This past week, ex-couple Rihanna and Chris Brown re-united for a pair of remixes. Brown added vocals to Ri’s “Birthday Cake,” while Rihanna was featured on a mix of his new single, “Turn Up The Music.” These collaborations come just three years after their highly publicized altercation where Chris Brown beat up Rihanna on the night of the Grammys. Since the event, Rihanna has promised to be a role model for all women facing abuse while Chris Brown vowed to do a great deal of soul searching and self-revision. However, it appears that both individuals are completely over the situation. The question that lingers, though, is whether or not the public is.
Shortly after the announcement of the remixes, Billboard magazine released two letters, one to each of the stars, encouraging them to re-evaluate their decision to collaborate as well as take a look at their lives. The letters gained a great deal of attention and really displayed the public’s view about the two. As of late, Chris Brown seems to be back in the good graces of the music industry, having won a Grammy for Best R&B Album, where he even got to accept the award on stage, not to mention perform. However, it’s clear that Mr. Brown is hardly a changed man, clearly showing signs of an anger problem (see his Twitter account,) even going as far as having a fit on Good Morning America. His music and performances have been critically praised as of late, but does someone like Brown really deserve the added attention? Some people have clearly forgiven him for his actions, while others can’t even stand to look at him.
On the other hand, we have Rihanna. The woman is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, having more number one hits than you can count on your hand, all in just over five years. Having been the victim in this situation, she easily had the ability to come out of this situation as a hero and a role model. In fact, Rihanna publically claimed that was her objective. However, it’s clear that she has some sort of draw to Chris that she can’t break. The state of their relationship is still a mystery, but it’s clear that these two are back in each other’s lives. She has publically stated that she is happy that Chris Brown is seeing success again, which is fine, but to actually be a part of it? Well that reads as going a bit too far.
At the end of the day, though, when you look at the music objectively, both remixes are quite good. Rihanna and Chris Brown bring something to each other’s songs that really work. However, the fact of the matter is that these two should not be associating with one another. Rihanna has lost all credibility as a role model, while Chris Brown is coming off as some sort of drug that Rih Rih can’t quit. What happened between the two might be something they can overcome, but as far as the public goes, this is a real step back. There are people all over the world who suffer from abuse, and Rihanna is letting all of them down. The fact is, they’re both celebrities, and what they do in their personal lives is going to be front-page news. They have a responsibility to their fans and the public to set good examples. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion on this situation, but if you ask me, music aside, this was a terrible decision for both of them. Rihanna’s re-acceptance of Chris Brown isn’t going to help him any, and it’s certainly only going to hurt her.
