Fat Joe has called for a re-evaluation of Chris Brown’s legacy, insisting that the singer stands on the same pedestal with Michael Jackson.
The rapper insists that the public should acknowledge Brown’s extraordinary talent and move past his controversial legal history.
During an Instagram Live session over the weekend, Fat Joe made a bold claim: “If Chris Brown never got into the controversy with Rihanna, we would be calling him Michael Jackson right now,” he stated.
“Not like Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson. He’s the most talented singer, artist, performer, hitmaker of our time. There’s nobody even close to Chris Brown. And it’s time we move past it, it’s been 20-something years. That I know of, there’s no more incidents. Man, we gonna let this lifetime go by without saying the truth?”
Fat Joe and Chris Brown perform during DJ ProStyle’s birthday bash at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 16, 2013 in New York City. Image/Getty Images
Brown’s 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna has long overshadowed his career.
The incident, where Chris Brown was arrested for physically abusing Rihanna before a Grammy Awards party, remains a significant blemish despite his later success.
Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault in June 2009. Since then, he has faced various legal challenges, including a 2013 assault charge, accusations of punching a photographer in 2017, and a restraining order from ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran, who accused him of abuse.
Fat Joe emphasized the need to separate Brown’s personal mistakes from his professional achievements.
“When the truth is an unpopular decision, everybody gets scared to say it, they get canceled. Especially famous people,” he said.
“The streets, they know what it is. The streets always know to tell you the truth. The streets still bumping R. Kelly. He’s in jail, he did terrible things. They still bumping R. Kelly.”
Fat Joe argued that Chris Brown deserves to be recognized as the “King of R&B” despite his past.
“It’s a shame we’re lying and we’re giving up to the king of R&B. The king of music,” he continued.
“We thinking he could battle Michael Jackson, that’s all I’m trying to say. If you really look at his body of work, you look at all his hits, you see what he does… You remove from your mind that we don’t like it. We don’t like that he had a controversy… He was a little kid 20-something years ago.”
In his defense of Chris Brown, Fat Joe highlighted the singer’s youth at the time of the Rihanna incident, noting that Brown was only 19.
“So what I’m trying to say is, it’s a shame we’re lying and we’re giving up to the king of R&B. The king of music,” he concluded.
“We thinking he could battle Michael Jackson, that’s all I’m trying to say. If you really look at his body of work, you look at all his hits, you see what he does … You remove from your mind that we don’t like it. We don’t like that he had a controversy … He was a little kid 20-something years ago.”
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