Chris Brown is still selling out arenas. His “Breezy Bowl” is making headlines and he continues to chart in pop music to this day. But it’s not just Chris Brown. Brand New is back on tour. Dr. Luke is still producing chart-toppers. Noel “Detail” Fisher remains a Grammy winner in good standing on industry résumés.

Meanwhile, we’re nitpicking up-and-coming artists for social-media slip-ups and dissect pop lyrics as if they’re congressional testimony. Somehow, the career-long abusers get second, third, and tenth chances, while the minor offenders get dog-piled on Twitter. Chris Brown is selling out arenas, but everyone is more focused on Chappel Roan’s political opinions. 

A pattern we pretend not to see

Chris Brown’s 2009 assault on Rihanna wasn’t a one-time fall from grace. It was the start of a rap sheet that spans restraining orders, brawls with other artists, a 2022 rape lawsuit, and most recently a 2025 arrest in Manchester after allegedly smashing a tequila bottle over a man’s head. He’s out on multimillion-dollar bail, and yet his tour dates are intact.

Jesse Lacey of Brand New admitted to grooming underage fans in 2017. That should’ve been the end. Instead, the band is on a reunion tour, with new allegations surfacing and tickets selling anyway.

Dr. Luke remains one of the most powerful producers in pop and while he settled his long legal war with Kesha in 2023, he never admitted wrongdoing or issued any form of apology. He’s now back in the studio with Katy Perry and Doja Cat like nothing happened, topping the Billboard charts once again.

Detail, once hailed for hits with Beyoncé and Lil Wayne, faces more than two dozen felony charges including rape. Yet the music he produced still makes its way onto playlists, and the system that rewarded him is still alive and well.

This isn’t about “the past.” It’s the present, and an industry and fanbase that continues to reward this behavior. 

No real apologies

These men share one thing besides power: a total lack of remorse. Brown sues media outlets that document his violence. Lacey offered one vague apology, then picked up his guitar like nothing happened. Dr. Luke never even did that. He just let his lawyers handle it while the checks cleared.

The playbook is simple: wait it out. The industry, and too often the fans, will come back around. And most often, they never leave in the first place.

Selective outrage

Compare that with the way we treat up-and-coming stars. Chappell Roan makes an awkward comment in an interview and suddenly gets think-pieces about whether she’s “problematic.” Billie Eilish loses brand partnerships for being photographed with the “wrong” person at a basketball game. Ariana Grande licks a donut and loses White House gigs. 

We’re merciless to the young, awkward, or female. Yet we’re endlessly forgiving to the established, violent, or male. And we need to come to terms with this.

The real question

So how is Chris Brown still a thing? How is Brand New? How is Dr. Luke?

Because fans keep buying tickets. Artists keep collaborating. Labels keep signing checks. Every stream and every cheer is complicity.

The industry wants us to think this is complicated. It’s not. The receipts are there. The patterns are undeniable. The hypocrisy is blinding.

If music culture actually cares about accountability, it has to stop nitpicking the Chappell Roans and start holding the Chris Browns accountable.