Christopher Maurice Brown, why must I always read about you being involved in a fight?
I see that you’ve invoked the passion of the Christ in defense of yourself, but Negro, you’re going to mess around and have God smite thee with all Thy might. And so we’re clear, Jesus, as legend has it, died for our sins so that we could be forgiven and go find out whether or not heaven has a ghetto. He wasn’t crucified for beating up R&B singers, male, female or otherwise.
Okay, enough with the small talk, let’s get to the matter at hand.
Admittedly, there are some discrepancies regarding who started this apparent fight between you and Frank Ocean. Some say you swung first, others claim it was Frank who let his New Orleans out of the cage. I don’t really care who initiated the brawl on this week’s edition of The Real Husbands and Parolees of R&B. I’m more concerned about the lingering pattern here with you.
As much as you hate being reminded of your transgressions, there’s your horrific beating of Rihanna in 2009. Your deadly assault of a Good Morning America window in 2011 inspired by questioning about the aforementioned incident of violence. There’s also that reported scuffle between you and Drake last year, although in your defense, it was apparently Aubrey who channeled Ms. B’Havin’s “Bottle Action.”
Then there are your antics on the Twitter, which is true root of your beef with Frank Ocean. I know parking in LA is a hassle and I’ve been tempted to go oops, upside someone’s head over a stolen spot once or twice, but we both know the issue between you two is bigger than that.
In addition to your social media tiff with Frank, you’ve had Twitter fights with the following: rapper/producer Tyler The Creator, WWE performer CM Punk, country singer Miranda Lambert, walking sob story Raz-B, internet troll Jenny Johnson.
You did not start most of these volatile exchanges, but they each highlight your inability to ignore the nonsense, instead opting to highlight your rage issues. Speaking of, while I’m aware it’s currently trendy to dismiss any constructive criticism as “negativity,” maybe, just maybe it’s time you start listening.
As someone who grew up witnessing domestic violence, I know better than anyone how that follows you for the rest of your life. Things you thought you put behind you suddenly manifest themselves in the most random of ways, and they ultimately entrap you if don’t tackle them head on. I won’t even pretend that I have conquered my own issues with the anger and resentment I have towards my father and the lingering issues I have with control, but at the very least, I’m glad to have people around me who will call me out when necessary…unlike your cousins, who in the past recorded a video of themselves chasing down Frank Ocean in his car, yelling “You a mark if you don’t take the fade.”
There are others bond to you by blood and paycheck who may not act as recklessly, but still help you perpetuate a work of fiction: That you are a victim of venomous members of the press. No, Chris. You are participant in your own downfall. And your failure to realize that may find you pop locking in prison for Newports and Funyons.
But even with your enablers, your actions pose a serious question: Just how detached from reality can a person be? Maybe you are more comparable to Michael Jackson than some of us have wanted to admit. Nonetheless, it’s so frustrating to see someone with all this money and access refuse to get help. There are people out in the world falling to their knees thanking God that they have access to generic anti-depressants, and you, the millionaire, would rather compare yourself to Jesus than say, “Jesus, Muhammad, Tom Cruise’s friends…somebody help me!”
And no shade (but shade), Bobby Brown didn’t get nearly as many chances as you have, and he made “Roni,” my dude. “Roni!” As much as I like “Excuse Me Miss,” “Say It With Me,” and a few of your mixtape cuts, you don’t hardly have the illustrious career of the Nippy-professed “King of R&B.”
Look, maybe Frank is a jerk for not accepting your olive branch. Yes, some people do need to realize antagonizing you like a jackass isn’t exactly the best way to show you how to be a better man. But after a certain point, you gon’ have to learn when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. It can’t always been someone else’s fault.
So please, go get some help…but if you feel compelled to go to Iyanla, do us all a favor and follow up with someone licensed as well. Mama Vanzant can’t write prescriptions. Just saying…
Michael Arceneaux is the author of the “The Weekly Read,” where on the surface the shade might make the culprit want to curse, but trust, it comes from a place of concern. Tweet him at @youngsinick.
