American-Zimbabwean singer Tinashe got a response from Chris Brown after she remarked on her past collaborations with him and disgraced singer R. Kelly. On September 12, the 30-year-old star appeared on an episode of the Zach Sang Show and discussed her previous work released with the two men, who have been accused of abuse. As per Billboard, she said:
“I literally block out that R. Kelly song from my mind. I forget that it even exists. That is so embarrassing. That is so unreal that I even have a song with R. Kelly. That’s so embarrassing.”
She also said that she was "so young" when Let's Be Real Now was released. Sang then pointed out that Tinashe shouldn't have to deal with criticism for the releases since there isn't much "control" over collaborators when the artist first signs with a label. Tinashe, who has a net worth of $6 million, then went on to remark on her collaboration with Brown for a song called Player and said:
“Especially when it comes to singles, for example — that song with Chris [Brown]. That was a song that we all wanted it to be this big moment, this big single. So I feel like, in their mind, they were like, ‘You need the support.’ He was their biggest artist that they had on rhythmic radio at the time. To me, I was like, ‘Well, this is a pop song. So, I really don’t feel like we should put Chris on it.’ That doesn’t compute to me, but I don’t know.”
Brown has been accused of assaulting women in the past, starting with the time he smacked Rihanna, who was his girlfriend at the time. While this was going on, R. Kelly was found guilty in 2021 of all nine charges brought against him by the government. These included racketeering and s*x trafficking.
Chris Brown responded to Tinashe's remarks on their collaboration
After Tinashe's comments about her collaboration with Chris Brown went viral, the Forever singer clapped back. On an Instagram post shared by gossip blog The Shade Room, Brown wrote:
Brown then took to his Instagram stories and posted a screenshot about going on a "hate campaign" against him. The post read:
"N****s be secretly fans behind closed doors and listen to @chrisbrownofficial music just as much as we do, but then go on a political hate campaign and take the position of bashing the n***a. Smh these are the same people who advocate against bullying and being treated fair but then wanna sub bro and smear him in front of the world. I ain't gonna watch it go down no more and not step in front of every bullet. Idgaf who you are or how many followers you weirdos got. We not doing that. Shout out to my bro for not losing his sanity at this point."
In another screenshot shared by news outlet Breezy Related, Brown called the Needs singer "full of dat evil," adding that despite working with several artists, nobody "could save her career."
As of writing, Tinashe, best known for her hits like 2 On, Watch Me Work and Talk to me Nice, has not replied on Brown's criticism of her music career.