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CNN Spotlight

CNN SPOTLIGHT: Chris Brown

Aired September 19, 2014 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Love him or hate him.

M. TYE COMER, "BILLBOARD": People are just waiting for him to mess up.

TURNER: This R&B bad boy is as talented as he is controversial.

SCOTT STORCH, MUSIC PRODUCER: Charisma, the pipes to sing, the looks, everything.

MARY MARGARET, "PEOPLE": No matter how many times he has fallen down, he will always show up to perform.

TURNER: Five years after the fall that almost cost him everything.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Accusations of domestic violence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alleged victim is the singer Rihanna.

CHRIS BROWN, MUSICIAN: And I'm truly, truly sorry.

TURNER: Breezy is back in the news with his latest album and his latest run-in with the law.

(on camera): People say, where Chris Brown goes, trouble follows.

(voice-over): Tonight, we turn the spotlight on Grammy-winning pop star Chris Brown.

The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

MARGARET: It was his first time on the show. And he just blew everybody away.

TURNER: Just 18 years old, the fresh-faced R&B phenom dazzled the star-studded crowd.

MARGARET: He did things on that stage we haven't seen in so long.

TURNER: The high-flying dance moves and ultra-smooth vocals, to many, this performance revealed a new generation of pop music royalty. COMER: People who recognized talent when they see it, and they

saw Chris Brown and they something special. I think that there are certain people who are just born to do it. And Chris Brown is definitely one of those people.

TURNER: Music was part of his life from the start.

MARGARET: He really spent his childhood looking at Hollywood and having his eye on the prize.

He was born Christopher Maurice Brown in 1989 in the small rural town of Tappahannock, Virginia, population 2,400. The Browns were a churchgoing family. Chris was a choirboy.

COMER: He actually said that he had more church clothes than he did like regular school clothes.

TURNER: But Brown, nicknamed Breezy, had grander ambitions. He wanted to be a star.

MARGARET: He idolized Michael Jackson, like many little boys did at the time. He loved Usher. He spent days in his room singing along, dancing, trying to mimic them.

TURNER: But life at home could be rocky.

BROWN: As far as like growing up, and growing up in domestic violence situations, as far as my mom's ex-husband and stuff like that, there used to be times like she would be scared to go to bed.

TURNER: Regardless of his struggles, music was always a constant for Brown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We still got the same person in class and in school when we were around him. That didn't change.

TURNER: Taylor Saunders (ph), a cousin, attended school with him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He danced at parties and stuff. He would always have the circle around him for the cool dances that he was doing. He was just the kind of it guy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He seemed to have that just in his blood almost.

TURNER: Michael Ransom (ph) was Chris' seventh grade music teacher. He realized Brown's innate talent during a class trip to a theme park.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He sung a Michael Jackson song. In the park, everybody is anxious and running around trying to get to rides and everything. But when he started singing, no more than about a minute into the song, everybody just stopped. The moment was surreal.

TURNER: Surreal talent that led Brown to big-name record labels by the time he was 15.

MARGARET: His mom was actually the first talent scout. So they went on the search for a music agent, for a label.

COMER: L.A. Reid met with him and wanted to sign him on the spot. That is how obvious Chris Brown's talent was even at a young age without having any professional training at all.

TURNER: Brown never signed with the music giant. Instead, he scored his first record deal with pop star powerhouse Jive Records.

COMER: At the time, Jive had a track record for working and developing young artists like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

TURNER: So, for his first single, Brown teamed up with hit maker Scott Storch, a superstar who has worked with biggest names in the business from Dr. Dre to Beyonce.

STORCH: The music was oozing from him. And you could tell he was just one of those special talents. Not everybody has that, the charisma, the pipes to sing, the look. Everything, it was just all picture-perfect.

TURNER: The complete package with major potential.

STORCH: It was like a Michael Jacksonesque prodigy. I just remember telling him that day I was going to make him a number one smash. And six months later, truth was told.

TURNER: "Run It!," Brown's first-ever single, was released in 2005. It was a monster hit, climbing all the way to number one.

