Did Rihanna's assault derail Chris Brown's career? Fans love 'Put in Work' track but say he's been 'blackballed'
Chris Brown and Jacquees have dropped their new song 'Put In Work' and will be releasing an accompanying music video this week. Cash Money Records have also announced that Brown will takeover several social media channels, including BET Jams and MTV Live to premiere the video. The smooth, slow jam is the perfect way to enjoy the summer and sees Brown and Jacquees singing about making love to their respective lovers.
Many are already hailing the track as a hit. Several fans celebrated the release, with one sharing, "That @chrisbrown featuring Jaquees #PutInWork (fire)." And others are calling the track "dope". Others found it funny that the track is technically a Jacquees song featuring Brown, but the "King of R&B" had such a massive impact on it, "he took over the song once again."
Not all fans are happy with the release, however, with one sharing, "I'm kinda bored by these contemporary RnB songs. Those 355 layers on the voice are so annoying. Recently R&B Chris been at his best when he gave tracks sum type of 'personality' (Aura, Dear God, Come Home Tonight, Liquor, This Ain't, Gravity...)," to which another replied, "A Chris Brown fan with a sense? Wow thought this was impossible. I been saying that contemporary sex song bs gotta go for a long time."
But there's another reason this release has fans talking. Even if you're not particularly a fan of the song itself, it's hard to deny that Brown has aced the slow R&B game in addition to releasing bangers in other genres, including hip-hop and pop. As radio personality Ebro Darden stated, "Chris Brown just drops hits every year... all over the radio. That guy is good!" And this has left fans questioning just why the singer, who has consistently put out top-quality music, continues to be held back from being as big as many predicted he would be when he first hit the scene all the way back in 2005.
Brown's self-titled debut album was a smash hit, earning the young artiste industry-wide praise, critical acclaim and commercial success. He was hailed as a star right from the get-go, owing both to his musical abilities as well as his dancing skills. But in 2009, the singer got into an altercation with then-girlfriend Rihanna, leaving her with severe bruises and injuries that required hospitalization. Brown was instantly shunned by fans as well as colleagues.
In an interview with Larry King, Brown shared that hearing others describe about the incident shocked him, stating, "That's not who I am as a person, and that's not who I promise I want to be." He added that the images of Rihanna's battered face were tough for him to look at, stating it would haunt and define him forever. And that prediction turned out to be true, since to this day people hold Brown's actions against him.
And this leaves the fans who have stayed loyal to him wondering whether he would have achieved legendary status had it not been for that one incident that derailed his career so early on. Brown moved on from his past towards much greener pastures, including steering clear of drama, and now puts his effort into creating music and raising his daughter.
Unfortunately, that is not enough of a redemption arc for many. One fan stated in response to Darden's tweet, "Makes you wonder how massive he would have been if all the drama never happened. Probably the biggest star on Earth right now," to which another responded, "Just imagine man." Another fan claimed, "Industry still tries to blackball him thou, the man is resilient!! One of the greatest atm." Fans also declared that Brown's legacy would live on decades into the future, and put him in the ranks of Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Sadly, we might never really know just where Brown would have ended up had his career stayed on its projected path.