Art helps raise awareness of social issues. But it is also used as a tool to amplify hatred and cleanse injustice.
Things like rape and violent crimes are very heavy to handle, so discussing them through an art form can sometimes help make heavy themes more relatable.
Art can help raise awareness of social issues that are often too raw to address. But as useful as art is, it can also be used as a tool to increase hatred or cleanse injustice.
Chis Brown's former manager of more than a decade, Tina Davis, discussed in a recent interview how music was used to clean up Brown's public image after the pop star's physical abuse of then-girlfriend Rihanna. He talked about how it was used.
Tina Davis, Chris Brown's former manager of 12 years, reveals that her parents had an affair with Chris Brown and sent their daughter to a hotel in the hopes of marrying Chris Brown. He revealed the strategy his parents used to get him back. Rihanna's subsequent radio… pic.twitter.com/guBPlKtQzf
— Art of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) November 13, 2024
“Nobody wanted to play him.” [Brown] In radio, you needed a radio back then and there was no DSP. [Digital Service Providers] and various other platforms,” Davis said.
In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault against Rihanna and was sentenced to five years' probation and six months of community service.
Also read: Chris Brown: Why give abusers a platform?
Disinfecting works of art
In the same year, Brown released his third album. graffitiwhich was considered a commercial failure, and because of this, the team of singers led by Davis got creative in immortalizing Brown's image through the release of excellent mixtapes.
“It was hard to get him to go through that and change people's minds, because before that… [Rihanna abuse] As it happened, everyone loved him. Kids…parents were dropping them off at hotels like, 'I'm going to pick up Chris Brown,''' declared Davis, the first woman to head Def Jam Records' A&R department.
The music executive said that before the abuse was discovered, Brown was considered a sweetheart to the world. “[Parents] I was like, 'He's a good guy and I want him to marry me,'” she said.
Davis said he needed to find a way to get Brown back on the radio.
“…and the way we did it was to have him in everything. Anyone who called us would jump on us… there was a feature on everything. Ta.”
During this time, Brown, along with American rapper Tyga, were producing a large number of mixtapes, which are traditionally distributed for free to hype artists.
“We thought that was the strategy. We're going to make a bunch of mixtapes and keep rushing into business and getting music out. But we're also on everyone's side.[’s song] Every time a big artist releases a record, they have to play it because it's calling us… so after a while, every other record features Chris Brown. “It became,” she said.
“So we were able to get back into radio. deuce I came right after that. ”
hit song deuce With this work, Brown cemented mainstream media's return to the zeitgeist.
Art once again played its role.
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art brings awareness
Through visual art, especially documentaries, society accepted that R. Kelly was an abuser.
first season Surviving R. Kelly The film was released in 2019 and caused worldwide shock as the victim, fellow musicians, and the victim's family spoke openly about their experiences. step in name of love singer.
After the release of the documents, R. Kelly's record label RCA Records fired him. R. Kelly has been formally charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.
In 2022, the Grammy-winning R&B singer was found guilty of three counts of making child sexual abuse images and three counts of sexually enticing a minor.
The singer is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Again, art plays a vital role.
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Chris Brown of SA
talk to The Citizen before the release of Chris Brown: A History of Violence Sabrina Walter, executive director of the documentary Women for Change, said she hopes the documentary will educate people about Brown's nature as an abuser.
“R. Kelly's documentary ultimately played a key role in his arrest, and we are watching closely to see how this unfolds. Based on what emerges from this documentary, we “We are ready to take action,” she said in October.
Chris Brown: A History of Violence It was released on October 27th.
Women For Change is a non-profit organization that defends the constitutional rights of women and children in South Africa.
After it was announced that Brown would be coming to South Africa to perform some shows, the group launched a petition to cancel the singer's planned tour to Mzansi.
“Our original goal was to reach 5,000 signatures, and we reached this milestone within 48 hours of starting the petition,” Walter said.
As of this writing, the petition had just under 50,000 signatures.
ALSO READ: 'Chris Brown has an audience of assault deniers' – Star heads to SA documentary premieres
'insult to the victim'
“We look forward to seeing how many more people join us in this effort to stop abusers from being granted performance visas in our country, which has some of the highest GBVF statistics in the world.”
Once the petition reaches a significant number, Women for Chang will contact authorities including the Big Concert, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, and the Minister of the Interior Leon Shriver.
“We want answers as to how the Home Office can issue visas to convicted abusers and allow them to perform in South Africa. This decision by our government is alarming. It suggests a system failure.”
The Citizen The Ministry of Interior and event organizer Big Concert did not respond to requests for comment.
Brown's concert in Joburg is scheduled to take place on December 14, just days after South Africa commemorates 16 days of action against GBV.
Ms Walters said the move was an insult to the millions of women and girls affected by violence in South Africa and around the world.
“In a country where we all know the serious levels of GBV and femicide, it is a shame that they choose to celebrate an artist with a history of violence while women are fighting for their lives. .”
Read now: “We can reduce GBVF, but we’re not doing it.”
