10 years on, Chirs Brown still haunted by attack on Rihanna

Chris Brown has been on the bad side of authorities and the public for the most part of the last 10 years.

This dates back to 2009 after the singer assaulted R&B musician Rihanna, who was his girlfriend at that time.

A video of the artiste physically abusing Rihanna surfaced and images of the aftermath of the abuse were everywhere on the internet.

Brown was publicly chastised and when the case went to court he was given a sentencing of five years of probation and six months of community service.

He later admitted to feeling like a monster after what he did to Rihanna. He said their relationship had become so toxic and all trust was lost after Rihanna started suspecting Brown of stepping out on her.

Years that followed saw Chris Brown isolated by many people, from fellow celebrities, fans to entire countries, he was viewed as a villain.

He couldn’t perform in some countries that denied him access and labeled him a predator who preys on innocent women.

Even though Rihanna later forgave Brown and the two were even photographed at some events together in seemingly jovial mood, the public at large wasn’t too willing to forgive him. They just couldn’t come to terms with what he had done.

He became synonymous to a thug, a woman beater.

His music declined, his record sales were at an all-time low, and he wasn’t recognised at major music award ceremonies even despite releasing songs.

His image was tarnished and he had some major cleaning to do in order to rebrand himself.

Gradually he started winning his fans back, this was in part thanks to Rihanna’s forgiveness for what Brown had done to her.

He started releasing songs that resonated with the fans and were well-received.

He became the Chris Brown that people had adored from when he was just a 14 year-old boy making a debut in the music world. Some attributed his violent demeanor in 2009 to his age, stating that he was just a teenager when all that happened.

Chris Brown is now a father. After it became public that he had a daughter, it raised many questions from fans who had closely followed the artiste’s life for many years. There was a whole mess surrounding the revelation of him being a father.

He and the mother of his baby were not together when the news broke, they still aren’t together till today, but are trying to raise their child in a good environment, despite being at loggerheads quite a number of times.

Chris Brown’s image had somewhat been cleaned and he was now viewed in consideration to his baby.

Despite regaining some of the support and adoration from the public and media, Chris Brown continues to face numerous accounts of bias or accusations that can be related to the 2009 incident.

On a number of occasions women have reported to the media and authorities that they’ve been assaulted by Chris Brown, either directly or through one of his entourage.

He’s had violent incidents in clubs and some of these cases have led to him being questioned by police.

As an artiste, he is still viewed as a bad influence and someone who attracts negativity.

In countries such as Canada, Chris Brown hasn’t been fully forgiven. He has been denied access to perform in that country due to their laws that crack down on domestic violence.

When he visited Kenya in 2017 to perform in Mombasa, Chris Brown got to know first-hand that even in Africa, his image had been tarnished.

At the airport, while he was greeting fans at the entrance gate, one woman alleged that Chris Brown violently grabbed her phone when she tried to get closer to him so that she could get a good snap.

Though the allegations were unfounded and Chris Brown was never charged, it got to show just how people’s perception of his image had changed since the 2009 incident.

Recently, Chris Brown was arrested in France after a woman alleged to have been raped by the singer while at his hotel in Paris. The police took him in for questioning but he was later released without charge.

When the news broke, there was a mixed reaction from fans on social media. Some viewed the allegation as a continued trend of bias and unfair treatment of the artiste, while some, remembering his past, believed that he did indeed commit the crime.

Chris Brown took to Instagram and unequivocally denied the accusations. He said that he wouldn’t put his daughter and family through such drama.