There is No Such Thing As Bad Publicity

The reports of the arrest of Chris Brown for his alleged abuse of girlfriend Rihanna have been swarming around the globe for the past three weeks. In those three weeks, Chris Brown did something he was unable to do before. He got himself name recognition. Only R&B music fans, mostly younger at that, really knew who he was. The general public might have known a song or two, but didn't know who sung it. Now, the biggest entertainment saga of 2009 has the entire world talking about the singer's heinous actions. The question on every one's mind is 'will he be able to return to the level of popularity he was at before?' The answer is a simple "no." He will be bigger. If Brown's publicists even spent a day in a public relations class, Brown will be interviewed by Barbara Walter or Katie Couric, or someone who will pretend to ask tough questions, but will really be lobbing softballs. A tearful heartfelt apology will be almost a given, and he might even get Rihanna to sit there with him. The most outrageous part of the whole situation is that if Rihanna continues to stay with Brown, he will be off the hook because all the women in the world will say "oh well, then she's just stupid to stay with him."

The music business has taken such a drastic turn in the past decade that it is becoming increasingly harder for musicians to form their own identity. With CDs almost non-existent, and any smuck with a halfway decent voice getting a record contract, the really talented people are finding it harder and harder to separate themselves from the pack. The truth is that for R&B singers, if something huge does not happen in your career, you become irrelevant. I am by no means accusing Chris Brown of beating Rihanna to get publicity, but his recent actions do not seem as damning as everyone would have you believe. America loves a comeback, and is quick to forgive. Michael Jackson almost threw his baby over a balcony and could not be more popular. 50 Cent's nine bullet wounds gave him enough street-cred to land "In Da Club" the coveted spot of Billboard's top song of 2003. Mariah Carey had a meltdown that made Three Mile Island look like a faulty circuit breaker, and she came back with her most profitable single ever. The point is, without a story, a gimmick or scandal, musicians will be merely lost in the shuffle. So for Chris Brown, his fans might not have come back yet, but don't worry, they are on their way.