Dear Chris,
Or should I call you ‘Breezy,’ which seems most fitting for what I wanna holler at you about.
I’m slightly outside of your fan demographic, but then again, I, like a lot of women I know, could have very well been the cougar on the other end of that fateful text message on February 8. I’ve been known to utter a “that young boy could get it” any time I’d see you on TV, my admiring eyes taking you all in, from pearly whites down to impressively large, colorful kicks.
You’re very cute. And I’m very smart. So I know that it doesn’t take long for cute guys to say something that makes smart girls grateful they didn’t take ‘em down.
It wasn’t until I saw your baby blue bow tie on Larry King that I realized that I had probably never listened to you speak before. I’m guessing that’s by design, because thankfully your talent transcends the need for dialogue.
But the more you open your mouth nowadays, the more speechless I become. Now, your success hinges on more than just a classic krump-off. You have some explaining to do, and I’m sure that wasn’t anywhere in your A&R’s vision for your success. It is suddenly obvious just how young you are. You told Larry that you thought your community service time would be better spent speaking to young people about domestic violence. I can only assume the judge that sentenced you to community clean-up duty saw what I now see: at 20, it appears you’re not the most articulate young man. And that’s not something I can say about the kids who do fall into your fan demographic.
In the months since the incident, your fans have spoken when you legally couldn’t. They took to Twitter, assumed soap box positions all across YouTube, and ruled the blogosphere with incendiary rants in your defense:
“Rihanna probably deserved it.”
“I don’t believe Chris would do something like that to her without a good reason.”
“I never liked that big forehead bitch anyway.”
Those are direct quotes. Some of your fans are young and clearly dumb, and your influence on them is powerful. You know they go hard for you, Breezy, and they are obviously the lifeblood of your current comeback. But as you embarked on this media blitz in support of your “Fan Appreciation” tour and your career, you are speaking to us all. And sadly, you’ve yet to say the most important things that we all need to hear.
“If I can help a lot of kids out there, help people overcome this situation then that’s what I was put on this earth to do, definitely to help as many people as possible,” you said last week on 106 & Park.
Asked how you would respond to people who say the violence was necessary, you replied, “Violence is never warranted. It’s all about you. The choices and decisions you make can change your future.” HUH??
I get that talking isn’t your strong suit, but what would help, Chris, is if you found the words to check your fans. If you took a moment to defend not only their impression of you, but of what is right. As you stretch your charm and dance the fine line between admitting your guilt and salvaging what’s left of public perception, you have consistently sidestepped the grand finale. You’d never end a performance without the big finish, right? So then why have you stopped short of explaining to your fans that what they’ve been saying is wrong? You need to look into the camera and explain that it’s not cool to blame the victim, no matter what the case. That no woman or man, famous or nameless, deserves to be a punching bag. That “at the end of the day” there was no excuse for what you did.
You admitted to listening to everything that’s being said about you, so how bout you bypass your self-consciousness and stop breezing past your clueless fans’ mistakes; take a pause onstage during your Fan Appreciation tour and tell them to stop spreading that noise that further pollutes the reality of domestic violence.
This fan would really appreciate it.
Best,
Kim
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“Shaunie O'Neal is no longer a basketball wife. Do you think she'll soon be on the prowl like Joumana?”
8 hours ago by Jamie
This was beautifully written! I really hope that he reads this article and takes heed to what you are saying. It is truly needed.
As if he can control what people say…
So now he has to tell his fans to take up for Rihanna???
I like what you wrote but giving him the stiff one because of how his fans act and calling them stupid is not helping anyone. Granted this is your opinion and I wont knock you for it. Young girls obviously idolize this boy for a reason. I would suggest you find that reason out before trashing the fans.
It seems a little crazy how every word this young man says gets analyzed to death and trashed more than any speech Obama gives in front of a conservative crowd.
That letter is well written and truthful, Chris Brown has sit back and let his fanatics and Camp blame Rihanna for his violent actions.
He won’t tell what happened in that car because he is ashamed to admit how he beat a girlfriend over a argument..what a Coward.