COMER: No one had done that since 1997.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was so fast. The next thing we knew, his "Run It!" video is on TV. And we were just like, this is amazing.

QUESTION: How old are you?

BROWN: Seventeen.

TURNER: Amazing,. And in just a year's time, the small town boy became a multi-platinum-selling artist, "Billboard"'s best new artist of the year and the undisputed new prince of pop with a squeaky-clean image.

MARGARET: He had the megawatt smile. He had charm coming out of every pore. He was very clean-cut.

TURNER: And he was everywhere.

BROWN: You asking me out?

TURNER: On TV's popular teen show "The O.C."

BROWN: It's not just about you. TURNER: And on the big screen in "Stomp the Yard." There seemed

to be no stopping music's new it boy, looks and charm that had female fans swooning, including one particular high-profile fan, who would become his girlfriend. Her name was Rihanna.

MARGARET: Rihanna and Chris Brown were sort of the prince and princess of pop. They were the reigning couple, another generation's Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. They were perfect for each other.

TURNER: Chris, it seemed, had found love, fame and fortune.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The arrest of Chris Brown.

TURNER: But up next:

MARGARET: This was not a couple known for this type of behavior.

TURNER: Chris Brown's Hollywood fairy tale turns to tragedy.

BROWN: I wish I could have changed that night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLIVE DAVIS, PRODUCER: This young man is 16 years old.

TURNER (voice-over): February 2006, music industry giant Clive Davis at his annual pre-Grammy party.

DAVIS: Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Brown.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

TURNER: Those pipes and the moves, Brown nailed the performance. But R&B's new golden boy was already itching to become the main attraction.

BROWN: This year is not my year. I think it's next year that I'm going to take it.

TURNER: Over the next three years, Brown went on to earn five Grammy nominations. And, in 2009, he was asked to perform on the show live.

COMER: February 8, 2009, that was the day that his public persona and his image chained really forever.

MARGARET: It was something that was unbelievable in the music industry.

TURNER: Writer Mary Margaret covered the Grammys for "People" magazine. MARGARET: I remember getting an alert on my phone and not

actually believing it at first.

TURNER: Just before he was supposed to appear on stage, Brown was MIA with then girlfriend pop princess Rihanna.

MARGARET: They looked extremely happy and in love just hours before.

TURNER: Happy and in love sitting side by side at the annual pre-Grammy party.

COMER: On the way home from that party, there was an argument that they had in the car. And that erupted into a fight.

TURNER: A fight, rumor had it, sparked by a text from one of Brown's former flames.

MARGARET: It was an extremely massive argument and fight that escalated in a very physical way. Things got out of control. And he physically assaulted her, left her bruised and bloodied.

COMER: There had been reports of him trying to throw her out of the car. There were reports of him saying that he was going to kill her.

TURNER: Hours after the brutal attack, Brown turned himself into police. News of the incident sent the country into a tailspin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unbelievable arrest of Chris Brown.

COOPER: Accusations of domestic violence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alleged victim is his girlfriend, the singer Rihanna.

MARGARET: It was shock. It was disgust. It was horror. And it was confusion.

TURNER: The boy next door no more. And things went from bad to worse when TMZ leaked a photo of the glamorous pop diva badly beaten and bloodied.

(on camera): People always go back to that. We saw that photo. Everyone saw that photo.

(CROSSTALK)

MARK GERAGOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Right. The leak of the photo did enormous damage to him.

COMER: In a lot of people's mind, Chris Brown became a monster.

TURNER (voice-over): Brown was slapped with two felony assault charges and hired famed Michael Jackson attorney Mark Geragos.

GERAGOS: Chris from day one wanted to take responsibility. So, he did what he was advised to do.

TURNER: In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to one count of felony assault and took a plea deal, five years' probation, as well as counseling, community service, and a restraining order. He would have to stay far away from Rihanna.

Team Breezy, Brown's loyal fans, stood behind him, but the backlash was severe.

MARGARET: The initial public reaction to his sentence was the fact that it was too light.

