Chris Brown, Raz-B: What's the homophobic Twitter-fight back story?

This is an updated version of an earlier post. Please see the note below.

Chris Brown and Raz-B got into it on Twitter on Wednesday, with the former B2K boy-band singer taking the first swing with a slam at Brown and Eric Benet about Rihanna and Halle Berry, respectively, and Brown fighting back with crude references to Raz-B and gay sex.

Brown, 21, has issued an apology, TMZ reported Thursday, saying that he loves all his fans, gay and straight, and that the spat "was an unfortunate lack in judgment sparked by public Twitter attacks from Raz B, who was bent on getting attention.  Words cannot begin to express how sorry and frustrated I am over what transpired publicly on Twitter."

Now, Brown's assault on Rihanna has been splashed all over the mainstream, but what about Raz-B's back story? It is a years-long drama involving allegations of abuse and accusations of lying.

In 2007, the "Bump Bump Bump" singer (real name DeMario Thornton, 25) accused boy-band manager Chris Stokes, along with Marques Houston, the cousin of another B2K member, of molestation -- an allegation Stokes firmly denied. Raz-B recanted the story shortly thereafter, but since then he and his brother Ricardo "Ricky Romance" Thornton have said the retraction was forced and coerced, and have posted videos online with graphic details of the alleged abuse, including one in October that includes singer Quindon Tarver making similar allegations.

"I have recently stopped financially supporting both individuals along with assisting them with their criminal and legal matters," Stokes said in a statement in December 2007, "which leads me to believe they are resentful and looking to benefit financially from this."

While promoting his new album, "Follow My Lead," in November, Raz-B told the Madd Hatta Morning Show that he'd spoken to detectives and that there had "been some movement" on criminal charges, but cohost Nnete couldn't nail him down on anything more specific or about whether he would seek counseling for the alleged abuse or for rumored bipolar disorder. (Raz-B said he had not been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.)

Earlier this month, Ricky Romance posted video peppered with profanity and racial and gay slurs, threatening violence against Stokes, Houston and Houston's half-brother, B2K member Omarion, who has maintained that Raz's complaints are about money and attention. On Wednesday during the Twitter spat, Ricky Romance posted a video response to Brown, threatening to put a pistol in the singer's mouth. Raz-B's rep said Thursday that Ricky wasn't representing his brother and that Raz had spoken to Ricky and "told him to chill out."

As for Brown's apology, "I have learned over the past few years to not condone or represent acts of violence against anyone," he said Thursday. "Molestation and victims of such acts are not to be taken lightly; and for my comments I apologize -- from the bottom of my heart."

That against the backdrop of a source in the Chris Brown camp pointing out to TMZ that the veracity of Raz-B's molestation account has been suspect.

Also on Thursday morning, Raz wasn't quite as zen. After tweeting good morning to Rihanna, who did not respond, he posted (without addressing it directly to anyone): "And thats your history! you cant run from it! #WomanBeater!!!!! #WomanBeater!!!!! #WomanBeater!!!!! #WomanBeater!!!!now back to your ex."

Raz's benefit from taking the swing at Brown? He became a trending topic on Twitter, which means a lot of attention.

"I love all my new followers!" he tweeted. "God bless you! Thank you all for the support!!!!"

Thoughts?

For the record, 11:35 a.m. Jan. 4: An earlier version of this post referred to Marques Houston as a former member of B2K. In fact, singer Houston is the cousin of former B2K member Jarell Damonte Houston, a.k.a. J-Boog. Thanks to commenter @TnLA for flagging the error.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Chris Brown in Hollywood on Nov. 18, 2010. Credit: Valerie Macon / Getty Images

 

 

Comments

[gglane]

Black folk will always be the same , monkeys in a barrel , always trying to tear down each other. Leave Chris brown alone, he is a respectful young man, who got involved with the wrong woman. I hope he can get his holsum persona back. It's really who he is , like it or not. He's trying hard to make amends for the wrongs he did. Now allow him to prove it.

[OnlyOnee1]

honestly I thought chris learned his lesson about beating rihanna and got his temper controlled but that stunt he pulled on twitter last night shows he didnt.. he's 20x more famous then a RazB he could have just did he mature thing and left it alonee but his childish ass responded and insulted not just him but every other homosexual smh he needs to get off twitter,.