Chris Brown’s fans do not speak for him nor is he responsible for their comments. Yes some of them are being harsh and disprespectful to Rihanna but how is that any different from what you did in your letter to Chris Brown? It’s your opinion that he is inarticulate, a simple sex symbol with no brain and little education, when a year ago that obviously wasn’t an issue. The media has harrassed this young man for 9 months and your letter is more of the same, everybody has an issue with Chris Brown, you all need to get over yourselves and move on.
I agree with much of what you said. I am one of the die hard fans of Chris Brown. I’ve been a fan of Chris’ for a very long time, almost three years now. Contrary to the generalization you made here, however, not all of his fans think that his statements are Shakespearean. Actually most of his fans realize that Chris is not the most articulate, or the best speaker, or the brightest crayon in the box. It has to be stated that Chris is from the backwoods of Virginia where Ivy League level oratorical skills are not a necessity. And for the majority of his career, Chris’ success depended on him looking good, singing nicely, and dancing well. Elocution, verbosity, articulation, and collegiate level expression were never a pre-requisite of his position in the world. He was not the socially conscious thinker type of artist, but the teen sensation entertainer. So it’s true he’s not very good at expressing himself.
I also agree that there’s something to be said about a well-spoken celebrity. It just helps them through everything because they can express themselves and they can express what they need to say in an intelligent manner. Chris’ lack of eloquence, his lack of verbosity, his lack of the ability to express himself with articulation is what’s keeping him down. It’s not that he doesn’t feel remorse, and it’s not that he has nothing to say, it’s just that I don’t think he knows how to say it.
So this article is correct in certain aspects. I don’t think the public really cares what he feels. They just want to hear him say it in a way they can understand. They want to hear it articulated clearly for their understanding. And he has not been able to deliver. Overall I agree though. He is not a good speaker, he’s not articulate, he’s not good at expressing himself, his speech is inhibited, and it shows. So he is going to have to have his answers prepared, he’s going to have to think, and he’s going to have to make sure that he understands that people listening to his interviews are not just 14 year old girls now. There’s also writers, journalists, thinkers, social activists, and people who need clearly expressed thought
As a fan however I disagree with your third paragraph in which you state what he needs to do. Most of what you want him to do, i.e. “You need to look into the camera and explain that it’s not cool to blame the victim, no matter what the case. That no woman or man, famous or nameless, deserves to be a punching bag. That at the end of the day there was no excuse for what you did.” I must highlight a point of contention with that. He’s done just what you’ve asked PLENTY of times. I wonder sometimes if blog writers actually pay attention to what he’s saying, BEFORE they take down notes on what to criticize him about. If you had watched his Larry King interview, his Angie Martinez interview, his BET interview, his MTV interview etc, you would note that he has said PLENTY of times that what he did was not right, that there was no excuse, that no woman deserves it. He’s stated these things plenty of times…so I’m really not sure what you want from him.
I think perhaps you think he should say it MORE often. And that is true. But that comes with time.
As for your direct quotes from CERTAIN fringe aspects of Chris’ fan base (i.e. the young dumb ones), and for your painting of all of Chris Brown’s fans to be clueless, I have to disagree. I STRONGLY disagree with your generalized stereotypical blanket statement that all of Chris Brown’s fans are young and dumb. Not all of us are 14 year old girls named Keyshia from Compton. Chris’ fans run a gambit from high school intellectuals, to well developed collegiate young adults, and even grown women and men who are fans of his from all races and all levels of academia. Chris’ fan base contains a diaspora of people who can range from 14 year old “young and dumb” fans to Ivy League level scholars. So please be careful with generalizing us all as morons.
Also I would state that not all of Chris’ fans think that Rihanna is a “big headed dumb b*tch who deserved to get hit in the hand and did something to cause it”. Again you’re making a generalization from a fringe minority of the “young dumb fanatics”. There are plenty of “young smart fans” and “intelligent adult fans” who do NOT feel that Rihanna deserved that, who admit that Chris was wrong, who support that Chris should have been punished. HOWEVER we simply feel that if everyone will wax righteousness, then they should also remember that in these self-righteous crucifixions against Chris, that if the self is righteous it will remember “forgiveness” as well. He deserves the opportunity to redeem himself, to be forgiven and to move on with his life, since has has been punished, his with two felonies, six months hard labor, and a year worth of domestic violence classes. There comes a time when he should be allowed to move on. This is actually the perception of the majority of his fans.
