Chris Brown has revealed how he lost his virginity when he was eight, in an interview in which he called the beating-up of his ex Rihanna the “biggest wake-up call” of his life.
The R&B star told the Guardian of the childhood encounter with a teenage girl from his hometown of Tappahannock, in rural Virginia, saying “it’s different in the country”.
He said he had already been exposed to porn by male cousins, claiming that this made him unafraid of approaching girls.
Brown, 24, said: “By that point, we were already kind of like hot to trot, you know what I’m saying? Like, girls, we weren’t afraid to talk to them; I wasn’t afraid. So, at eight, being able to do it, it kind of preps you for the long run, so you can be a beast at it. You can be the best at it.”
The controversial star – who described himself as a “walking art piece” – also boasted about how many women he had slept with, comparing himself to the singer Prince when was younger.
“But you know how Prince had a lot of girls back in the day? Prince was, like, the guy. I’m just that, today. But most women won’t have any complaints if they’ve been with me.”
Asked about the 2009 assault on Rihanna, which led to a sentence of six months community labor and five years probation, Brown said: “[It was] probably the biggest wake-up call for me.
“I had to stop acting like a little teenager, a crazy, wild young guy.
“I learned from it, and it was almost like… I wouldn’t say it happened for a reason, but it was something to trigger my mind to be more of a mature adult. To handle myself in situations, don’t throw tantrums, don’t be a baby about it.”
Not that Brown has always been so good at following his own advice. Since then he has been involved in fights with A-list rappers Frank Ocean and Drake.
And last month he was given more community service hours after it was ruled he had failed to complete many he had claimed to have done.
However, Brown hit back at his detractors, claiming he was not violent but misunderstood.
“People think I just walk around as the aggressor, this mad black guy, this angry, young, troubled kid, but I’m not. I’m more and more laid-back. It’s just that people know if they push a button, it’ll make more news than their music. Attaching themselves to me, good or bad, will benefit them.”
This story originally appeared on News.com.au.