Is Brown a falling star after abuse allegations?

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody | March 14, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

NEW YORK — More than a month after the assault that left Rihanna bloodied and bruised, the situation gets more grim for the once-brilliant career of Chris Brown, her boyfriend and reported attacker.

Despite reports that the couple has reconciled — including reports of an apparent duet recording session — public animosity toward Brown, Billboard’s artist of the year for 2008, seems to be growing.

Radio stations are dropping his music, and on Wednesday he voluntarily removed his name from the ballot of Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards, for which he was twice nominated just before his Feb. 8 arrest for reportedly beating Rihanna.

“Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding the incident last month has shifted the focus from the music to whether he should be allowed to be among those nominated,” a statement from his representatives read.

At 19, Brown is already a multi-platinum star who has not only dominated music but made the leap to film in movies like “Stomp the Yard” and “This Christmas.” He was a favorite of kids for his lithe voice, danceable beats and formidable dance skills; of young girls for his handsome looks; and of parents, because of his clean-cut image.

That winning combination helped him rack up album sales and awards: Billboard named him its artist of the year for 2008. But figures show his overall audience, if not his fan base, has shrunk since his arrest. A leaked photo showing the battered face of Rihanna didn’t help, and an affidavit released last week included details that highlighted the apparent brutality of the attack.

Though Brown didn’t have any new music out at the time of his arrest, his top hit “Forever” was still getting substantial radio play at the time. According to Billboard’s Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay chart, the song was slowly drifting down, and was at No. 14 before the arrest, for a radio audience of about 16 million people.

According to Billboard, right after the arrest, the song plummeted from 14 to 58, or an audience of about 9 million. It is now off the chart.

Even having Brown featured on a song may be a bad move: Jive Records labelmate T-Pain, who did a duet with Brown called “Freeze,” is offering an alternative version to radio stations that deletes Brown, according to people inside the radio industry who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.