Biography of Chris Brown. Biography of Chris Brown Biography, life story of Chris Brown

Childhood

One of the most successful R'n'B performers, actor and, finally, participant in one of the biggest scandals in the history of show business, was born in the city of Tappahannock, Virginia in the USA. The future singer became interested in music early, which greatly interfered with his studies. Chris was inspired by the performances of Michael Jackson and Usher, and he tried to imitate them. His parents were pleasantly surprised by their son's talent. At the age of 15, young Chris Brown decides to quit school to devote himself entirely to music.

Star Trek

Work on the first album, under the simple name Chris Brown, was completed in 2005. Popularity came immediately: the album immediately broke into the American charts and became double platinum. Less than six months later, Chris Brown goes on a tour of the United States and releases a DVD about his travels and preparation for the Grammy music awards.

Not intending to stop there, Chris immediately after the end of the tour begins work on a new album. There is plenty of material accumulated, so the album is ready for release in November 2007. The singer's second studio album was called Exclusive and again conquered the top of the music charts, becoming double platinum not only in the USA, but also in Australia and New Zealand. Critics greeted the artist's new works positively, and Billboard magazine named him the best artist of 2008.

Although Chris Brown's previous works were popular, he decided to experiment and come up with a new sound for his next album. In December 2009, the singer's third album went on sale. The singles from it were received extremely coldly, which affected album sales. The reason was not only the unusual sound, but also the scandal that erupted in connection with accusations of violence against Chris Brown for attacking his girlfriend.

After admitting his guilt and undergoing therapy, Chris Brown was working on a new album, F.A.M.E., in 2010. and stars in the film “Boy Raiders.” Thanks to support from friends, colleagues and fans, the single Dueces from the new album takes 14th place on the Billboard chart, but sales still do not reach the level of the first two records. By the way, Chris is 185 cm tall.

Chris Brown's personal life

Chris Brown is famous not only for his musical successes, but also for scandals in his personal life. The performer has been friends with singer Rihanna since 2005, and in 2008 they officially became a couple. Their relationship ended in 2009 when Chris attacked and beat Rihanna in her car. According to the singer, her boyfriend tried to strangle her, and after the attack he fled from the police. What he had done prevented Chris from moving on with his life, and he voluntarily surrendered to the authorities. For his prank, the singer received a suspended sentence and was sent to correctional labor, as well as to rehabilitation.

In between his relationship with Rihanna, Chris briefly dated Vietnamese model Carucci Tren. Later, Chris Brown publicly stated more than once that he regretted what happened and tried to improve his relationship with Rihanna. As a sign of his repentance, Brown even got a tattoo on his neck in the form of a beaten woman, who, as the artist himself admitted, would remind him of his offense every day - just look in the mirror. In 2012, Rihanna and Chris Brown got back together, began to take part in joint performances, photo shoots, music recordings and began to go out as a couple, but the reunion did not last long, and soon the young people made the final decision to separate.

Chris Brown is a famous R&B singer. In addition, the performer dances impeccably; he has repeatedly demonstrated his skills at various concerts. His idols were Usher and Michael Jackson. Chris's height is about 185 centimeters and his weight is 68 kilograms.

Singer Christopher Maurice Brown was born on May 5 (Taurus) 1989 in Tappahancock, Virginia. Brown is known for his smooth voice, amazing dance moves and unique charm. Growing up in a small town of about 2,000 people, Brown enjoyed singing in his church choir and was inspired by musical artists such as Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. For the sake of his singing career, Chris even decided to quit school in order to do what he really wanted.

Brown was discovered by Tina Davis, who was working for Def Jam Recordings at the time. "The first thing that struck me was his unique voice," Davis told Billboard. "I thought, 'This guy is a star.' Davis eventually became his manager and helped him secure a deal with Jive Records, which developed other young stars such as Britney Spears, 'N Sync, R. Kelly, Usher and Kanye-West. Brown was only 15 years old at the time of the deal.

