http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1utjnubvHWk
It’s not as if domestic violence is a key part of his message or branding. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find any meaningful message in songs such as the recent Turn Up the Music (chorus: Turn up the music/Oh oh oh) or the smash hit Yeah 3x (chorus: Yeah, yeah yeah). Brown churns out these inoffensive dance hits and has proved himself an incredibly bankable star both before and after the assault on Rihanna. Of course, his success in no way excuses his crime, but someone who wants to listen to this music is neither being hypocritical to her views nor endorsing the actions of the star. On September 17th, Cambridge University Students’ Union Women’s Campaign tweeted a picture of stickers which had been placed on copies of Brown’s latest album, Fortune, that read: “WARNING: Do not buy this album! This man beats women.” But this man doesn’t beat women. He beat a woman, once, and both publicly apologised was punished for it.
Let me again iterate that the public disgust at Chris Brown’s actions in 2009 was entirely justified and an appropriate response to such a violent crime. However, more than three years later shouldn’t the question of second chances roll around? Most criminals are given another opportunity to lead a normal life. You commit the crime, do the time and are free to return to the workplace and pursue the same career you had before. Though your reputation may be hurt at first, you have the right to get back on track (if you can) and overcome your past.
This is not a pity parade for the multi-millionaire pop star, but it is clear that Brown is not being afforded this second chance. His public appearances and performances are repeatedly met with angry criticism from people enraged that everyone seems to have forgotten what he did. This is untrue: his crime will permanently mark his career but it is highly inconsistent of us to continue to lambast him when we welcome so many other celebrity-criminals back into the limelight.
Many rappers have succeeded in spite of their crimes (Lil Wayne was imprisoned on several occasions for gun and hard drug possession but released a double platinum-selling album in 2011) but perhaps one of the best examples of our hypocrisy in this regard is the endurance of the music of Phil Spector. Spector is one of the most influential producers of all time, responsible for songs such as Let It Be, Proud Mary and Unchained Melody. He was convicted of murder in May 2009, but people have not binned their Beatles albums. The product of his collaboration with Ike and Tina Turner (Ike a notorious wife beater) is the ever-popular River-Deep Mountain High.
In an ideal world people with such influence would not commit such crimes, but when the offending celebrity fulfils their legal requirements and apologises for their wrongdoing, don’t they have as much right as anyone else to attempt to rebuild their career?
