In spite of overwhelming evidence of a thriving romance, Chris Brown and Rihanna Fenty, sensational singers, continue to deny that they are lovers
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By Olusola Olaosebikan
Chris Brown and Rihanna Fenty, superstars, are without doubt the best of friends. So close are the young musicians that they share the same bed. On one occasion, while holidaying in Barbados, both were seen kissing passionately in a hotel pool. And outside the pool, Rihanna held tight to Brown, as he seized the opportunity to feel her shapely bum.
Brown was even reported to have confessed having a crush on the damsel. Yet, both continue to claim they are just friends and not lovers. According to Brown: “I might have flirted a little bit with her. But we’re just friends. We are great friends. We haven’t taken it to that next level yet.” Like Brown, Rihanna believes cuddling and kissing are not necessarily evidence of a romance.
Still, many have continued to liken their romance denial to that of Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles, hip-hop sensations. One of such people is Ronald Fenty, Rihanna’s father. Both Jay-Z and Beyonce consistently denied their romance until they secretly got wedded.
Fenty reckons his daughter is in love with Brown. Much of this was revealed sometime in February when Rihanna took Brown to Barbados to meet her family. During that period, Brown was reportedly sitting beside Rihanna’s father, while she was performing on stage. According to Fenty, Brown is the ideal man for his daughter. “He’s a very nice guy. They were very happy and relaxed and having fun,” he enthused.As it stands, no one, except the couple, believes they are just friends. And Rihanna thinks it is no one’s business what she does with her love life. “People always want to know what is and what isn’t. People think they know. They try to guess. Sometimes you just need your privacy. But it comes with the territory. There’s no privacy when you are out in the public,” she said.
Definitely so. Perhaps Brown and Rihanna are too carried away by their affection for each other that they mostly forget they are in public. They were once photographed kissing and smooching in a pool, while spending some time together in Jamaica. For many, the dashing couple may just be on their way to the altar.
Born Christopher Maurice Brown on 5 May 1989, in Tappahannock, Virginia, by Clinton Brown and Joyce Hawkins, he fell in love with music while living with his aunt in Arkansas. Then, he and his younger cousins would always look for opportunities to perform in local talent shows. Though Brown preferred to rap, an encounter with a local production team that visited his father’s filling station searching for new talent changed his interest.
By the time he was 13, he began recording, and had to move over to New York. Two years after, Brown was discovered by Tina Davis, Vice President of Def Jam Records. The same year, he was sent to perform for L.A. Reid and was subsequently signed on to Jive Records in 2004. The following year, he began work on his debut album, working with other musicians like The Underdogs, Dre and Bryan Cox among others.
Run It, one of his songs with Jermaine Dupri, became an instant hit, peaking at number one in the United States charts. The album, titled Chris Brown, also hit number two on the Billboard Hot 200, with sales of over 155,000 in its first week of release. Other songs like Yo (Excuse Me Miss) and Gimme That also reached platinum, and within a year, went double platinum.
The album attracted three Billboard Awards for the lad in 2006, one of which is the most prestigious Artist of the Year. The album also pulled a Grammy Award nomination, in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category. Towards the end of 2006, and basking in the glory of the success of his album, Brown embarked on a major tour titled The Up Close and Personal Tour.
Beyond singing, Brown also acts. Already, he has appeared in The Brandon T. Jackson Show , on its first episode. In 2007, he landed a role in Fox’s The O.C. However, his major screen appearance is in Stomp The Yard, a movie in which he appeared alongside Ne-Yo, Meagan Good and Columbus Short.
In her case, Rihanna was born on 20 February 1988, in St. Michael, a county in Barbados. While attending Combermere, a grammar school, she won a beauty pageant. On another occasion, she performed Mariah Carey’s Hero in a school talent show, which drew attention to her as a veritable talent.
Rihanna’s life changed for the better when, at 16, Evan Rogers, a producer from New York, who was vacationing in Rihanna’s hometown with his wife, also a native of Barbados, arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. Jay-Z heard her sing and instantly believed in her future. Ironically too, Brown was at that time being auditioned. After listening to her works, Def Jam signed her on to its label. As if out to impress those who trusted in her abilities, Rihanna dropped Music of The Sun, a blockbuster hit. For someone who claims to be influenced by Alicia Keys, Beyonce Knowles and Mariah Carey, anything less would have been a disaster.
Ranked eight on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of the year 2007 list, Riri, as she is fondly called by her folks, has just two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad. Even though she slumped to number 19 on same ladder a year after, Rihanna has continued to remain the hottest chik on the musical block. Of course there’s no stopping her. What with Pon de Replay, which was released on 22 August, 2005. This single was the hotest success during its release, reaching number two in the US Billboard Top100 charts. It also became a global hit settling at the top 10 across 15 countries, as well as serenading the world music charts.
Her second single, If It’s Loving That You Want, was less successful than her debut, but it eventually attained a hit status, reaching 36 of the 40 hit songs that year. The same year, she surpassed the 1 million copy-sales benchmark with other hit songs, especially Umbrella, a memory staining hit, Rihanna, with little doubt, is living her fantasies. More especially with more promising hit songs, a beautiful body and a handsome hubby, sorry, friend.
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