Brown's self-titled album was released in November 2005 and quickly charted. Working with famous producers and composers. His track “Run It!”, which was co-written with Scott Storch and Sean Garrett, held the leading positions. More hits followed, including "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme That", which were written by Garrett and Storch. While many of the songs have hip-hop influences, Brown's voice has classic R&B influences. And just like many other teenagers, dating and girls figure prominently in his songs. He has sometimes been compared to Michael Jackson due to his dual talents as a singer and dancer.

Incredible success

The album earned two Grammy Award nominations, for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary R&B Album. Brown went on to receive a number of other awards, including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist. With a large young following, it was no surprise when he won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Music Breakout Artist Male.

In 2006, Brown hit the road for his Up Close & Personal tour. He played over 30 concerts in cities across the country. At that time, many dangers awaited the hot guy, as he sang live and did not maintain the required distance from the fans. "One day during the show I reached out to touch the girls' hands and they pulled me off the stage," Brown told CosmoGirl magazine.

Filmography

In addition to singing and dancing, Brown does well in film roles. His debut film was the film “The Proposal” directed by John Hillcoat. Many works followed, but the best films were: “Kings of the Dance Floor,” “Boy Raiders,” “Brotherhood of the Dance,” “Christmas” and “Think Like a Man.”

Scandals

In February 2009, news broke that Chris Brown had assaulted his girlfriend, Rihanna. The singer was detained and given a five-year suspended sentence, and was also sentenced to 6 months of community service. Brown initially did not admit his guilt, but soon repented: “There are no words to express how much I regret what happened,” Brown said in a statement shortly after the incident. Apart from this, he was also ordered to stay away from Rihanna.

Relationship

After spending less than a year in a relationship with Rihanna, Chris for a long time flitted from one fleeting romance to another. He was also spotted with model Carucci Tren.
But in 2015, the Internet exploded with information that Chris had a 9-month-old daughter with model Nia. But the ubiquitous media has never seen Niu and Chris together. Be that as it may, the singer soon confirmed all the rumors and brought his charming baby into the world. Now Chris is trying to be a good father and does not forget to delight his fans with new projects.

Chris Brown is an American musician, R&B, hip-hop and pop artist who began his music career at the age of 16. Chris became the first African-American singer to have his debut single "RunIt" top the national chart. Successful and scandalous - this is Chris Brown's reputation in wide circles.

Childhood and youth

The future singer and musician was born on May 5, 1989 in Tappahannock, Virginia, USA. His full name is Christopher Maurice Brown. A rebel by nature, Chris has always followed his own path.

The only thing that interested the boy since childhood was music. The teenager’s idols were and. Brown's talent was honed on the street, in youth parties. Chris dreamed about the biography of the great musician and went straight towards his own goal.

Mom and stepfather were glad that their son was talented, so the parents did not object when, at the age of 15, Chris announced that he was leaving school. Chris's lessons seemed boring; as Brown himself said, for him it was a waste of time. He decided to devote himself entirely to music.

Music

A year later, Chris recorded his first album, called “Chris Brown”. His songs immediately blew up the American charts, the album sold record copies and became double platinum. The album's single "Run It" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for 1.5 months. Six months later, Chris Brown was already touring America, recording “Chris Brown Journey” video reports about trips to the UK and the islands of Japan, and preparing for the Grammy music awards.

After the tour, the singer began recording the next album, “Exclusive,” and the musician had accumulated enough material. In November 2007, the disc was ready, and again the singer was a success: listeners received Chris’s music with delight, now not only in America and Europe, but also in New Zealand and Australia. The album's release started at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and brought the musician five million sales. New singles “Wallto Wall”, “Kiss Kiss”, “Forever”, which received gold and platinum status, increased the musician’s ratings.

At the peak of success, Chris decided to experiment with sound. At the end of 2009, new singles appeared on the Internet, but the audience reacted to the songs coolly. Perhaps the reason for the poor sales was that Chris Brown was involved in a high-profile scandal - the young man was accused of violence against the singer.

In 2010, Brown began working on the album "F.A.M.E" and announced the release of the disc in March 2011. The singer was supported by friends and colleagues, which is perhaps why the single “Dueces” from this album rose to 14th place on the chart. Chris was unable to repeat the success of the first two discs.

