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Chris Brown, Ike Turner, and Rick James
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Is Chris Brown's Career Over?
SPIN's David Marchese on the lessons Ike Turner and Rick James teach us about violence against women.
By David Marchese 02.13.09 7:38 AM
Chris Brown, Ike Turner, and Rick James
We don't know all the details, but unless a lot of people are very wrong about a lot of things, R&B star Chris Brown physically assaulted his girlfriend, pop starlet Rihanna, last weekend just before both were set to perform at the Grammys.
Already the 19-year-old singer has been dropped from both a Wrigley's chewing gum and a "Got Milk?" ad campaign. Similarly, 96.5 KISS FM in Cleveland has removed Brown from its rotation.
Is the erstwhile "Next Michael Jackson"'s" career over?
Hard to say. In rap, there's plenty of precedent for violence or other nefarious activity being viewed as a positive. It certainly never hurt Jay-Z or Young Jeezy to brag about their criminal exploits. But domestic violence is different. It's not tough to beat up women. It's pathetic.
More on SPIN.com:
>> 11 Thoughts About the Grammys
>> All 25 Grammy Performances -- Ranked!
>> Grammys: The 7 Best Moments
The two most infamous pop music perpetrators of acts of violence against women are Ike Turner and Rick James. As famously detailed in her autobiography, I, Tina and the ensuing movie What's Love Got to Do with It?, Tina Turner was subjected to years of physical and psychological abuse by her former husband Ike. The revelation essentially ruined his career. The man who could lay claim to inventing rock'n'roll when his band released "Rocket 88" in 1951 under the name Jackie Brenston and the Rhythm Cats, ended up, as his New York Times obit noted after his death in December 2007, "synonymous with domestic abuse."
But there was a sense during his later years that stance had somewhat softened. Nine months before he died, Turner won his first Grammy since he split with Tina for his blues album Risin' with the Blues. More out of morbid curiosity than anything else, I went to go see Turner play a concert a year or two before he died. It was a deeply weird experience. Here was this man who, even if we're being sympathetic, treated his then-wife terribly. Yet, people wildly cheered for him, as if his old age made the fact he was leering at his Tina-lookalike backup singers funny, rather than disturbing.
1980s funk hitmaker Rick "Super Freak" James experienced a somewhat similar re-evaluation. In 1993, James was found guilty of holding a woman hostage for multiple days and forcing her to perform sex acts. But thanks to an admittedly funny Dave Chappelle parody, James was turned into a harmless walking punchline. Not a great way to spend your final days (James died in 2004), but better a joke than a monster.
If both James and Turner weren't quite forgiven, they also didn't stay pariahs. Do artists who commit acts of sickening violence deserve a second chance, let alone applause?
One way or another, Chris Brown is going to find out.
Watch: Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories: Rick James
Watch: Ike Turner, "I Want to Take You Higher" at North Sea Jazz festival 2002
he certainly deserves to be ridiculed in the worst way or even better, ignored altogether...maybe he can get another career like advanced inmate sciences. I don't think he'll be able to pull a Norman Mailer
HE WILL STILL BE A STAR....
Chris is only 19 years old. Yes, he deserves to be admonished for his actions but more than anything, he deserves to be given a chance to rebound and improve his life. If we can toss a way a 19 year old black male for a mistake he has made, who his biological father said he is "very remorseful for, then we might as well toss away all young people who make mistakes. I think Chris will learn from this and I'm sure it will be a life changing experience, for the better.
I think regardless of his poor choice in reactions, his career will be unaffected. If anything it may help it. He will get the publicity, even if it is negative. Sure he will loose some from his fan base but real fans who only care for the music will stick by. Simple as that.
Also, violence in the music industry is nothing new. Everyone knows that. especially for the genre. It's not the right answer, and he deserves whatever consequence that may come up. None-the-less he will remain a star for his talent, not his personal life.
For all of the back-and-forth regarding this whole story, it's kinda depressing to see so many people commenting with very little to go on. If Chris Brown was violent toward Rihanna then he should face the same consequences the rest of us would.
The thing that's sad is that we know almost nothing but rumor and both of their careers will have that black mark, regardless of what's revealed. I guess "innocent until proven guilty" doesn't apply if you're famous.
Is his career over? Most likely not. But the toothpaste won't go back in the tube, whether the stories are proven to be true or false.
www.IMetARockStar.com
At 19 years old it ought to be pretty obvious that you don't beat your girlfriend up. Some things don't really take maturity to realize, this is one of them.
He is going to have a hard time with a new single I would think. I don't really care either way, he's just another cliche r & b/pop singer (although his dancing skills far surpass his skills as a song stylist) - listenable, but nothing special. One can image any number of ordinary singer/dancer types ready and willing to replace him.
And even though she's the victim, this isn't good for her career either although she is clearly more likely to rebound than he will.
well would u rather be pissed on by r kelly or slaped and bitten by chris brown (ur making a big deal out of this when other people have done worse)
I think is sentence was to light and sets a bad example. as far as his career
is concerned I think it is damaged but he'll still make music and it will sell.
He's a fool who lost his fame for good now. His new songs all blow and they 're too many good R & B artist that have replaced him. My advice would be to get sum investors and make money in business and enjoy ur new infamous life.
Chris Brown is so over. He lost a gigantic portion of his fanbase, his reputation is forever ruined, and he lost about 20million plays on Last.FM when his former fans ditched him.
He has no honor and deserve no respect.
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