Chris Brown has come to terms with the fact that his public persona has never been the same after he assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna in February 2009.
In MTV's This Is How I Made It, the 23-year-old singer opens up about why he no longer feels the need to continually apologize for his past behavior. "Having to get personal opinion back and having to gain personal success back. . . it's not all the way back, you know? But it's one of my most humbling experiences," Brown says. "I can't hate people for making judgment on me or making a decision of liking me or not liking me. All I can do is try to be better as a person, and I'm good with knowing everything isn't always going to be perfect."
The "Beautiful People" singer — who has been dating both Rihanna, 24, and aspiring model Karrueche Tran, 23, on-and-off — insists his true fans have always been loyal.
"The fan base that I have and the actual support is unreal to me. They've put me in a position to be able to help people and continue to do music and help my family, help my mom," explains Brown. "I just want my fans to be able to identify, whether it be the ones that maybe could of had everything or they maybe blew their chance and they failed and didn't know how to get back up."
Thus far, the Grammy winner has complied with the terms of his plea deal, which included community labor, five years' formal probation and domestic violence counseling.
Brown adds, "My story or my life or my legacy can hopefully show them that once you're down, that don't just mean you're down forever. You never let up. A lot of the negatives that we always go through, we're gonna have to get through that. It sounds crazy, but that's what makes us who we are."
Brown's This Is How I Made It episode airs Saturday, Nov. 3, at 12 p.m. EST on MTV.