In July 2012, the singer presented his fifth album. The song “Turn Up the Music” became the leader of the English chart. That same year, Chris Brown received the prestigious Billboard Music Awards. In the fall of 2014, the singer released his sixth album with the laconic title “X”. The disc took second place in the ratings. Chris Brown recorded his next album with. Literally six months later he released a new record and dedicated it to his daughter. The album, which included the tracks “Fine By Me”, “Back to Sleep”, “Zero”, was called “Royalty”.

Chris Brown doesn't just work solo. In 2015, the singer, together with the British star, released a video for the single “Body on Me”. The musicians recorded the song as a duet and then starred in a candid video. Later, the girl admitted that filming such a video turned out to be a difficult but interesting experience.

In addition to collaborating with Rita Ora, Chris Brown appeared in duets with Jordin Sparks (“No Air”), rap artist Bow Wow (“Shortie like Mine”), with (“Right By My Side”) and in an ensemble with Lil Mama and ("Shawty Get Loose")

Chris Brown occasionally appears in films. The young man first appeared on screen in 2006 – he played cameo roles in three episodes of the series “O.C. - Lonely Hearts". The following year, the actor starred in four films at once, including “Christmas” and “Brotherhood of Dance.”

Chris Brown appeared on screen again in 2010 in the action movie “Boy Raiders.” In 2013, with his participation, the films “Kings of the Dance Floor” and “Think Like a Man” were released.

Personal life

Chris Brown's personal life is as tumultuous as his singing career. In 2005, the musician began a friendship with the popular R&B singer Rihanna. Three years later, the young people officially declared themselves a couple, but the relationship lasted less than a year.

In 2009, Rihanna said that Chris attacked her in a car, beat her, and tried to strangle her. Petite Rihanna was hospitalized with numerous injuries to her face and body. After this, the singer hid from the police for some time, but then voluntarily surrendered. Brown repented, the musician was sentenced to probation and mandatory rehabilitation.

The singer’s aggression is a consequence of a mental disorder that was not diagnosed in a timely manner. Plus, the singer is quite strong - his height is 185 cm and his weight is 81 kg. So, even with a strong desire, it is unlikely that Rihanna would have been able to fight off the man.

As a result of the trial, a number of Brown's advertising campaigns were suspended, radio stations temporarily stopped playing the musician's singles, and Chris himself canceled solo concerts and performances at significant events, such as the Grammy Awards.

In court, Chris spoke about his difficult childhood and regular beatings of his mother by his stepfather. In turn, the singer's mother Joyce Hawkins confirmed under oath that Chris never behaved aggressively.

Chris Brown never completed rehabilitation - the singer was kicked out of the clinic for violating the order. The musician went to prison for several weeks, but was released on parole in June 2014. To show the extent of his own remorse, Chris Brown got a tattoo of a beaten woman on his neck. The singer says that every time he looks at himself in the mirror, he remembers this shameful act.

During periods of separation from Rihanna, Chris started affairs with other women. Brown was seen in the company of model Carucci Tren. Chris and Rihanna made an attempt to restore their relationship; in 2012, they jointly released the hit “Birthday Cake.” But Brown failed to return the girl’s former disposition. Later, he said more than once that he truly loved Rihanna and wanted to marry her. But, as they say, you can mend a broken cup, but you can no longer drink from it.

In the spring of 2015, the celebrity world was blown up by the information that Chris Brown had a 9-month-old daughter, Royalty, who was born to model Nia Guzman. Journalists had never noticed Nia and Chris together before. Soon the singer on the page in "Instagram" posted a photo of his daughter. Now the musician is trying to spend all his free time with his daughter.

In 2016, he showed his subscribers a new tattoo; now he has his daughter’s face on his back. Around then, the baby’s mother filed a lawsuit against the star father demanding an increase in the amount of alimony. In addition, Nia Guzman reported that Chris allegedly has a negative influence on the child and does not know how to behave with children at all. But the court found that Nia was exaggerating, and in fact, not everything is as critical as she described it. Chris Brown ends up raising Royalty two weeks a month.

