Chris Brown breaks down crying at the 2010 BET Awards Michael Jackson Tribute in response to beating up his girlfriend Rihanna last year. Video below.
Today's Kiss and Tell Report.
Last night Jermaine Jackson (and his hair) took the BET Awards stage in Los Angeles to introduce a new Michael Jackson Tribute for the sad first anniversary of the King of Pop's untimely death.
"We've seen all of the tributes, but we haven't seen him," Jermaine said, casting an ungloved hand boldly toward another stage.
Then, in silhouette a Michael Jackson-like figure started to dance the moves we all grew up with. The dancer was lithe and bold, the motions effortless and poetic. Beautiful, really.
For me the watching BET Awards is like visiting an old lover. It has its moments and you are happy to indulge, but nervous the entire time that former ugliness will rear its head. So when the Michael Jackson figure started to move I was drawn in, hesitant and waiting.
Who was the man behind the curtain, the audience wondered. Was BET doing some sort of projected graphic to raise Michael Jackson from the dead for his own tribute as other awards shows have done with Elvis Presley and Nat King Cole? Was it Usher, Neo, or maybe even Justin Bieber?
Then the shade was lifted and the gorgeous figure danced his way down a staircase in full Michael Jackson regalia. "It's Chris Brown," a friend of mine shouted in the phone. We watched the rest of the tribute amazed with Chris Brown's talent but also trying to puzzle out the reasons for BET making this connection. Chris Brown has been (rightfully so) a persona non grata after he was caught last year pummeling the face of his rock star girlfriend Rihanna.
My hypotheses is that the Jackson family, no stranger to scandal, public flogging and drama invited young Chris Brown to dance for his life as a nod to the forgiveness that they wished that their brother had experienced in life. For a moment, I became lost in the moment, enjoying my favorite MJ songs and the dancing.
At the climax of the tribute a sweat-soaked Chris Brown fell to the floor of the stage weeping during Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." Fitting as the lyrics insist, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror/ I'm asking him to change his ways." By the end of the song Chris Brown was a blubbering mess and the audience sang the rest of the words for him.
The audience then strangely broke out into a standing ovation.
Huh? I wondered if I had missed something.
What was the standing ovation for? The performance? The tears? The breakdown?
People in general love a spectacle and black people love forgiveness and justification. I imagine that this is because it's something we are rarely allotted from the outside world. In the end ultimately Chris Brown, a convicted woman-beater, was heralded and welcomed "home" as if he were some sort of home town hero, prodigal son or wrongly accused gentleman.
Do I think that Chris Brown should be flogged for the rest of his life for beating his girlfriend to a bloody pulp, destroying her face and sense of personhood at age 19? No, but only because he was only 19 years old at the time of the abuse.
However when many young women have taken to Twitter, Facebook and message boards not only to send messages of support for Chris Brown but anger at Rihanna for "what she did to him," a common refrain, this sort of communal 'support the abuser' ritual leaves me cold. Unfortunately this is not new in my "community" in my lifetime. I saw it with boxer Mike Tyson and actress Robin Givens as she was labeled a golddigging bitch for publicly accusing a violent man of violence, and again with singer R. Kelly as very few black radio stations even made a peep about this notorious child predator.
Later in the BET Awards show Chris Brown added a verbal mea culpa, promising his fans not to let them down again when accepting his AOL Fandemonium Award. People are still asking whether the breakdown was genuine or a publicity ploy. Only time will tell.
If you are being abused or know someone who is please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE(7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.
YouTube Video: Chris Brown performing at BET Awards 10th Anniversary.
What do you think?
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Comments
i disagree. I don't think they should have even allowed him to perform.
NO. I love Chris Brown. Enough already. Stop this. Leave him alone. what do you want him to do?
"People are still asking whether the breakdown was genuine or a publicity ploy. Only time will tell."
Really??? Tell you what... put you self in Chris shoe then read the first verse of "Man in the Mirror" MJ wrote powerful words... And they were convicting the... Those tears was because he got a 2nd chance... nothing more...
What a lame, staged breakdown... sad he used the MJ tribute as a publicity stunt. Rihanna must have been shocked by this performance!
Leave the man alone he paid hi
Great article. I agree that a person can reform his ways, and that he shouldn't be forced to endure "a public flogging" for the rest of his life. Still, I cannot help but be extremely disturbed by how *quickly* so many people have rushed to Chris Brown's defense--and, moreover, how many (misinformed) people believe Rihanna was somehow complicit in her abuse. It's deplorable. Chris Brown doesn't deserve any accolades right now.