TURNER: Radio stations pulled Breezy's songs off their playlists. Companies axed endorsement deals. And some big-time celebs came down hard on Brown. The queen of talk devoted a show to domestic abuse.

OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": And if a man hits you once, he will hit you again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.

TURNER: Four months after the assault, Brown release a two- minute video apology on YouTube.

BROWN: I have told Rihanna countless times and I'm telling you today that I am truly, truly sorry.

TURNER: And a few months later:

BROWN: And I will always wish that I could take it back.

TURNER: Brown gave his first interview about the incident on CNN with his lawyer and his mother by his side.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was probably one of the most painful time of my entire life.

TURNER: Brown apologized again and lamented the loss of Rihanna.

BROWN: We haven't had contact at all.

LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE": Do you love her?

BROWN: Definitely.

TURNER: But, this time, love wasn't enough. Rihanna spoke about their brief attempt at reconciliation in a rare on-camera interview with ABC.

RIHANNA, MUSICIAN: It was confusing for me. I was still attached by love. But I wasn't thinking about the reality of the situation.

TURNER: But while RiRi moved on, Chris attended anger management counseling and labor-oriented service back home in Virginia. (on camera): He didn't enjoy that picking up trash. I think I

read where he once said, this community service is a you know what.

GERAGOS: I guess what it is, it teaches you humility. And that's always a good thing.

TURNER (voice-over): By the end of 2009, he released a third album with the single "I Can Transform Ya." An edgier, grittier Brown emerged.

COMER: He started to be covered in tattoos. He started to hang out with more hip-hop artists.

TURNER: But team Breezy wasn't buying it. Brown's record sales took a hit. Would his career ever recover? In 2010, a very personal stage act hinted yes.

COMER: At the 2010 BET Awards, Chris Brown did a performance that ended with him covering Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." He got very emotional and was so overcome that he had trouble actually getting through the song.

MARGARET: When he broke down on stage in this very public moment, it was sort of a way to see how vulnerable he was. This was really the Chris Brown, you know, that we hadn't seen in a while.

TURNER: A new and improved Chris Brown, perhaps.

(on camera): We saw him get glowing reports from the judge.

GERAGOS: He got spectacular reviews.

COMER: He was really trying hard to outrun his demons.

TURNER (voice-over): But those demons eventually caught up with him.

COMER: Chris Brown's violent tendencies erupted. And this time, there were many people who were involved.

TURNER: Coming up, it's Groundhog Day.

(on camera): What happened?

(voice-over): Breezy behind bars.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chris Brown!

TURNER (voice-over): March, 2011, just two years after his shocking domestic abuse scandal, pop star Chris Brown was gearing up for a release of his new album, ""F.A.M.E.". "

COMER: The "F.A.M.E." album in 2011 was I think a great moment for Chris Brown. And it really started to rebound his career. People started to focus more on his music again, rather than the personal troubles that he had had.

BROWN: Today is the album day, so that is what I am focused on. So, everybody, go get that album.

TURNER: But when Brown appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America," talk turned to his ex, Rihanna.

BROWN: I think this album is what I want people to hear and want people to really everybody get into. So, definitely, this album is what I want them to talk about, and not...

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: ... what happened two years ago.

TURNER: Once off set, the enraged star reportedly exploded through the hallways and shattered a dressing room window.

COMER: He was scaring the daylights out of the makeup folks. He took off his shirt. He ran outside, another photo that was seen across the world. The violent side of him had not gone away.

TURNER: But neither had Brown's ability to make great music. With hits like "Look at Me Now," the "F.A.M.E." album was a huge success.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the Grammy, it goes to...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chris Brown, "F.A.M.E.".

TURNER: With both fans and Grammy voters.

BROWN: I don't know, man. I'm nervous. I don't know what to say.

COMER: The Grammy Awards were a mark of Chris' official comeback that showed that, despite the issues that he had in his personal life, he was still being celebrated by the industry as someone who was making great music.

TURNER: But not everyone was cheering.

MARGARET: People didn't understand why someone who had publicly done something so terrible was being awarded in such a public way.

TURNER: Months later, Chris Brown, the bad boy, was back.

