Chris Brown in TT for weddingBy Onika James Sunday, March 14 2010
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American singer Chris Brown is reported to be attending the wedding of a very good friend in Trinidad today.
Well placed sources said, Brown who arrived yesterday, stayed at a prominent Port-of-Spain hotel for the wedding which is expected to take place at a venue in the West.
The source said, the ballroom was rented from 10 am to 9 pm today at the cost of $75,000.
The bridal party of the wedding is expected to leave from the same hotel where Brown is a guest.
The name of the wedding party was withheld for security reasons.
Brown was born May 5, 1989. He made his recording debut in late 2005 with the self-titled album Chris Brown at the age of 16. The album featured the hit single “Run It!”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Brown the first male artist since Montell Jordan to have his debut single top the chart in 1995. The album sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Due to his dance routines, Brown has been compared to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson, citing both as large influences on his music.
In 2009, he turned himself into the Los Angeles Police Department’s Wilshire station, and was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats while under investigation for domestic violence charges, following an argument with his then girlfriend, R and B singer Rihanna.
He later pleaded guilty to felony assault of singer Rihanna, and was sentenced to five years probation and six months of community service. Following his arrest, several of his commercial ads were suspended, his music was withdrawn from multiple radio stations, and he withdrew from public appearances, including one at the 2009 Grammy Awards, where he was replaced by Justin Timberlake and Al Green. Brown later released a statement saying, “Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired.”
On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats. He was arraigned on April 6, 2009, and pleaded not guilty to one count of assault and one count of making criminal threats. On June 22, 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal of community labour and five years formal probation. Domestic violence counseling was also part of the deal by Judge Patricia Schnegg in court.
Several organisations against domestic violence expressed criticism over the plea deal, advocating the punishment was not severe enough for the crime; the level of Brown’s influence over youth also came under scrutiny.
