Chris Brown accepts the award for best R&B album for
"F.A.M.E." at the Grammy Awards earlier this month.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
R&B singer Chris Brown has earned a measure of
musical redemption and forgiveness from ex-girlfriend Rihanna
by collaborating on new music together, three years after Brown
pleaded guilty to assaulting the pop star.
Brown, 22, and Rihanna, 24, were openly tweeting each other
and promoting their collaboration on each others' singles
over the weekend as the Barbadian "We Found Love" singer
celebrated her 24th birthday.
"@chrisbrown Turn up the music remix #RihannaNavy #Teambreezy
enjoy!!!" the birthday girl tweeted with a link to her
collaboration on Brown's single, "Turn Up the Music," before
posting another tweet with a link to her duet with Brown on a
remix of her single "Birthday Cake."
Rihanna provided vocals on a remix of Brown's new uptempo
dance song "Turn Up The Music" while Brown lent his voice to
Rihanna's sexually-charged song "Birthday Cake."
Their reconciliation, which has been the topic of much
speculation in the media after the two were spotted together
numerous times, comes after Brown made his official return to
the Grammys on February 12 and won one award, prompting him
to lash out at critics saying, "HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A
GRAMMY Now!" on his Twitter.
The singer almost derailed his career three years ago on the
night before the Grammys, after he was arrested for beating
up his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, and since then, Brown has
been working to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of fans.
His musical reunion with Rihanna had social networks abuzz
through the weekend and into Tuesday, as critics and fans
were split on the newly released duets, with some making
cynical puns, others calling it a publicity stunt and the
rest embracing the new songs.
"#Rihanna and Chris Brown are recording a song together, I
guess she was concerned about being a one hit wonder," said
user @GreenRoomShow on Twitter, while another user,
@ElsaBreezy, posted "I Respect Rihanna And Chris Brown For
Collaborating Despite Knowing There Will Be A Lot Of
Negativity From The Losers Who Are Stuck In 2009."
Brown's "Turn Up The Music" is currently at No. 8 on the
iTunes singles chart, while Rihanna and Brown's duet on
"Birthday Cake" is circulating the Internet after being
offered as a free download by the singer over the weekend.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.