R&B superstar Chris Brown is back in hot water, across the pond this time. The singer was arrested in Manchester on May 15, 2025, over a wild 2023 nightclub brawl where he allegedly smashed a tequila bottle over a music producer’s head. After nearly a week behind bars, Brown posted a jaw-dropping £5 million bail to walk free — just in time to kick off his globe-trotting “Breezy Bowl XX” tour. Here’s the thank-you note he penned to an inmate while he was behind bars.

Chris Brown penned a thank-you note to an inmate in jail following his arrest in May 2025

In February 2023, Chris Brown allegedly turned a night of partying at a London nightclub into a violent brawl. Music producer Abraham Diaw claims the singer lashed out in a booze-fueled rage, smashing him over the head with a high-end tequila bottle and continuing the attack even after he hit the floor. The brutal beatdown reportedly left Diaw with lasting injuries — and a £12 million lawsuit to match. With surveillance footage said to show Brown in the act, authorities caught up with him in Manchester in May 2025, slapping him with an arrest just weeks before his world tour kickoff.

Brown briefly resided behind bars at the privately owned HMP Forest Bank prison in Manchester before making bail. While some fans might’ve worried about how Brown would fare with the other inmates, an insider told The U.S. Sun that Brown was “looked after” and respected.

“Sometimes, people will be targeted if other inmates know they have money, but they looked after him instead,” the source explained. “They know he’s famous and also American, so not really aware of how prisons work over here. He had no treats, so all he could do was order the basic food you’re offered. When it was lock up at nighttime, some of them were shouting, ‘Sing us a song, Chris!’”

Before Brown was released on bail, he left a kind note to his fellow inmate, Dave. “To Dave, Thank you my brother, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me while I’ve been banged up,” he wrote. “Keep being a good person. God sees all and he sees your heart. You’ll be home soon my bro. Cheers!!”

The R&B star said jail is a ‘regimen and a structure’

Chris Brown spent time in jail in the past. In 2009, he was arrested for felony assault after attacking Rihanna. In 2014, he was sentenced to 131 days in jail for violating probation after an altercation in Washington, D.C.

Brown spoke to Billboard in September 2014 about whether he harnessed his creativity while behind bars.

“You know, jail isn’t a place of many creative spirits,” he said. “But as far as my creativity, I put it on hold until I got out. Jail is more of a regimen and a structure. I’m more of a free spirit when it comes to creating music, painting, and art. So when I got out, I was very excited to get into the studio. I didn’t have any ideas or concepts; they usually come as I go [in to record]. I was drawing and sketching most of the time, biding time.”

Will Chris Brown’s ‘Breezy Bowl XX’ tour continue?

Chris Brown’s “Breezy Bowl XX” world tour is set to continue as scheduled. Despite his recent arrest, he was granted bail on May 21 after posting a £5 million ($6.7 million) bond. As part of his release conditions, Brown is permitted to proceed with his tour, which begins on June 8 in Amsterdam and includes multiple North American dates. The tour features special guests Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller.

On May 21, 2025, Brown posted a photo to Instagram showing him walking away from an aircraft. “Cook, remain humble,” he captioned the post following his bail arrangements.

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