member of Brown's personal detail recalls according to awitness, Brown — who was In addition to the Party Tour, Brown Brown screaming at his recently hired tour flown through aforest outside Fresno, has at least one other gig coming: ashow manager, Nancy Ghosh, threatening to beat Calif., in aharness while wearing gold at the Las Vegas club Drai's, on March 18. her up because she asked his cousin not to teeth and apurple ponytail — threatened Last summer, the club suspended Brown's smoke marijuana on the managers' bus. acameraman by saying his cousin would residency after he called its employees She quit that day, May 23, sending an email, "knock his ass out," then excused himself racist on Twitter, but now, management TMZ reported, in which she said that she to the restroom where he was found two told TMZ, they "look forward" to Brown's felt unsafe because Brown had been acting hours later, taking anap. return. He is still signed to RCA Records "irrational and high on drugs." (Ghosh In February, Brown posted aphoto and is represented by UTA, where he declined to comment.) of Vanessa Vargas, amodel with whom came on in late January 2016 — and where "Once he did what he did to Mike G, he had been romantically linked, on Guirguis is in talks to join the music there was no structure," that former Instagram, apparently confirming their leadership team. Brown employs Geragos, a security team member says. "We had no relationship even, says the former well-known crisis attorney, and the veteran manager telling us what to do or where we member of his personal detail, as he music attorney Kenny Meiselas. (RCA were going. He would make people sleep continued obsessing over Tran: "He's credits Meiselas and UTA with organizing on the bus [instead of hotels] when he was always on social media, looking up the Party Tour.) But "he's got no security, mad at them. He was threatening people who Karrueche was with, what she was no management," says the former security and cops. He was calling himself the devil." looking like, what club she was at, who team member, who worked with Brown By that June, Brown's personal publicist posted to her Instagram." In her restrain- until recently. Several of Brown's remaining of three years, BWR's Nicole Perna, quit ing order request, Tran wrote that in business associates refused to speak to after aheated string of texts in which, February 2017 Brown "threatened to Billboard for this story, citing nondisclosure TMZ reported, Brown accused her of not kill me to others; threatened me via text agreements or fear of Brown's retaliation. sufficiently promoting his new clothing messages; [and] threatened to harass "You can talk to any drug addict or line, Black Pyramid, and Perna replied, my friends," and that afew years ago, chemically imbalanced person — it "Anna Wintour doesn't want to f— with he had "punched me twice in the stom- doesn't just go away," says aformer you. These editors don't want to f— with ach" and "pushed me down stairs." member of Brown's inner circle. "It's "WE HAD NO MANAGER TO TELL US WHAT TO DO OR WHERE WE WERE GOING. HE WAS THREATENING PEOPLE AND COPS. HE WAS CALLING HIMSELF THE DEVIL." you. The majority of my time is spent on "My biggest frustration is that we're something you have to work on. You have damage control." Brown had to fend for seeing someone who's literally one of to change your lifestyle. And he's not himself— on social media, of course — the most talented people in R82B and doing the things he needs to do to get well, when, the next month, alandlord in Ibiza hip-hop, and he's once again allegedly so he's never going to be well. The kid is alleged that Brown and agroup of friends putting himself in asituation that makes it going to hit rock bottom." had trashed avilla they were renting. harder and harder for his music to be in the The ultimate question may be just Brown posted aseries of videos showing a forefront of his brain," says Darden. "I can when he will hit bottom — or so badly hurt spotless house and calling out the landlord be critical and talk about how Chris Brown himself or another person that the fragile for "slandering my name." needs to be aman, grow up and really take balance between his personal life and "Sober Chris is asolid guy with abig heart. control of his life — that's easy for me to say. career is upset. In the meantime, though, High Chris and Chris coming off drugs is But some people need more than that, or a "there is always someone who wants to ungrateful, unappreciative and afoul person different kind of support." take care of Chris Brown," says the former who most people don't want to deal with," These days, former employees of member of his personal detail. And "for says aclose former associate. "Good Chris? Brown say, some of his closest friends are some reason, Team Breezy fans are still You'll fight for him. Unfortunately, the last members of the Los Angeles Bloods. "He strong and still behind him." couple of years, it has been drug Chris. That just doesn't have the right people around "He does, believe it or not, have akind Chris is not agood dude." him, people who are going to say, 'Hey, heart, and he just wants to be loved," dude, we shouldn't be here,' "says one says the former member of Brown's inner former management team member. "He circle. "At the same time, he's incapable of LATELY, BROWN SEEMS TO BE LOCKED lost Rihanna and Karrueche, two people he being loved and loving." in aholding pattern, his self-destructive loved," says Stylz. "Right now, he doesn't "My brother is going through alot," says tendencies offset by minor career trust anybody. I'm probably the one who Stylz. "But he's not crazy. This isn't why I successes. The single "Grass Ain't Greener" loves him the most out of everybody who is invested all this time into him. He goes in charted on the Hot loo last fall, but only not his real family, and he won't even talk to and out of being angry, but we want to see after achaotic August video shoot in which, me. Ican't get to him." Chris dancing and singing." 0 MARCH II. 2017 I WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 39 .