With the release of his forthcoming album X (Sept. 16), Chris Brown is facing his past head-on. The 25-year-old singer sat down with MTV’s Sway, relating ex-Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s domestic violence case to his personal demons.
“I think it’s all about the choices you make,” Brown said. “With me, I deal with a lot of anger issues from my past – not knowing how to express myself verbally and at the same time not knowing how to cope with my emotions and deal with them and understand what they are.”
In 2009, Breezy was the target of public backlash after photos of a battered Rihanna, his then-girlfriend, surfaced. He was then sentenced to a five-year probation for assault charges and has spazzed out on several occasions since, including his outburst at ABC’s Good Morning America in March 2011 and an October 2013 altercation in Washington, D.C.
He also offered advice to Rice and anyone who may be dealing with the consequences of domestic violence. “To Ray, or anybody else — because I’m not better than the next man — I can just say I’ve been down that road,” he said. “I deal with situations and I’ve made my mistakes too, but it’s all about how you push forward and how you control yourself.”
Watch the full interview of Chris Brown on Ray Rice over on VIBE