[cdz from the ministry]

@Ed Norton -- Christie D'Zurilla here from MOG ... check your email? Thx!

:)

[Mcgibby]

Ummm...Chris Brown deserves to go back to the unemployment lines after he gets his butt kicked. He's a talentless simpleton.

[Bill]

Stay classy, heteros!

[Nyisha]

Lord someone get Chris Brown off twitter. He is gonna take the bait and this clown is just basking in it. SMH. Raz-B needs to go somewhere and sit down. CB need to chill, im sorry only works so many times before you become just that...a sorry person.

[Andrea]

Thanks for the back story perspective you placed on this whole mess. I was on twitter and watched as this was playing out and although it was clear to me that Chris' comments were not targeted at any specific group but directly to RazB. Raz was wrong for instigating and Chris was wrong for letting it get to him but I do kinda understand, he takes heat all the time and Raz went out of his way to make sure Chris saw his comments. I support Chris and believe that RazB's claims of abuse are just for publicity, a video is posted on T M Z where he is denying the claims, and his story has changed so many times. And then per his usual he tried to bring everybody and they mama into the mess just to stir up even more drama. Raz is a mess and Chris well Chris I suppose is just going to have to live with the fact that he will always be a target as sad as that is...

[MusicLife]

Raz B, his brother and Quindon need to file a charge against Chris Stokes or they can be sued for slander .... if they are serious they could have confirmed details to the police and not on Youtube.

File charges and get the man charged and convicted.

Chris Btown - shut up and stay out of this mess.

[chele]

everyone needs to leave Chris alone...Razb2k is wack, wanted attention and thats all. He deserved what Chris said

[JB]

Everyone who thinks Chris Brown is a stand up guy no matter what he does are really misguided people. Try getting beat up and put down and verbally degraded and see how that feels for yourself. I've been there and know first hand and it's not ok! No matter how much you like him or how many excuses you make for him. Yes he deserves a second chance just like everyone else but to downgrade his transgressions to literally nothing is just foolish and ignorant. What if that was your son or daughter? Would you feel the same way? One day Chris Brown will truly grow up and become a man. Unfortunately, he has made it painfully obvious that today is not that day.

[Shalayla C.]

Ppl Just Need Too Leave Chris Brown Alone Even Though What He Did On Twitter Was Not Called For He Had A Reason To Go Off On Raz b Because He Should Off Not Came To Chris Reckless Over Somethingg That Happened A Year Ago And It Will Be 2 Years In Feburaryy So Get Off Of Chris Brown Case And Get Over What Happened With Rihanna And Dropp The Stuff On Twitter Raz B Needs Too Be Suspended From Twitter.

[justme]

Chris Brown is victim not villain in this. First of all, Raz-B sent him a nasty message - in the middle of sending out a cascade of fishy messages wooing Rihanna, for clearly tactical reasons. There can be no doubt that what Raz did was all done for purposes of getting attention. And if I were one of those other people out there whom Raz-B is constantly accusing of molestation w/o any proof, I would make sure to sue him till he's bankrupt - at least if I had never molested Raz-B. Personally I believe Raz-B is a liar.

It's true that Chris Brown should never have allowed Raz-B to provoke him like that. But then again, Raz-B knew Chris Brown was provokable on a bad day, and he used that knowledge. But I don't think Raz-B deserves any respect for that. And those who attack Chris over it because they hate him might cool down a little, too. They might consider this simple question: Weren't Raz' comments on Chris Brown and Rihanna about two years too late?

[Wow]

Wow a real investigative journalist! Thanks for writing in detail about the WHOLE situation... I support Chris Brown to the fullest for now on, thanks to the media and the small amount of haters because he has been doing great! It seems as if Chris was roasting,(playing the dozens) and Razb and his brother LOST. Plain and simple!

[cdz from the ministry]

Christie D'Zurilla here from MOG with a gentle reminder that we don't publish comments that include profanity, even if you use symbols or asterisks in the words.

Thanks all, for reading and commenting!

//cdz

[TnLA]

Marques Houston was never a member of B2K