In the year following his arrest for beating his pop singer ex-girlfriend Rihanna, Chris Brown has been effectively shunned into non-existence by the music industry and the general public. Once a staple of music awards shows, commercials and TV appearances, Chris Brown has spent more than a year virtually invisible, with a career so damaged he couldn’t buy his way back onto the public stage — until last night.
On Sunday, the BET Network hosted its annual BET AWARDS show, and invited Brown to perform a tribute to the late Michael Jackson. Say what you will about Chris Brown personally, but his talent is undeniable. And he was the PERFECT choice to honor the late King of Pop.
After an introduction by Jermaine Jackson, Chris Brown took to the stage with an intense fire that not only paid deep homage to Jackson, but the performance was so spot on, it was easy to briefly believe that perhaps Michael Jackson HIMSELF was in front of us on the stage. It was just that good. Brown mimicked Jackson’s signature dance moves with almost eerie accuracy, in a medley of his most famous hits. But when he got to the final song, “Man In The Mirror,” Brown was so overcome with emotion that he was unable to sing more than one or two words of the song, falling to his knees and weeping openly on stage. It was an incredibly touching moment of spontaneity — feeling the loss of his mentor Michael Jackson, and feeling the weight of his own personal issues — that just may have gained Brown the forgiveness he has long sought.
After regaining composure, the 21-year-old Brown returned to the stage later in the show to accept an award, and took the opportunity to announce to the world: “I let you all down before, but I won’t do it again. I promise you.” It was perhaps his most genuine apology and best moment since a multitude of failed attempts to revive his young career, that has somehow spurred the general public to collectively say, “WE FORGIVE YOU!”
Maybe it really is time we forgave Chris Brown and welcomed the prodigal son back into the fold.
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IMO, the crying was a bit over the top_ and I’m thinking the tears were actually for himself and NOT the memory of MJ. And speaking of the MJ tribute: I agree with the following….SoulBounce Commenter:“Out of all this, Prince was shafted. BET should devote a whole show to Prince. He's been getting screwed by MJ for years. This guy is waaaaay more talented. He plays all the instruments, sings, writes, and produces movies. MJ can grab his crotch and scream Hehe. Now that's talent!!!”Anyway: Chris Brown's fans_ or the lack thereof _will determine if his career can be revived.