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Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is a Grammy Award-nominated American R&B and pop singer, dancer, and occasional actor who rose to fame in mid 2005 with his Billboard Hot 100 number-one, Scott Storch-produced debut single "Run It!", featuring Juelz Santana. His self-titled debut album spawned four successful Top 10 and Top 20 hits in the United States. To date, the album has sold 2.1 million copies in the U.S. and 3 million worldwide.

Chris Brown was born and raised in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia by Clinton Brown and Joyce Hawkins. He is one of two children. He gained his love of music when he was sent to stay with his Aunt in Arkansas, he and his younger cousins would perform in local talent shows. He was influenced by the artists his parents played on the home radio, such as Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke. Before becoming a vocalist, Brown was interested in becoming a rapper, but began to notice his singing talent by age 11. By 13, Brown was discovered by a local production team who visted his father's gas station searching for new talent. Brown began his recording career and moved to New York, staying there for two years.

Brown's local production team organized an audition before Def Jam Vice President Tina Davis, who currently works as his manager. At the age of 15, Brown was then sent to perform for L.A. Reid and was subsequently signed in 2004 to Jive Records. By early 2005, Brown began work for his debut album, working with the likes of Scott Storch, The Underdogs, Dre, Vidal, Bryan Cox, Bow Wow, and Jermaine Dupri

"Run It!" was a hit, peaking at #1 in the U.S. (5 weeks) and abroad. Chris Brown was released on November 29, 2005 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 200 selling over 155,000 copies in first week of sales. Five weeks later, became certified platinum, and within a year, went double platinum. Following "Run It!", "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" became Brown's second top 10 hit in the...