Born May 5, 1989 in Tappahannock, VA

May 5, 1989

Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989), better known as Chris Brown, is an American hip hop, pop and R&B singer-songwriter, dancer, music video director and actor.

Brown, one of two children, was born and raised in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia, the son of Joyce Hawkins and Clinton Brown. Brown was influenced by the artists his parents played on the home radio, such as Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke. A dancer since the age of two, Brown was not aware of his vocal talents until the age of eleven. Before becoming a vocalist, he was interested in becoming a rapper. At thirteen, Brown was discovered by a local production team who visited his father's gas station searching for new talent. Since then, he began his recording career and moved to New York, staying there for two years.

Brown Leaves School

September 1, 2004

Brown left school in late 2004 to begin working on his self-titled debut album, released the following year.

First Album Released

November 29, 2005

Brown's self-titled debut album was released on November 29, 2005.

"Kiss Kiss" Released

January 1, 2006

Kiss Kiss" is a song by Chris Brown, released as the second single from his second studio album Exclusive. The track features T-Pain and is also produced by him. Kiss Kiss has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
On October 16, 2007, "Kiss Kiss" became available as digital track download on the U.S. iTunes Store. It was number-1 on The Billboard Hot 100 during the week of November 15, 2007 (succeeded by "No One" by Alicia Keys), giving both Chris Brown and T-Pain their second number-one singles on that chart. This song was #48 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.

Brown Donates Ticket Proceeds to Charity

January 1, 2006

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital received $50,000 in ticket proceeds from Brown's 2006 "Up Close and Personal" tour. In 2008, Brown lent his efforts to promote the Math-A-Thon benefiting that hospital by starring as the host in a film to promote it.

Third Single "Gimme That" Released

March 1, 2006

His third single "Gimme That" was released in March 2006 which featured Lil' Wayne for a remix, originally not featured on the Chris Brown album, but was later included. The single debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at No. 80 and climbed the charts quickly peaking at No. 15. Chris also co-directed his music videos for "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Gimme That."

Fourth Single from "Step Up" Soundtrack

August 19, 2006

His fourth single is the ballad "Say Goodbye," which is also a part of the Step Up Soundtrack. Step Up is a 2006 dance/romance film directed by Anne Fletcher starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.
The film follows the tale of the disadvantaged Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) and the privileged modern dancer Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan), who find themselves paired up in a showcase that determines both of their futures. Realizing that they only have one chance, they finally work together.

"Stomp the Yard" - Film Debut

January 12, 2007

Brown makes his film debut in "Stomp the Yard", a 2007 dramatic film produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division on January 12, 2007. Directed by Sylvain White, Stomp the Yard centers around DJ Williams, a college student at a fictional historically Black university who pledges to join a fictional Greek-letter fraternity. The film's central conflict involves DJ's fraternity competing in various stepping competitions against a rival fraternity from the same school. The film's script was written by Robert Adetuyi, working from an original draft by Gregory Ramon Anderson. The film was originally titled Steppin', but to avoid confusion over the 2006 film Step Up, the title was changed.

Second Album Released

November 6, 2007

Exclusive is the second studio album by pop/R&B singer Chris Brown. The album was originally going to be titled Graduation, but was renamed due to rapper Kanye West's album going by the same name. The album was originally scheduled to be released August 28, 2007, but was pushed back to October 30, 2007, then pushed back even further to its final release date of November 6, 2007. This album was #34 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.

Film: "This Christmas"

November 21, 2007

Brown next appeared in This Christmas, a family drama starring Regina King, released on November 21, 2007, where he played the character of Micheal "Baby" Whitfield. The film was produced by Rainforest Films and distributed by Screen Gems. Written, produced and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmastime story that centers around the Whitfield family, whose eldest son has come home for the first time in four years. The film received a PG-13 from the MPAA for comic sexual content and some violence and 12A by the British Board of Film Classification for moderate violence and sex references.

First Single from "Exclusive" released

December 4, 2007

"With You" is a pop/R&B song by Chris Brown, written by Johnta Austin, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjorklund. The track is produced by Stargate who also produced "Unfaithful" and "Hate That I Love You" by Rihanna and "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce Knowles. It was released as the third single from Brown's second studio album Exclusive (2007).