Kim, your letter have valid points indeed but were the same letters sent to Jay –Z, Gucci Man, Julez Santana, Tyrese, Tommy Lee Jones, Sean Penn or Jack Nicholson just to name a few. All these men have participated in DV. What really blows me is how this is still talked about yet these same men never had any scrutiny for their actions. I know why, because the women they beat were not considered superstars or better yet their bruised faces were not exposed like Rihanna but does that still excuse the crime. In America people like to pick and choose who they want to destroy while others pass alone with their lives. Indeed what Chris did that night was wrong; know one not even himself is making any excuses for his actions. Did you know that Mark Walberg was arrested around the same age as Chris for a hate crime? Mark and a few of his friends decided one day to beat this old Vietnamese man because he wasn’t white yet Mark has went on and done great things in films and is highly respected in Hollywood. Mark did go to jail for 6 months for this crime because this was the second time he was charged for this type of crime. My plea for you and others let Chris move on and get his life back on track. Just like Rihanna fans take to the blogosphere against Chris the same his fans do for him. We have a lot of problems going on in America such as unemployment rates going up, forecloses and many Americans that don’t have health care yet almost a whole year Chris and Rihanna plagued the news all year. What is wrong with this picture?
Hi Gabrielle,
well written statement. I’m 34 and graduated college so I’m not in the young and dumb category. I think Chris has done the best he can do in expressing himself. He can’t be held responsible 4 what some (not all) of his fans think or say. These writers have milked every bit of this situation. I wished people would move on and learn from his mistake. Anyway Graffit comes out December 8th!
I 100% agree. “Breezy” should be finished and done away with…. On to the next one, Trey songz is kinda hot right now, lol. No but seriously, i don’t think Brown understand the severity of what he has done, i think he’s just sad that this incident has stalled his career.
Thanks for putting into words what we all thought Kim.
I personally am not a Chris Brown fan but, I’m must say people need to move on and maybe get a life! The man apologized!!! He’s paying his debt to society and is also taking Anger Management classes. Domestic Violence happens everyday and most of the losers don’t get any punishment (police don’t even take the matter seriously in everyday life). I obviously don’t agree with Domestic Violence but, Chris Brown is being used as a scapegoat and for a problem that has prosisted in this country for years and years.
I think you need to get over yourself Kim. Chris can’t control his fans. He doesn’t seem to be a man of many words, and all anyone wants to ask him about is a situation that he doesn’t want to talk about in the first place. I don’t think he’s “dumb” or “inarticulate” I think he’s uncomfortable with the situation. I wonder how articulate YOU would be if you were doing national interviews and all anyone wanted to talk about was the one time you REALLY messed up and you don’t want to talk about it. Hell, I’m sure we all did things we aren’t proud of, they may not have gotten us a criminal record, but we wouldn’t want to talk about them.
As far as his fans, we all have our own opinions about what happened. No one is saying Rhianna “deserved” what she got, but then none of us know ALL of the circumstances (not just what happened that night, but what was happening from the day to day) except for those two. Besides there are always 3 sides to every story: his side, her side, and the TRUTH.
He admitted his guilt and is trying to get on with his life, people like you need to stop trying to make him a poster boy for domestic violence, he wasn’t the first and he certainly won’t be the last.
Ok so Chris has apologized ova n ova….Yall act like yall name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty….Im a fan of Chris n always will be but i do not condone violence….u went in found the dumbass comments n put them out there when most of chris fans dnt condone what he did n never will……so dnt say all of his fans are young n stupid because were not…..We love Chris 4 his music n not his actions there a FUCKING difference….shit ppl wont let this shit go….
“Your fans are young and clearly dumb, and your influence on them is powerful.”
??? I’m 20 and a big supporter of Chris and I find the above statement (and a lot more of what you wrote) extremely patronizing..
I’m not going to rant on for paragraphs about how i disagree with your opinion, I agree with parts actually but for most of it, it seems, YOU need to do further research.
A handful of fans do NOT represent his entire fan base.. we do NOT all think alike and i’m sure the majority of his fans do NOT condone violence at all.
Despite his SOME what lack of ability to verbally express himself, he’s shown a huge amount of maturity through out this whole ordeal, he manned up, plead guilty, he’s paying for what he’s done and hes reaching out to people who can benefit from his help. What more can he do? What do people want from him? It seems he will never be able to do enough for some. People are so determined to see him fail, it’s sad.
and some of these commenters seem to prove Kim right.
