“I Am the “King of R&B”: Chris Brown Declares Himself ‘the Best’ Days After Usher Crowned Himself Onstage

Chris Brown has declared himself King Of R&B in a rant rejecting celebrity culture, the music industry and what he portrayed as expectations that he remain humble before making an unequivocal declaration:

“I AM THE BEST HANDS DOWN / IM THE KING,” the Dueces singer posted on his Instagram Stories on Tuesday.

He went further, insisting that not a single artist on the planet could compete with him even on his worst day, before closing with another line that sounded almost like a warning:

“I’LL BE THE VILLAIN.”

via CHRIS BROWN IG

It is not an unusually aggressive declaration of artistic self-belief  and singularity from Brown. 

But this time the timing makes the imagery more confrontational.

Just days ago, during the Las Vegas stop of their co-headlining The R&B Tour, Usher turned the long-running debate over R&B royalty into theater. Near the end of his performance of “Confessions,” he brought out a customized jeweled crown bearing a “U,” placed it on his head and then took his seat on a throne.

The September 18 Las Vegas concert at Allegiant Stadium is confirmed on the tour schedule, and footage of the crown moment quickly fueled arguments among fans over whether Usher or Brown has the stronger claim to the title. 

Chris Brown vs. Usher: Who Owns the R&B Crown?

The King of R&B title has no governing body, award or single metric that can confer the title as is the case with dancehall when artist are crowned at stage shows. What exists instead is a cultural argument — one built from records, longevity, influence, live performance, commercial reach and, perhaps most importantly, what different generations believe an R&B superstar should be.

Usher’s claim is backed by more than three decades, occupying the tradition of the all-around Black male R&B showman: singer, dancer, romantic lead and consummate live entertainer. His catalog stretches from “You Make Me Wanna…” and “Nice & Slow” to “U Got It Bad,” “Burn,” “Yeah!” and the blockbuster Confessions era.

Usher has also been willing to accept the crown before. In 2022, when the King of R&B debate resurfaced, he said he would “definitely carry it,” while emphasizing that he stood on the shoulders of earlier artists including Michael Jackson, James Brown, Ronald Isley, Luther Vandross, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass and Marvin Gaye. 

Usher’s idea of being king has generally been connected to inheritance — taking the standards established by the great entertainers before him and carrying them into another generation.

Brown represents another evolution of that tradition.

His claim rests heavily on his extraordinary output, stylistic flexibility, dance ability and the sheer durability of his audience across the streaming era. His music has moved freely through R&B, pop and hip-hop and into increasingly global sounds, while his live identity has developed into something closer to spectacle.

Brown’s Breezy Bowl XX World Tour grossed nearly $300 million and attracted about two million fans, according to the official announcement for his subsequent tour with Usher. The same announcement says Usher’s Past Present Future North American run sold more than 1.1 million tickets across 62 sold-out shows. 

The Raymond & Brown tour was initially announced as a 33-date North American stadium run, bringing two artists whose careers overlap but belong to different generational moments onto the same stage.  The concert itself plays into that contrast, moving between their respective catalogs and bringing the two together for portions of the show.