Chris Brown would have reached Michael Jackson's level of stardom if not for his attack on Rihanna – Rapper Fat Joe says

American rapper, Fat Joe has claimed that Chris Brown’s 2009 attack on then-girlfriend Rihanna cost him levels of fame and stardom Michael Jackson enjoyed at his career peak.

The rapper,  53, believes Brown’s violent attack overshadowed his talents after the singer, 35, assaulted Rihanna, 36, in a vehicle in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles after a pre-Grammys party on February 8, 2009.

‘If Chris Brown never got into the controversy with Rihanna, we would be calling him Michael Jackson right now,’ Fat Joe said on Instagram Live. ‘Not like Michael Jackson — Michael Jackson.’

The New York City native went on to described Chris Brown as ‘the most talented singer, artist, performer, hitmaker of our time.’

Fat Joe urged the public to forgive Brown for his past transgressions.

‘There’s nobody even close to Chris Brown, and it’s time we move past it,’ Fat Joe said. ‘It’s been 20-something years that I know of – there’s no more incidents. We gonna let this lifetime go by without saying the truth?’

‘What happens is, when the truth is an unpopular decision, everybody gets scared to say it,’ Fat Joe said. ‘They get canceled – especially famous people. But you know, the streets – they know what it is. Streets always know, they tell you the truth.’

Fat Joe pointed to the music of convicted sex offender R. Kelly, which he said remains popular despite the artist’s downfall.

‘The streets still bumping R. Kelly,’ he said. ‘He’s in jail, he did terrible things.’

Fat Joe said he feels the time has come to acknowledge Brown’s talents independent of his past transgressions.

‘What I’m tryna say is that it’s a shame that we lying,’ he said, ‘and we not giving it up to the king of R&B.

‘We be thinking he could battle Michael Jackson, that’s all I’m tryna say – I’m not lying – if you really look at his body of work and you look at all his hits, you see what he does,’ he said. 

Fat Joe said that in no way does he accept what Brown did in 2009, but noted Brown was a ‘little kid’ at the age of 19 when the violent incident occurred.