Not necessarily a fan of either one, but to write a “Open” letter to CB write one to EVERY person who is a an abuser.
Gabrielle that was written VERY well, I am a current college student and I have been a fan of Chris since 2005. I believe what he did was wrong but we ALL make mistakes. Chris has expressed his remorse MANY times and the media is still badgering him! Regardless of anything he is a human being a person that is NOT perfect, he has feelings and the media is still downing him which can be painful. Now no one knows exactly what his mental state is and EVERYONE has a breaking point! God forbid the media pushes him to his, but what if it does and he does something to himself…… the MEDIA will be the 1st people to talk about all hia accomplishments prior to the domestic situation! Point blank he is a human being, and in my mind (maybe people think differently) but we are ALL bound to make mistakes, it should be about what he is doing to make his mistake right and I believe the judge made sure of that. Leave Chris alone he is trying!
As if he can control what his fans say….Don’t bite from the hand that feeds you and his fans are the only thing he has has left and can possibly save his career.The last time I checked we were humans who live on planet earth and are entitled to make mistakes. And florida girl I agree with you 150% why don’t you attack Juelz Santana or the other plethora of men in the limelight who have been accused of domestic violence. Death to all these dumbass articles about what Chris should’ve done. Everyone is a critic am I condoning what he did? NEVER but it’s time for people to move on. And to a certain degree I feel like
IM GONNA KEEP THIS SHORT AND SWEET…. GET OVER IT AND REAL FAST. SO NOT ONLY DO PEOPLE WANT CHRIS BROWN TO ACT REMORSEFUL AND ACT LIKE HE HAS A BLACK CLOUD OVER HIS HEAD BUT YOU WANT HIM TO CONTROL WHAT HIS FANS SAY…. HAA AS IF…. WHAT’S NEXT DO YOU WANT HIS FANS TO SEND BOUQUET OF FLOWERS TO RIHANNA. DEATH TO THESE DUMBASS ARTICLES SCRUTINIZING WHAT HE COULD’VE, SHOULD’VE OR WOULD’VE DONE. IS HE THE BRIGHTEST BULB IN THE SKY? NOOOOOOO. IS HE INSIGHTFUL? NOOOO WAYYY BUT HALF OF THAT I ATTRIBUTE TO HIS LAWYER NOT TRAINING HIM ON HOW TO DEAL WITH MEDIA RELATIONS AND HIS LAWYER ALSO NOT RELEASING A STATEMENT/VIDEO EARLIER. ALSO ANOTHER PART OF GOES TO RIXXXHANNA (PUN INTENDED) FOR DOING A INTERVIEW *COUGH COUGH* PUBLICITY STUNT ON THIS WHOLE INCIDENT COINCIDENTALLY TWO WEEKS BEFORE RATED R COMES OUT … DESPERATE MUCH? NEVETHERLESS PLZZZ MOVE ON WHAT WASTE OF A ARTICLE ON SUCH A GOOD SITE. AND BTW IM IN NO WAY CONDONING WHAT HE DID AT ALL
I would like to add that whomever penned this should be ashamed of themselves and honey you should have nto posted it without checking the facts. The truth is the young man has apologized and used the writers exact words in several interviews. But here is what I really want to comment on is I believe that the fans are defending the idea that this may have been a “fight” gone bad. That does not justify it but it certainly puts this in a different light. for example is in the movie “Diary of an Angry Black man” the character Tonya was constantly baiting her partner to hit her. This is something that some women do. In Rihanna’s interview on 20/20 she said ” I wouldn’t let it go” meaning she kept fighting with him. SO the question then becomes is there a point when you can go to far? and if so did she cross it? I have heard countless men describe getting into agruments with women and first asking then telling them to stop and having the woman bait them until they lose it. I think maybe this is along the lines of what happened and so it sheds a different perspective on the situation. And If it was the author’s intention to help or the enlighten then it was not a good idea to call Mr Brown or his fans stupid. That is not really helping. Honey editor- Come on this article got responses but I probably would not come back to your site because this article seemed childish. Thanks
Domestic violence is never warranted. What Chris did was wrong. That’s undoubtedly clear. But we will never know all the dynamics that led up to the infamous pre-Grammy debacle… so let’s stop painting our own pictures and jumping to conclusions. I have friends in the industry that say Rihanna was known for slapping Chris up and using physical force with him, too. Did Diane Sawyer ask Rihanna about that?
