Born in Tappahannock, VA, R&B vocalist Chris Brown shot from obscurity to instant celebrity in 2005, when the release of his blockbuster single "Run It!" (produced by Scott Storch) qualified the then 16-year-old as the first male solo recording artist to issue a track that went straight to the top of the Billboard singles chart. In no time at all, Brown landed a covetable recording contract with Jive records, and his first two albums, an eponymous 2005 release and the 2007 Exclusive, performed sensationally well. Like many of his R&B and hip-hop predecessors, Brown soon segued from music into filmed entertainment, first as the subject of the 2006 documentary Chris Brown's Journey, then with supporting dramatic roles in such productions as the dance-themed urban drama Stomp the Yard (2007) and the holiday-themed family drama This Christmas. Brown graduated to star billing with his turn in Phenom (2008), as a high-school basketball whiz-turned-professional player whose team must go head-to-head on the court with the team to which his NBA-playing father belongs.

Brown courted infamy in 2009 when he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, singer Rhianna the day of the Grammy awards. Although he was subject of much deserved public ridicule for this event, he did appear in 2010's Takers, and was part of the ensemble cast in the hit comedy Think Like a Man in 2012.