That’s the tricky question. If you follow me on Twitter, you knew my take — wasn’t judging, but I wouldn’t have complained if people threw shit at him.
But then again, if you did that you’d have to throw shit at Don Cornelius, too, seeing how he’s the pot to Brown’s kettle.
Word is that Jay-Z strongarmed Brown off the bill. Must be nice to have it like that, I guess. But let’s stop and think, shall we?
Who knows…maybe Don didn’t beat his wife the way Brown beat Rihanna. Maybe his wife wasn’t as pretty as Rihanna. Or maybe no one with juice involved with the show could pull Cornelius off the bill like Jigga did with Brown.
I’ve had many problems with the public reception Brown has received, both on his side and in opposition. But the more I think about it, the more I realize what gets me…
The real reason people seem to be mad about how he beat Rihanna is that they think she’s too pretty to hit. As if, once it gets to the point that someone’s throwing punches…and biting, appearance matters. He beat her up because he’s got serious, serious problems. But had he beat…oh, I dunno, Cicely Tyson, I bet buddy would have been on stage moonwalkin’ it up.
I’m inclined to believe Don Cornelius is also troubled. But there he was last night, talking all slow, ignoring the schedule, bringing the show to a crawl.
Nobody threw a thing at him. And, unlike Brown, Cornelius hasn’t served a lick of time, as far as I can tell on Google.
So should Brown have performed? Maybe not, seeing how that would be a bigger story than Michael Jackson, the man to whom tribute was to be paid. But around 24 hours after the awards, who’s talking about Michael Jackson? We’re talking about how dreadful the production was. That isn’t much better.
I don’t think the lil fella should get a round of applause. But the law has spoken, and it has issued its sentence. We don’t get to punish him further.
If Jay-Z’s problem isn’t that Chris Brown beat a woman, but rather a woman that he’s close to, then he’s not getting any props from me. He stepped to the plate, and he hit a hypocritical home run.
Let’s not act like people are acting on principle with Brown. They’re not. They’re mad, and they’re appalled by what they saw and read, and that has a lot to do with what his victim looked like.
But, for the most part, they are not noble. Were I Brown, I’d be irate. I’d also shut up and take it, because I had little room to complain. That said, I guarantee you he saw what I saw, and it looked funny.
Hope Jay-Z and others are happy with themselves.
Actually, I don’t.