So ladies, let’s take away 2 big lessons out of this situation. A) Never stand for a man hitting you. Ever. B) Don’t be trying to fight, slap, push, mush or jab your man and then get mad when he does the same thing back to you. Keep it loving and non-violent. Salud.
Honey Magazine I thank you for posting this letter. I am extremely impressed that you posted a letter voicing such a standpoint.
I am incredibly disappointed in Chris Brown’s actions. I am even more disappointed in the responses of many young girls. I have to admit when I first heard of the incident, I too didn’t believe the story. I thought maybe it was more to it than what the media was reporting. Then I saw Rihanna pictures. I was crushed. I realize what type of rage that young man must have had to cause such damage to her face.
The author talks about Chris Brown’s intelligences. His ability to articulate. Chris Brown command of the English language and his ability to reason are mutual exclusive. (Which means just cause he doesn’t speak well doesn’t mean he is STUPID) When I heard Rihanna speak I thought, wow not only is she beautiful, she is intelligent. But when we heard Chris speak, we though he is not the brightest crayon in the box. I have heard Chris Brown speak and yes he is intelligent. Chris has just put less focus on English and education because for young black men it is not a standard. When we hear young black men speaking in such a way we anticipate him struggling to articulate himself. Just like many other categories in life we lower our standards for our young black men.
Chris I heard you speak on Tyra once. I know that you are smart and have great reasoning skills. Have you spent time reading and brushing up on your English? Maybe not. But you are intelligent enough to know that what happen was wrong. I know you are young and confused but this is the opportunity to be more than just a Pop Star. It’s the opportunity for you to lead young black men by example. Don’t accept that status quo. Be the best YOU, you can be. THIS TIME WILL PAST BUT WHEN YOU LOOK BACK YOU WANT TO REALIZE THE POSITIVE. THERE CAN BE POSITIVES IF YOU ALLOW THEM TO MANISFEST YOUNG BROTHER.
I am still unhappy about the situation Chris, but yes I am still a fan. But I have an expectation of you beyond singing and dancing young man. I hope you make the proper decisions and help instill change in how young black men are viewed in out society.
Are you serious? At what point do we let this young man BREATH? How many times must he gravel? He paid his debt. He’s done what he needs to do. Hes trying to move FORWARD and you want him to go in front of his fans AGAIN. Just shut up. Peoples opionins are people opinions. Point blank. Sheesh.
u r clearly a idiot!!!! he has nothing and i repeaat nothing to explain to u or anybody else. he made a mistake and like a man he took responibilty for what he did and u still wont more form him. Who the hell r u he didnt have to say anything thing about what happend that night just like riri bobble head ass acted like it was all good until her cd came out now she wants to b the face for abuse get the hell outta here with that i can pep game when its bein played and she is 4sure playin it. Chris has said sorry more then enough times what do u want from him to break down and strat crying on tv or something? nobody has said anything about riri walking around looking like the devils playmate but they get on chris for every little this thats bs. Hiting a women i bad i admit theres no takeing that back but a women hitting a man is just as bad she(riri)isn’t even women enough to admit her part in it. Chris needs to keep doing what he’s doing and thats MAKEING GOOD MUSIC he is trying to better himself from the situation and be an example for those with the problem he had, he cleary stated he will try his hardest to never be in a situation like that again and thats all a men can do is try day by day and improve his self i resepect him and wish him the best in everything he do.
FIRST OF ALL I CAN SAY THAT UR LETTER WAS BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN FOR REAL BUT HOW DO U MAKE URSELF LOOK WHEN U TRYIN TO MAKE HIM N HIS FANS LOOK DUMB I’M A FAN AND TRUE INDEED I WAS SHOCK N SAYIN THINGS LIKE I DNT BELIEVE BUT DNT TRY TO MAKE HIM LOOK LIKE HE’S THE VICTIM NO ONE KNOWS WHAT REALLY TOOK PLACE TO THIS DAY…SO WHO ARE U TO DECIDE(NO OFFENSE)