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Chris Brown has become more popular than ever with his songs from 2019 climbing the charts yet again. This has fans and critics wondering how he has emerged back in the R&B scene despite having heavy accusations leveled against him.
From colorism to physical abuse, the Under The Influence singer has been accused of perpetuating violence against women. There is an entire section on Brown's Wikipedia dedicated to his run-ins with the law. Despite his confirmed crimes and many allegations against him, Chris Brown has enjoyed renewed fame thanks to TikTok.
Chris Brown's Music Set Him Trending On TikTok
If there is one thing TikTok does best, it repopularizes old songs by remixing them, and Under The Influence was no different. Under The Influence was on Chris Brown's 2019 album titled Indigo (Extended). It received the standard TikTok treatment of speeding up after which it promptly went viral.
Debuting on Billboard Top 100 last summer, the song climbed the ranks of popularity and finally has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
TikTok has single-handedly made Under The Influence the most streamed song in Brown's discography. Along with this, his songs No guidance and Go Crazy have also been viral on TikTok.
TikTok's influence can also be seen in how the "Under The Influence" music video was received; it was released three years after the song was released.
Within the span of a few months, it garnered over 90 million views. Even his clothing line, Black Pyramid, seems to have profited from his success on TikTok. He has even announced the "Under The Influence" Tour.
Chris Also Released New Music (To Critical Acclaim)
Chris Brown has been quite busy after his revival on TikTok. He released a new album Breezy in mid-2022 which received mixed reviews but debuted on the Billboard 200 at the 4th position and spent three consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Billboard 200.
Artists Lil Wayne, Anderson Paak, Blxst, Lil Baby, H.E.R., EST Gee, Wizkid, Jack Harlow, Tory Lanez, Fivio Foreign, Ella Mai, Yung Bleu, Capella Grey, Lil Durk, Davido and Bryson Tiller collaborated with Brown on this Album.
Tracks from this album are also quite popular on social media platforms including TikTok. The album has also been nominated for The Grammys with tracks Call Me Every Day, Psychic, C.A.B (Catch A Body), WE (Warm Embrace), and Iffy having their own music videos.
Brown Faced Backlash Over Collaboration With Chloe Bailey
Chloe Bailey of Chloe x Halle fame announced a collab with Chris Brown only for her to receive immediate backlash. Fans immediately condemned Bailey's decision to work with a convicted abuser.
Chris Brown himself took to Instagram to address the backlash. He expressed disappointment with people who still hate him for "a mistake he made as a 17-year-old." He also said that white artists do not receive the same amount of backlash as he, a black man, does.
Netizens did not take well to his statement on Instagram. Many claimed he was "being manipulative" and was "changing the narrative" by claiming he was 17 instead of 19. Others joked that he might have misremembered his age because Rihanna might not have been his first victim.
Users also said he was misrepresenting facts as he has had abuse allegations even recently up to 2022 and that the Rihanna incident was not an isolated one.
Rihanna's bruised-up pictures from the assault also resurfaced online with a lot of people siding against Brown. "Rihanna may have forgiven him, but we do not. Plus he does not even show any remorse for his actions," said a Twitter user. This is not the first time that netizens have questioned why Chris Brown still has a career despite abusing Rihanna.
However, his fans expressed support for him and said that he should be forgiven for his mistakes as it was a long time ago.
Did Chris Brown Really Get Canceled?
Chris Brown's comeback on TikTok has ignited a worldwide conversation on cancel culture. A few people took to the internet to say that Chris Brown is proof that cancel culture never existed. A user on Twitter made an entire thread on Brown's alleged misconduct which quickly went viral online.
He has been banned from entry into Canada and the UK due to his violent behavior.
His success despite being problematic made critics online question if there are any consequences of cancel culture as most men who have been canceled online have seemingly returned and are carrying on business as usual. From Kevin Spacey to Jeffree Star, everyone seems to be back in the scene.
Chris Brown has never really seemed to have his personal life affected by his actions as he has had supporters from day one sticking by him. But it seems that the criticism from others is really getting to him as seen by his outburst on Instagram.
The power of TikTok to resurrect even those who are problematic may turn out to be the worst feature of the app yet.
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