R&B singer Chris Brown is returning to the road this summer for his Heartbreak On A Full Moon Tour, and while you might think that wouldn’t exactly be cause for alarm, it’s concerning that he won’t be going on this excursion alone. Notably, he’s got three openers who are all rising stars in hip-hop and R&B, none of whom are seemingly well established enough to risk the association, yet they’ve all signed on for a majority of the 27 dates played at amphitheaters and arenas across North America.
6lack, H.E.R., and Rich The Kid are all relative newcomers who have each generated a buzz behind their craftsmanship and extremely loyal fanbases, but are those fanbases secure enough to knowingly support Chris Brown, who’s had an extensive history of abusive, criminal, and creepy behavior toward women — behavior that was recently recalled by a Snapchat that referenced Brown’s abuse of Rihanna? It’s especially strange in the wake of the #MeToo movement which has scoured the entertainment landscape. It would seem they’re all willing to take that bet, despite any moral misgivings they may have.
It would seem that they aren’t alone, and haven’t been for some time. Only a week ago, Atlantic Records rapper Joyner Lucas defended Chris Brown in a social post comparing him to Malcolm X, while wiseguy comedian MC Lil Dicky recently entered the Billboard Hot 100 with “Freaky Friday,” a quirky concept song about switching bodies with Brown that features Brown-as-Dicky-as-Brown repeatedly rapping the “n-word” to try it out without consequence.
Brown’s tour will feature performances of songs from his recently-released, 40-track album, Heartbreak On A Full Moon. It kicks off June 19 at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle, WA and wraps August 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
