Dodge revs for R&B sensation

At 19, R&B sensation Chris Brown has tallied more award nominations, record sales and media hype than most artists do in a career.

In just a couple of years, the "Run It" singer and dancer glided across the stage and into the hearts of millions of fans.

Could he be the one to dethrone Usher from young R&B royalty? That debate continues.

Recently, though it was rumored that rival singer Ne-Yo launched a diss track against Brown to further fuel how much weight the singer carried in the industry.

In retrospect no one expected Brown to take the industry by storm the way he did except for maybe the talent-seeking production team who discovered the east coast native at his father's gas station back in Virginia.

At 15, Brown was sent to perform for L.A. Reid and soon signed to Jive Records. By early 2005, he began work for his debut album.

With an infectious groove, and dashes of Michael Jackson-like moves, Brown was the labels sure-fire hit.

After signing with Jive, he debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200, selling more than 155,000 copies in just one week. Five weeks later, the album became certified platinum and within a year went double platinum.

Following "Run It!", "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" became Brown's second top 10 hit in the U.S, peaking at No. 7 and has also been certified platinum.

That album scored Brown three Billboard Awards in 2006, one of them being the most prestigious, Artist of the Year. The album also received a nomination for a Grammy, in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category.

The R&B singer's star continues to rise and leads the way for individual nominations at the Teen Choice 2008 Awards, with nine separate mentions, including Male Artist and Red Carpet Icon.

Brown will go head-to-head with his rumoured girlfriend Rihanna for Choice R&B Artist. Rihanna will also compete in Choice Female Hottie, Choice Single for "Don't Stop The Music" and Choice Female Artist.
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Chris Brown performs at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo. Tickets cost $49, $69, $89 and $99. For more information, call 956- 668-7740 or visit www.dodgearena.com.