In 2016, Chris Brown was again reported to the police by model Bailey Curran. The girl claimed that while in the singer’s house, she was attacked by him. The musician threatened the girl with a firearm. Bailey hurried to leave Brown and went straight to the police station. The patrol that arrived at the scene of the incident could not get into the musician’s house for a long time, since he did not open the door. At this time, Chris recorded a video on camera in which he explained his psychological state.

Chris Brown's arrest did not last long; the musician's lawyer managed to agree on a bail amount of $250 thousand. The lawyer also insisted that the accusation was false.

Chris Brown now

In August 2017, the artist presented the biographical film Welcome to My Life, in which he frankly spoke about the period of his life with singer Rihanna and the motives that led to the dramatic event. Viewers learned that the lovers’ relationship was not stable: the couple often sorted things out with their fists. Rihanna provoked fights no less often than Chris. Chris Brown arrived at the presentation of the film with his daughter and his mother. This was the singer's first appearance accompanied by Royalty in a public place.

In October 2017, the album “Heart break on a Full Moon” was released, which included 45 tracks. The single “Questions” appeared on the Internet in the summer. The official video for this hit was released on the VEVO channel, which already collected several million views in the first days. True, the album was coolly received by critics; in their opinion, the disc did not bring anything new either to the work of Chris Brown himself or to R&B music in general.

At the beginning of 2018, another scandal erupted on the Internet related to the name of Chris Brown. Earlier, the musician posted on Instagram a photo of his daughter holding a small monkey in her arms. The photo drew condemnation from animal rights activists, who reported that the monkey was living in Brown's house.

At the time of the check, the singer did not have documents allowing him to keep an exotic animal at home, and the small pet was seized. The case was received by the Los Angeles prosecutor's office. Chris Brown faced up to six months in prison. But this case was quickly hushed up in the media. Premiere 2018 - Chris Brown video Freaky Friday

But in May 2018, a new scandal broke out, much more serious than the “trouble with the monkey.” This time the singer was sued by a woman, whose name has not been disclosed. She accused the star of organizing a party at which she was raped by two of Chris Brown's acquaintances - a guy (a certain Lowell Grissom) and an unnamed girl.

It all happened after Chris's concert show. She was invited to an unofficial after-party at the rapper's house. But already at the beginning of the party, the girl’s mobile phone was taken away, after which they began to offer her hard drugs. According to the girl, she was deceived into the bedroom where the couple was already “resting” at that time. Brown left the room, but at the same time blocked the door. He did not react to her screams and request to be released. It was in this room that the violence against this girl took place.

It is understood that police were called to the house. They received a call from the victim's mother, who managed to track her phone using an app. But when they arrived at the scene, the police did not notice anything outside the scope of the law, although they were not inside the house. The musician did not open the door. And outside, indeed, everything was quiet and calm.

Despite denying his guilt, the singer was arrested in July. But after paying bail, Chris Brown was released and confirmed that he would continue his concert tour.

In August 2018, he presented an unusual alibi in court - at the very moment when the plaintiff girl was suffering violence from his friends, Chris Brown was “having sex and watching pornographic videos,” knowing nothing about what was happening in his house. The star's defense asked investigators to remove his name from the case as an accomplice. But so far the police are in no hurry to satisfy the demands of the rapper’s lawyer. Moreover, if the court finds him guilty, he faces a real prison sentence.

Discography

• 2005 - "Chris Brown"
• 2007 - “Exclusive”
• 2009 - “Graffiti”
• 2011 - “F.A.M.E.”
• 2012 - “Fortune”
• 2014 - "X"
• 2015 - “Fan Of A Fan: The Album”
• 2015 - “Royalty”
• 2017 - “Heartbreak On A Full Moon”

Biography, life story of Chris Brown

Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is a Grammy Award-nominated American R&B and pop singer, dancer, and occasional actor who rose to fame in mid-2005 with his Billboard Hot 100 number one, Scott Storch produced the debut single "Run It!", dedicated to Juelz Santana. His self-titled debut album spawned four successful Top 10 and Top 20 hits in the United States. To date, the album has sold 2.1 million copies in the US and 3 million worldwide.

