Chris Brown‘s former manager, Tina Davis, recently sat down with NandoLeaks to share untold stories from her years managing one of the industry’s most controversial and highly talented artists. Davis, a crucial figure in shaping Chris’ career, shed light on the path that helped Chris regain public favor after the backlash from his domestic violence incident involving Rihanna.
During the interview, Davis discussed Chris’s image prior to his 2009 scandal. According to her, Chris was America’s sweetheart when he first rose to fame. In fact, Davis recalled times when parents would drop their daughters off at his hotel, hoping they would be chosen as Chris’s girlfriend. However, Davis and the singer’s mother, Joyce Hawkins, quickly intervened.
“Everyone loved him. Kids, parents were dropping off their kids at hotels like, ‘Go get Chris Brown. Go get him,’” Davis said. “Fortunately, his mom and all of us, we were not down with that. We were like, ‘No, take your child and leave.’ We would have security handle it.”
Chris’\ “golden boy” image crumbled after the scandal, causing a media frenzy, given that both he and Rihanna were rising stars. In the aftermath, Chris’s career suffered greatly, with radio stations refusing to play his music. Davis explained that the team had to develop a comeback strategy to restore his career and popularity despite significant obstacles.
“We decided we need to figure out a way to get him back on the radio,” Davis said.
Their approach was straightforward: flood the airwaves with Chris’s voice by collaborating with as many artists as possible. This provided a “backdoor” entrance into radio rotation, as stations were forced to play tracks featuring Chris even if they wouldn’t play his solo work. By becoming a staple as a featured artist, Chris managed to maintain a strong presence.
“The way we did it was, we put him on features for everything,” Davis continued. “Anybody that called us, he jumped on it.”
Chris’s longtime friend and collaborator, Tyga, also played a key role in rebuilding his reputation. While many artists distanced themselves from Chris, Tyga remained loyal and supportive. Together, they released a series of mixtapes, keeping Chris connected with his fans and demonstrating his dedication to music, even while facing industry rejection.
“Meanwhile, Tyga stood next to him. He was the only one that would stand right next to him, so he started doing mixtapes,” Davis said. “We were like, ‘That’s the strategy.’ We’re going to do a whole bunch of mixtapes and just keep flooding the business, putting out music, but we’re also going to feature on everybody that calls us.”
As the strategy unfolded, Chris’s comeback single “Deuces” became a major hit that radio stations could no longer ignore. “They had to play it because they wanted to play the artist. So, that’s how we were able to get back on the radio,” Davis concluded.