In 2004, at just 15 years old, Chris Brown signed with Jive Records for $150,000. It may not seem like a lot of a potential superstar, but for Brown, at the time, it was a bankroll. And he was ready to spend it.
With his mother still managing his account because he was a minor, his first splurge was a customized truck with Lamborghini doors.
On the 100th episode of the R&B Money Podcast in April, hosts Tank and J. Valentine spoke with Brown about his first big spend and contract.
Young Money
In the episode, Brown, who has been in the music industry for 20 years and has released 11 albums with around 116 songs on the Billboard charts, discussed how the industry has changed in securing talent.
Valentine asked Brown if he had access to the money from the Jive Records deal. Brown explained that he was underage at the time and was signed for a relatively small amount compared to artists today, who, he exclaimed, are getting $8 million deals.
“I got signed for, like, $150k … because I was underage, my mom was in control of it. Most of it would be in a trust account, so I wouldn’t be able to touch it. Obviously, she could withdraw stuff if I wanted to make purchases or do stuff, but I still was every bit of a teenager,” Brown said.
When asked about his first purchase as a child star, Brown recalls buying an Escalade or a Ford truck that was modified to sport Lamborghini doors.
“It was either an Escalade or a 4×4 something. I don’t remember exactly, but it was a big truck. I put Lamborghini doors on it,” Brown said.
For context, in 2004, the cost of a Cadillac Escalade ranged from approximately $52,635 to $56,385 depending on the model and options selected. Today, a Cadillac Escalade would cost at least $80,000.
Brown might have spent the bulk of his signing deal money to acquire his teenage car with expensive doors, but his second choice of vehicle was a Honda Civic with butterfly doors.
In 2004, a Honda Civic ranged from $13,010 to $19,650, and kits for “Lambo doors” or “vertical doors” generally ranged from $600 to $1,200, depending on the brand and quality of the kit, according to Car ID.
Brown, who is from Tappahannock, Virginia, explained that growing up the small central Virginia town an hour away from Richmond and two hours away from the D.C. area, he idolized what he saw in East Coast and Deep South artists, especially the trappings of their wealth.
“I’m from the South, like Virginia is the South, but you know what I’m saying, so we don’t just listen to … well, D.C. and Maryland, they mirror the South,” Brown said. “Like we mirror everything South there. We went through the East Coast phase with Biggie and all that, but cash money was it. Cash money was it.”
“I had the amps in the back too. I ain’t going to lie, I took out the whole back seat. It was like six 16-inch speakers,” Brown said.
“[I am] talking about knocking. I was in Virginia thinking I was the man,” Brown said.