Chris Brown was born and raised in the small town of Tappahannock by Virginia Clinton Brown and Joyce Hawkins. He is one of two children. Having accumulated his love of music while he was sent to stay with his aunt in Arkansas, he and his younger cousin would perform in local talent shows. He was influenced by the artists his parents played on mainstream radio, such as Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke. Before becoming a vocalist, Brown was interested in becoming a rapper, but began to notice his talent for singing at the age of 11. By 13, Brown was discovered by one of the local production crews who visted Gas Station Father's search for new talent. Brown began her accounting career and moved to New York, remaining there for two years

Brown's locally produced band held an audition for Def Jam vice president Tina Davis, who currently serves as its manager. At the age of 15, Brown was sent to perform LA Raid and was subsequently signed in 2004 to Jive Records In early 2005, Gohjiklljkun began work on his debut album, working with the likes of Scott Storch, The Underdogs, Dre, Vidal, Brian Cox, Bow Wow, and Jermaine Dupri

"Run It!" was a hit, peaking at #1 in the US (5 weeks), and overseas.

Chris Brown was released on November 29, 2005, and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 200 selling 155,000 copies in its first week of sales. Five weeks later, it became certified platinum, and within one year, went double platinum. After "Run It!", "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" became Brown's second top 10 hit in the US, peaking at #7 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. "Gimme It" was released in April 2006, which featured Lil' Wayne on a remix not featured on his album. The single peaked at #15, making Brown's first single miss the Top 10 in the US. Brown also co-directed his video for "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme It" Brown's third top 10 hit in the US, and the second single to top the R&B charts was "Say Goodbye", which debuted at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #10. The fifth and final single off his debut album, "Poppin", already debuted on the Hot 100 at #82, and has since increased to #48.

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Album Brown scored three Billboard Awards in 2006, one of them being the most prestigious, Artist of the Year. The album also received Grammy nominations in the Best Contemporary R and B Album categories.

To further promote the album, Brown launched his major co-headlining tour, Up Close and a personal tour, in late summer 2006. Due to the tour, production on his next album was pushed back by two months of a second summer tour in the works after the album is finished, the tour could include artists: Pretty Ricky, Bowwow, Lil Wayne, Juelz, Neyo, Ciara, and Cherish. No official dates, and peformances are completed.

Brown began production for his sophomore release, tentatively titled Exclusive. such as: Ciara, Pharell, Bowwow, and more time. Six of which Brown co-wrote. Producers on the album so far include Kanye West, Pharrell, Will. i. am, Timbaland, Scott Storch and Brian Michael Cox to create several more mature albums than his first, resulting in an album named after him. The album is planned to be released by autumn 2007.

Other than his singing career Brown from Moscow to some acting. He made a short appearance on UPN's One on One and A-N's The Brandon T. Jackson Show on its pilot episode. Additionally, Brown landed a small role as the gang geek in the fourth season of FOX's The OC in January 2007. Originally scheduled to guest star over eight episodes, it was cut down to just three so Brown could work on his second studio album. Brown made his big screen debut in Stomp Yard (originally titled Steppin') alongside Ne-Yo, Meagan Good and Columbus Brief in January 2007. According to TRL, Brown began filming for his second film, and is the first to actually lead in this one Christmas.

16-year-old gifted singer and dancer Chris Brown blew up the charts with his first single, “Run It.” In Chris's work, the influence of Usher, Tevin Campbell and Michael Jackson is noticeable.

Chris Brown comes from a small town with the strange name of Tappahannock, located in Virginia. He looks like a typical sixteen-year-old kid you see on the school basketball courts, but in reality he is already a rising R&B star. The “charm” of a schoolboy, his pleasant voice and the hypnotic tracks of his debut album made Chris Brown someone whom the whole world might soon recognize.

Chris Brown's childhood went hand in hand with the music that his parents listened to (Anita Baker, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway and Aretha Franklin), but as he grew up, Chris became interested in hip-hop, and then began sing. By the way, one of Brown's childhood dreams was to become the first MC to put Tappahannock on the hip-hop map. “I was rapping and didn’t realize I could sing until I was 11 or 12. My mom heard me sing and said, ‘You really can sing!’ and then I started going to school and singing to girls. » Biographers compare his voice with the voices of Michael Jackson, Tevin Campbell and Usher, but at the same time note that Chris Brown has his own style, his own charisma, his own taste. The album is filled with songs on different topics, but they are all connected by one thing - love, which Chris Brown sings about to his fans (and more likely fans). In some tracks he invites a girl to “light up” the dance floor with him, in others he sings about the fact that “she” has someone else, and in others about a lover who is driving him crazy.

