Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, and actor. One of the most successful R&B singers of all time, he has often been referred to by contemporaries as the "King of R&B". His musical style has been defined as polyhedric, with his R&B being characterized by several influences from other genres, mainly pop music and hip hop. His lyrics develop predominantly over themes of romance, sex, fast life, desire, lovesickness, regret, emotional conflict and loneliness. Brown has had wide comparisons to Michael Jackson for his talent and stage presence.
In 2004, Brown signed with Jive Records and released his eponymous debut studio album the following year, which was later certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). With his debut single "Run It!" (featuring Juelz Santana) peaking atop the Billboard Hot 100, Brown became the first male artist since 1995 to have his debut single top the chart. His second album, Exclusive (2007), was met with further commercial success worldwide, and spawned his second Billboard Hot 100 number one "Kiss Kiss" (featuring T-Pain). In 2009, Brown pled guilty to felony assault of his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna. This foresaw the release of his third album, Graffiti which was considered to be a commercial failure compared to his previous works. Following Graffiti, Brown released his fourth album F.A.M.E. (2011), which became his first album to top the Billboard 200. The album contained the commercially successful singles: "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now" (featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes) and "Beautiful People" (featuring Benny Benassi), and earned him the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. His fifth album, Fortune, released in 2012, also topped the Billboard 200.
Following the releases of X (2014) and Royalty (2015), his eighth album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon, a double-disc LP consisting of 45 tracks, was certified gold by the RIAA for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 after one week, and was later certified double platinum. Brown's ninth studio album, Indigo (2019) found similar success, debuting atop the Billboard 200. It included the single "No Guidance" (featuring Drake) which broke the record for the longest-running number one on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Its chart success was outdone with the single "Go Crazy" (with Young Thug) released the following year, which broke Brown's own record for the longest-running number one on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart set previously by "No Guidance". In 2022, his Indigo album spawned a sleeper hit with its song "Under the Influence", which was re-released as a single.
Brown has sold over 217 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. He is also one of the highest-grossing African American touring artists of all time. Brown has the most Billboard Hot 100 entries of any male singer in history; the most top 40 hits of any R&B singer in history; the most RIAA gold certified singles of any male singer in history; and the most RIAA multi-platinum of any male singer in history. Brown was also ranked third on Billboard's top R&B/Hip-Hop artists of the 2010s decade chart, behind Drake and Rihanna in first and second, respectively. Moreover, Brown has won a total of 198 awards from 500 nominations over the course of his career. Brown has also pursued an acting career. In 2007, he made his on-screen feature film debut in Stomp the Yard, and appeared as a guest on the television series The O.C. Other films Brown has appeared in include This Christmas (2007), Takers (2010), Think Like a Man (2012), and Battle of the Year (2013) and She Ball (2020).
Early life
Christopher Maurice Brown was born on May 5, 1989, in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia, to Joyce Hawkins, a former day care center director, and Clinton Brown, a corrections officer at a local prison. He has an older sister, Lytrell Bundy, who works in a bank. Music was always present in Brown's life beginning in his childhood. He would listen to soul albums that his parents owned, and eventually began to show interest in the hip-hop scene.
Brown taught himself to sing and dance at a young age and often cites Michael Jackson as his inspiration. He began to perform in his church choir and in several local talent shows. When he mimicked an Usher performance of "My Way", his mother recognized his vocal talent, and they began to look for the opportunity of a record deal. At the same time, Brown was going through personal issues. His parents had divorced, and his mother's boyfriend terrified him by subjecting her to domestic violence.