COMER: There was a huge feud that erupted between Chris Brown and Drake. TURNER: A feud with the hot new rapper rumored to be dating his

ex.

COMER: One person says something to another person. Bottles were thrown. Punches were thrown. There were innocent bystanders who had to wind up getting stitches and surgery because of it.

TURNER: Criminal charges were never filed. And both men denied any wrongdoing. Months later, Brown and Rihanna officially recoupled.

MARGARET: And she didn't think that he was ever going to do it again. She did love him and that, underneath all that, was a good person.

TURNER: But not everyone was as convinced the troubled star was a changed man. In February of 2013, the L.A. County DA's office accused Brown of lying about his community service hours, an accusation Brown and his attorney, Mark Geragos, vehemently denied.

GERAGOS: I have never had a client who has been tortured by the DA's office on probation like Chris Brown has.

TURNER: Geragos says the constant scrutiny from the courts and media begin to weigh heavily on his client.

GERAGOS: The bottom line, I think there was some rage about that.

TURNER: To add insult to injury, Breezy and Rihanna split for the last time. And in August of 2013, the Grammy-winning singer suffered a stress-induced seizure. Breezy began to unravel.

STORCH: He is a true superstar. And like any other superstar, you have to deal with, you know, a lot of crazy (EXPLETIVE DELETED) from -- you have to deal with the pressure of your fans, or your label, or your personal life, of people taking advantage of you.

TURNER: In October of 2013, Brown was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a man in the face outside a Washington, D.C. hotel.

MARGARET: Again, he found himself in a situation that put his entire future in peril.

TURNER: Days later, he voluntarily checked into rehab.

COMER: The long stint in rehab was a chance for him to actually slow down a little bit and to deal with some of his problems.

TURNER: Problems which shed new light on the Chris Brown we all thought we knew.

MARGARET: When Chris Brown went into rehab, it came out that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic disorder and bipolar disorder. And that was a pretty big shock to people. It was not just some bad boy sort of misbehaving. It was somebody who was beloved, but needed attention.

TURNER: That attention came too little, too late.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The defendant is remanded, no bail.

TURNER: By March of 2014, Brown was back behind bars for violating his probation.

After serving 108 days, he was released in June. And in typical Chris Brown fashion, he didn't miss a beat. Just days out of jail, Brown gave a stellar performance at BET Music Awards. And he announced the release of his sixth studio album, "X."

His single "New Flame," a collaboration with Usher, became an instant R&B smash. Now Chris Brown appears ready for a new chapter.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You're the surgeon?

TURNER: The pop star has seemingly squash his beef with rapper Drake after appearing in a skit together on "The ESPYS."

And he has finally settled the case stemming from his D.C. incident last October. He pleaded guilty to simple assault and was sentenced to time served.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thing it is fair. And it helps him get on with his life.

TURNER: And hopefully get through his anger issues.

BROWN: I still talk to my therapist twice a week.

TURNER: In an interview with MTV's Sway Calloway, Brown even offered advice to Ray Rice, the embattled NFL star recently caught on video beating his then fiancee.

BROWN: It's all about the choices you make and how you control your anger.

SWAY CALLOWAY, MTV: That's what you would say to Ray Rice or anybody else?

BROWN: Yes, Ray or anybody else, yes, because I am not better than the next man. So, I can just I have been down that road. And, you know, I have dealt with situations and I made my mistakes.

TURNER: But while Brown is now focused on his future, trouble still has a way of finding him. In August, gunshots erupted inside a posh L.A. party that Brown was hosting. Three people were injured, including infamous hip-hop producer Suge Knight.

(on camera): What do you think the future holds for Chris Brown?

GERAGOS: Well, my hope for the future for Chris Brown is, he becomes an icon. And I think he will.

TURNER (voice-over): A hope and dream Brown had for himself from the very beginning.

COMER: As long as he continues making great music and continues to show that he is one of the best performers in the business, there is no reason why that won't be the legacy that Chris Brown is left with.

STORCH: There's a million artists out there, but the Chris Browns of the world are very few.

(END VIDEOTAPE)