Chris Brown knows he's done some terrible things in his past. What he doesn't know is why the public can't forgive him for those things — especially when they've been so willing to overlook other people's mistakes. Speaking about his bad reputation in the Oct. 14 issue of Jet magazine, the 24-year-old singer singles out hip hop mogul Jay Z as an example of someone who, in his opinion, has gotten off scot-free.
"No disrespect, because I'm a fan, but nobody brings up the fact that he stabbed somebody and sold drugs," Brown tells the mag of the "Magna Carta" rapper, referring to the fact that Jay Z pled guilty to stabbing record executive Lance "Un" Rivera outside a New York City nightclub in December 1999. "He gets a pass."
People have not been as willing to forgive and forget Brown's indiscretions, he says, which include his 2009 assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna before the Grammys. But he insists he's working hard to tackle his own anger-management issues.
"You have to go through the struggle before you can get to the good part," he explains. "I don't try to lash out at people, or be as mad or impulsive as I used to be. I got to the point where it's only so much you can take from the master, you feel me? I've taken my fair share of lashings."
As if to further paint himself as a victim, Brown aligns himself with Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who died after being shot by George Zimmerman in February 2012.
"I identify with Trayvon 100 percent as far as living in 2013 and still dealing with blatant racism," he tells Jet. "This generation is so used to racism that it's normal. We don't care. We aren't on drugs or catching AIDS, but they still look at us as n—-s."
