I gotta admit...he got me. First let me say this...no other entertainer should be allowed to do a MJ tribute at this point except Chris Brown...(Sorry NeYo). It just goes without saying at this point. Dancing and vocals are more comparable. But aside from aesthetics, this was an impassioned performance coming from what I can only perceive as a truly remorseful young man.
He hit Rihanna. Yes, we know. I'm not excusing this and as I've stated on this blog I never would advocate the beating of a woman by a man. BUT,...he's 20 years old. A kid in many respects, and he grew up in a household where domestic abuse was common. He tried to escape it and it followed him. He's just as screwed up as the household that birthed him apparently. He let his emotions get the better of him and he took it out on RiRi...
No one knows what happened that night. There's three sides to every story. His side, her side and the truth. The truth may never come out and Chris never truly said what happened. Maybe out of guilt or just wanting to put the whole issue behind him, who knows. But the issue is what got him banned from the BET Awards last year. That and Jay-Z & Beyonce refusing to attend if he was present.
...But Mr. and Mrs. Knowles-Carter weren't present. Thank god. Honestly, this was the first tribute other than Janet Jackson's at the MTV Awards last year that was worth the price of admission. It had all the pagentry of an MJ performance, but the cherry on top was the tears of a child star who felt the sting of the very lyrics he was charged to sing.
Looking at the man in the mirror, determined to make a change, Chris Brown went from hearthrob and media darling to pariah and public enemy over night thanks to TMZ and over night, he couldn't buy positive press if his life depended on it. Now, with seemingly a second chance to do the performance meant for him...the lyrics seemed to crash in around him. He sank in.
And we drank it up.
The court of public opinion dialed in their vote. Chris has suffered perhaps enough. His record sales have languished, the movie role offers have stopped. His every move scrutinized, his only place of refuge being the stage. Maybe he has much more in common with Micheal than we thought to realize. All I know is, CB's performance made an otherwise uneventful BET Awards Must See TV. So much so that TiVo's round the globe were set to see the moment everyone would surely be talking about at the water cooler the next day. Hearts broke when his tears fell. And many (not all) forgave him for his transgressions.
Is it premature? Maybe. But who are we to judge anyway. What makes us so perfect? He did his time, he's trying to get his life on track. Before we cast any more dispersions, maybe we should look at the man or woman in the mirror....
Thought so.
Even still, many view this as Brown taking an opportunity to honor a fallen star to highlight himself and get back in good graces. I can't call it. But I don't see him as that cutthroat. After all, they said the same about Rihanna's timely 20/20 interview just hours before her Rated R album came out...
You never can tell with celebrities. But I know what side of the fence I sit on.
You're not home yet Chris, but you're on the road there...
