You Guys Were So Mean to Poor Chris Brown He (Fake) Retired Posted by Nathan S. on 08/06/13 | Filed under Opinion, Chris Brown, Debates

In what has to be the shortest quasi-kinda-semi-sorta retirement announcement in music history, yesterday international superstar Chris Brown announced that after the release of his upcoming "X" album, he'd (probably) be giving up the music game for good.

"Don’t worry mainstream America.After this X album, it’ll probably be my last album."

I would have loved to embed that the original tweet, but Breezy and/or his publicist deleted it earlier today, which I think puts a pretty definitive end to any idea that Brown is going to actually retire after the album, although he totally never was.

But what could even drive Brown, who by all accounts is one of the most successful ringers (rapper/singers) alive, to quasi-kinda-semi-sorta retire? I mean, you're talking about someone whose last album went number one and was nominated for a Grammy. The mere idea that he might pack it in is a pretty big deal, something pretty serious must have happened.

Well, having to turn yourself into police after you provided false information following a hit and run probably didn't help his mood, but according to Brown it goes deeper than that:

"Being famous is amazing when it’s for ur music and talent. I’m tired of being famous for a mistake I made when i was 18. I’m cool & over it!"

And now we've arrived at the real reason I'm writing this article, that sentence. I don't begrudge Brown any of his success, before or after the Rihanna beating. I don't post his music - I have no more to support him than he has to support what I write - but he can do his thing in Chris Brown World, I'll do my thing in RefinedHype World, and everything will be fine (particularly in Chris Brown World).

But what I can't stand is this culture of famous millionaire victim hood that Breezy embodies, and that extends far beyond him. Frankly, the idea that the real victim here, the one who really deserves or sympathy and compassion, is Brown, is ridiculous, and it's one that his fellow superstars, their fans, and disappointingly the general public seem to have embraced wholeheartedly.

All Brown and his peers want to do is be obscenely wealthy, unceasingly adored my millions, have sex with whoever they want, trash tv studios and commit crimes with absolutely no repercussions or criticism. Why can't everyone just let Breezy live his life? WHY?????

Sorry Brown, but as surreal as your world may be - you think the average guy can violate his parole and walk out of jail 45 minutes later? - that's still not how the world works. You get to enjoy all the perks of fame, and in exchange when you do something illegal people write about it. Frankly that's an exchange 99.9% of the world would gladly take, but somehow that same 99.9% have still convinced themselves that they need to stick up for Brown against all the mean people who dare criticize him. Their own lives are daily struggles to simply pay the rent, but no, it's not them that deserves our compassion. It's this guy and his terrible, painful, heartbreaking life.

If this level of, frankly, very weak scrutiny is so painful that it's no longer worth the fame and fortune*, then fine, I completely understand. In that case Brown should retire. And he doesn't even have to wait until after the album comes out. If he's really serious, if we're really being so unjust to him, he can just pull a Chappelle and walk away now. I'm sure (aka I hope) he's got enough saved up to never have to work again, so go ahead Brown, retire. Why would you want to continue to subject yourself to this?

What's that? It turns out on second thought you really do love the fame so much you can't let it go? You're not retiring? You're going to continue putting out albums, selling out tours, raking in cash? Well then I understand that too, have at it. Just don't expect me to treat you like a victim you so obviously think you are.

* Get it? Get it? I hate myself.

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