He's been convicted. Time for forgiveness. He's talented. As long as he doesn't mess up again. He should be given a 2nd chance.
19 year-old males still have a lot of growing up to do. Chris Brown is now 21 and has paid for his stupid inexcusable mistake. Now he's being given the second chance MJ didn't get. I hope he uses it wisely. I believed his emotions. I can't believe some people think he should be exiled forever. Have those people never made mistakes and not just little one, but high mistakes? Thank goodness for Amazing Grace. That's what CB got last night. Great article - very balanced.
Beating a woman in the face is an act of a savage. My suggestion is rather than be concerned with where his career is going and how many records he doesn't sell - maybe he should talk to groups of men who have committed the same act and were not as lucky to get freedom instead of a jail term. Mr. Brown will be forgiven when he indicates that he deserves it. Crying is not the answer.
Chris brown is human like everyone else. We will never know what really caused chris to do what he did. Not excusing his actions but to dislike the man for life why? We can forgive him as a person but not forget his actions. Its done and over and let the man do what god gave him talent to do and that is dance and sing as a artist. He danced his ass off just like mike and if mj were there he would have been very impressed with his performance and not be thinking bout why do they have him dancing like me when he hit a woman? That would be stupid aod its old. No one is perfect and I'm sure those bad mouthing chris brown could put there laundry on the table they wouldn't be saying to much then. Everyone makes mistakes and chris did and hopefully he learned frod it and move on and entertain the world and his fans like he as always have.
Beating a woman in the face is an act of a savage. My suggestion is rather than be concerned with where his career is going and how many records he doesn't sell - maybe he should talk to groups of men who have committed the same act and were not as lucky to get freedom instead of a jail term. Mr. Brown will be forgiven when he indicates that he deserves it. Crying is not the answer.
time to move on. it happened and it is unfortunate. we don't know what triggered the situation. but if you go back to the initial reports, she got upset over a phone conversation he had and took the keys and sat on them and they argued for 30 minutes before anything physical went down. its sad. I don't believe in men hitting, pushing, shoving women and I don't beleive in women inciting situations either. come on people let's be fair. he has lost endorsements, revenue, respect. while it's not ours to judge, we must decide how much blood is enough and how much is too much. let it go, let's move on!!!
iam a 17 years, domestic violence survivor! I say what Chris Brown did was wrong. I also say that for the Lord to forgive my sins, I have to forgive myself. This is a kid and a child of God!! I forgive you, and want you to say to those who will not- He,who is without sin, cast the first stone,in the name of Jesus. I also would like you to keep God in your life, he blessed you with your talent and to keep him first. I believed this before the BET show. God will forgive you repent and sin no
more. I wish hiw well and hope he grows with the maturity to handle grownup situations better. God loves you and so do I!
I am a 17 years domestic violence survivor! I say what Chris Brown did was wrong. I also say that for the Lord to forgive my sins, I had to forgive my abuser! This is a kid and a child of God!! I forgive you, and want you to say to those who will not- He, who is without sin, cast the first stone, in the name of Jesus. I also would like you to keep God in your life, he blessed you with your talent and to keep him first. I believed this before the BET show. God will forgive you repent and sin no
more. I wish hiw well and hope he grows with the maturity to handle grownup situations better. God loves you and so do I!
Chris Brown is a worthless woman-beater. He is and always will be. Any of you that state something along the lines of "we don't know what really happened that night to provoke the ATTACK" are trying to justify his actions and rid yourselves of your guilt that you continue to support this criminal. Nothing should provoke assaulting a woman.
I give this one a 50% chance of being staged; he will go to any low depths to try to show his remorse (real or fake). What better time than a tribute to the King of Pop?
what is wrong with you people dont make yo selves innocent enough to accuse people for just one mistake an who ever u r, u r such a bad writer u dont even know how to spell hypothesis
He that is without sin let him cast the first stone. This is what Jesus said to the women accusers when they wanted to stone her to death for adultry in the Bible. Noone is perfect yes he did her Rhianna but God let her live and she is still performing and dating and has moved on. Let this young man go on with his life and put this stuff behind him and her, we are so quick to judge but we was not there only him, Rhianna and God so if Jesus went to the cross to save us why can't we do the same thing and forgive people who have hurt us. He needs our prayers not our opinion pray for this young man and tohers who have done the same thing instead of bringing him down lift him up with a prayer.
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