Weighs about 170 lbs.
- Parents are divorced.
- Has about 500 sneakers.
- He was Punk'd in 2006.
- In TeenMag, he claims he wants to work with Ciara.
- Currently lives in New Jersey.
- He recently told M Magazine that he doesn't have time for dates and girls because he's focusing on his music and work right now.
- He has a crush on Lenaya B. & Vanessa Anne Hudgens
Awards
- 2006 MTV Australia Music Awards - Best R&B Video - Run It!
- 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
DVDs
- Chris Brown's Journey (2006) US Certification: Gold
U.S. Sales 500,000
Albums
| Year | Cover | Album | Chart positions | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | ||||
| 2005 | |
Chris Brown
|
RIAA: Platinum Sales USA: 1,494,118 Sales UK: ? Sales WW: 2,900,000 | ||
Singles
| Year | Cover | Single | Chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Pop 100 | US R&B | Hot Digital Songs | Hot Ringtones | UK | CAN | AUS | NZ | WW | |||
| 2005 | "Run It!" (feat. Juelz Santana)
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| 2005 | "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)"
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| 2006 | "Gimme That" (feat. Lil' Wayne)
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| 2006 | "Say Goodbye"
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