Claim: Chris Brown is an American citizen.

Christopher Maurice `` Chris '' Brown -LRB- born May 5 , 1989 -RRB- is an American singer , songwriter , and dancer . Born in Tappahannock , Virginia , he was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age . Having signed with Jive Records in 2004 , Brown released his self-titled debut studio album the following year . It peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 and was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America -LRB- RIAA -RRB- , selling an overall three million copies worldwide . With his first single `` Run It ! '' peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100 , Brown became the first male artist as a lead since Diddy in 1997 to have his debut single top the chart . His second album Exclusive -LRB- 2007 -RRB- spawned his second Hot 100 number one `` Kiss Kiss '' , in addition to `` With You '' and `` Forever '' . The album was also certified double platinum by the RIAA . In addition to his solo commercial success , Brown has been featured on several singles such as `` No Air '' , a duet with singer Jordin Sparks , `` Shortie like Mine '' with the rapper Bow Wow and `` Shawty Get Loose '' alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain . The songs have peaked at number three , number nine and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 respectively .   In 2009 , Brown received significant media attention after pleading guilty to felony assault of his then girlfriend , singer Rihanna ; he was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community service . His third album Graffiti was released later that year , and included the top-twenty single `` I Can Transform Ya '' . Brown 's fourth album F.A.M.E. -LRB- 2011 -RRB- became his first to top the Billboard 200 ; it spawned the singles `` Yeah 3x '' , `` Look at Me Now '' , and `` Beautiful People '' . F.A.M.E. earned Brown his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 54th Grammy Awards . His fifth album Fortune was released in 2012 . However , after the release of Exclusive , Brown 's albums have not been well received commercially or by music critics , with the exception of X , which received a normalized rating of 63 . Brown 's seventh studio album Royalty was released on December 18 , 2015 .   Apart from his work in the music industry , Brown has pursued an acting career . In 2007 , he made his on-screen feature film debut in Stomp the Yard , and appeared as a guest on the television series The O.C. . Other films Brown has appeared in , include This Christmas -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , Takers -LRB- 2010 -RRB- , Think Like a Man -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , and Battle of the Year -LRB- 2013 -RRB- . Throughout his career , Brown has won several awards , including 14 BET Awards , 5 Billboard Music Awards , and 5 Soul Train Music Awards . According to Billboard , Brown has the seventh most Hot 100 entries on the chart with 82 .