The first single from the album was the song “Run It”, produced by the now super-fashionable producer named Scott Storch. “Run It” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week it was released, and Chris Brown became the first solo artist to have a debut single go straight to number one on the BillBoard singles chart. Chris Brown explains that this song is addressed to a girl who came to a party and “if she came there alone, then let her “show herself”, but if her boyfriend is with her, then she should say so first.”

Initially, Chris’s album was supposed to be called “Young Love”, at least that’s what it says on the artist’s website. So, the song of the same name is included in the disc, although the name has been changed. This track was produced by The Underdogs and features an interpolation of Blue Magic's old 1974 hit "Sideshow". As Chris Brown himself says, this song should become the new “hymn” of teenage love.

“When teenagers actually love each other, many adults say: “What kind of love!? You're not old enough to go out and have fun at night!" but they don't know that children can have real feelings for each other and this song tells all adults that even though we are young, we can love too." .

Another song from the album that Chris Brown pays special attention to is the song “Yo”. “It’s about a girl you meet at a party or at the mall and immediately tell guys, “I want to meet her!”, but you don’t know her name so you just say “Yo.” Chris Brown came into the music industry "fully prepared." He is not just a good vocalist, but also a talented author, flexible dancer and an aspiring young businessman who already knows many of the intricacies of the music business.

Chris Brown still loves to play basketball, just as he loved to play it as a child, but now it seems that new horizons and new opportunities have opened up for him to realize much of what he dreamed of.

Recording a platinum album at the age of sixteen is an achievement only a few can boast of. Chris Brown, the new and, indeed, very young hope of American rhythm and blues, can boast of similar success. The disc named after him was released at the end of 2005 in the United States. Before setting off to conquer Europe in early 2006, it had already sold 586,000 copies.

Christopher Brown personifies the nice guy next door who spends his—in Chris's case very little—free time playing basketball and video games, like most of his peers. He did not happen to be born in the metropolises of urban music - New York, the outskirts of LA or Atlanta. On the contrary, Chris was born on May 5, 1989 in the small town of Tappahannock in Virginia. Having started performing rap, the young man became increasingly interested in the performing style of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. The natural talent of the sensual vocalist soon made people talk about him outside his native village of two thousand residents. Critics soon drew parallels with Tevin Campbell and Usher. The dancer's skill also did not become an excess on the way to the throne of the King of Pop, as did the help of famous producers Scott Storch (Usher, Beyonce, Ricky Martin) and Dre & Vidal (their track record includes the successes of Chiara, Destiny's Child and Emery) Back in 2005, Chris Brown and his mother moved to New Jersey to stay close to the world's centers of pop culture. The third successful single from the well-selling album was the track “Gimme That.” Now nothing can stand in the way of the young star - Breaking the hearts of young schoolgirls with his gentle voice, romantic look and the charm of a high school student is already a common thing for Chris Brown. The year 2006-2007 was simply a breakthrough in his career..

American singer and actor. Brown released his debut Chris Brown in late 2005 at age 16. The album included the Billboard Hot 100 topping single "Run It!", making Brown the first African-American singer to have a debut single top the chart. The album sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Brown's second studio album, Exclusive, was released worldwide in November 2007. It included two successful singles: the second hit number one in America, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain, and "With You", which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Brown released a deluxe version of the album, entitled The Forever Edition. The first single from it, "Forever", was released in May 2008 and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Exclusive was certified platinum by the RIAA. In addition to his solo commercial successes, Brown was involved in some hits such as "No Air" ", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" with Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs peaked at numbers three, nine and ten on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Thanks to his dancing talent, Brown has been compared to famous R'n'B artists like Usher and Michael Jackson, who, as Brown himself says, greatly influenced his work.