Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, dancer and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age. Having signed with Jive Records in 2004, Brown released his self-titled debut studio album the following year, which became certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
With his first single "Run It!" peaking atop the Billboard Hot 100, Brown became the first male artist since 1997 to have his debut single top the chart. His second album Exclusive (2007) spawned his second Billboard Hot 100 number one "Kiss Kiss". In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several successful singles such as "No Air", a duet with singer Jordin Sparks. In 2009, Brown pled guilty to felony assault of his then girlfriend, singer Rihanna. In the same year of the incident there was the release of his third album Graffiti, which was considered to be a commercial failure compared to his previous works. Following Graffiti, Brown's fourth album F.A.M.E. (2011) became one of his biggest successes, being his first to top the Billboard 200, containing internationally successful singles such as "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now" and "Beautiful People", also earning him the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. His fifth album Fortune, released in 2012, also topped the Billboard 200. Following the releases of X and Royalty, his 2017 critically acclaimed eighth studio album, and first double-disc, Heartbreak on a Full Moon, consisting of 45 tracks, was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units after one week, and in 2019 it has been certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Brown's ninth studio album Indigo was released in 2019, and became his third Billboard 200 number-one album. It included the Drake featured track "No Guidance" which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its chart success was outdone with the single "Go Crazy" released the following year, alongside Young Thug as part of their collaborative mixtape Slime & B (2020). The track reached number 3 on the Hot 100.
Brown has sold over 140 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. Throughout his career, Brown has won several awards, including a Grammy Award, 15 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and six Soul Train Music Awards. According to Billboard, Brown has the seventh most Billboard Hot 100 entries with 93. Brown has pursued an acting career, and his personal life has been publicized. In 2007, he made his on-screen feature film debut in Stomp the Yard, and appeared as a guest on the television series The O.C. Other films Brown has appeared in include This Christmas (2007), Takers (2010), Think Like a Man (2012), and Battle of the Year (2013).