Can't be tamed
Fatherhood may have mellowed R&B bad boy Chris Brown, but a recent brush with the law seems to show otherwise
Some say fatherhood has changed US singer Chris Brown much.
Has it really?
This month, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the infamous R&B bad boy was named as a suspect in a case of misdemeanour battery and theft at Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort.
The 26-year-old is accused of punching a female partygoer and taking her mobile phone.
The star's rep has claimed that the alleged victim's statements are "unequivocally untrue", but Brown's latest run-in with the law does read like a broken record.
As someone who is notorious for his hard-boozing ways and violent tendencies, such news is unfortunately, getting old.
This time round, it is doubly disappointing for Brown's fans to see him treading the same troubled path he has been taking since 2009.
Till today, he is widely remembered for his headline-making assault on then-girlfriend, Barbadian pop singer Rihanna.
After becoming a dad, however, Brown seemed to be making an effort to clean up his act and repair his public image.
He and ex-fling Nia Guzman are "committed to co-parenting" their daughter Royalty, whom they share joint custody of, reported TMZ last October.
Brown seems to dote on his doe-eyed little girl, who will be two years old in May. He regularly posts photos of Royalty on Instagram and his seventh studio album, which was released last month and is available on iTunes, was inspired by her and is titled Royalty.
The album cover art shows a shirtless Brown holding his sleeping baby to his chest in a warm embrace.
The little girl is also the star of his new music video, Little More (Royalty), which is the undisputed highlight of his new self-directed eight-part music video series that he released on Jan 7.
One can't help but go "aww" at the scenes of Brown goofing around and blowing bubbles with Royalty.
'HUMBLING'
Last month, in an interview on Ryan Seacrest's syndicated radio show, Brown called fatherhood a "great and very humbling" experience.
"You know, it's very calming. I think I was a lot, you know, rambunctious, very hyper as a kid. But now seeing that 10 times over, my daughter's kinda like mellowing me out," he said.
"Seeing (her progress across) those gradual stages, from crawling to walking to saying words now... Learning different things every day is kinda just teaching me patience."
Having his own mini-me has also made him more philanthropic.
Brown has promised to donate US$1 (S$1.40) from every sale of his new album to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and non-profit organisation Best Buddies, reported the Daily Mail.
He even surprised domestic abuse survivor Jessica Roncalli and her three children with a new car.
"I was selfish, arrogant and cold-hearted. I'm able to bless and inspire so many others, and I realise that now," wrote Brown then on his Instagram account.
UK's The Mirror reported that he and BFF, reality TV star Scott Disick of Keeping Up With The Kardashians fame, are helping each other "stay strong and sober".
At a recent club appearance in Los Angeles, the duo stuck to water the whole night.
So is his recent alleged misdemeanour a mere blip in his ongoing attempt to turn over a new leaf?
In an interview with hip-hop magazine Vibe, Brown was candid about the public perception of him, saying: "I'm the general statistic of the young black male: a father out of wedlock, tattoos, sags my pants, hangs with people that would be called outcasts, been to jail, has a criminal record."
And he admitted that he still has a wild, unstable side.
"I'm 100 per cent passionate and at ease with the fact that I might be a little bit crazy," he told Vibe.
"It's not my job to be your role model, my job is to be your inspiration. There's a difference."
In a separate interview with music and culture mag Notion, Brown said: "People make mistakes, I've made mistakes, I've judged people who made mistakes and they judge me back.
"The best part about it is me having to learn. I thank God he had something bigger for me to do.
"When I was younger, (I was) full of arrogance, like 'Yeah I'm an asshole, so what... I got money'... At the end of the day, everybody knows right from wrong."
He added that his child was the unexpected responsibility that came along and totally changed his outlook on life.
"You can't be stagnant and you cannot continue to do the same things and expect a different outcome," said Brown.
"So for me, Royalty is a reflections album."
We can only hope he sticks to his words.
It's not my job to be your role model, my job is to be your inspiration.
- Chris Brown on his less-than-perfect ways
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