Celebrity Watch: Chris Brown 'Birthday Cake' Cameo Was Rihanna's Idea

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Chris Brown 'Birthday Cake' Cameo Was Rihanna's Idea

'She's my friend, so whatever she wants to do is whatever she wants to do,' song's writer The-Dream tells 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

The-Dream on "RapFix Live"
Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News

<P><P><a href="/news/articles/1679703/chris-brown-rihanna-collaboration-fans.jhtml">Fans were shocked</a> and outraged when they heard <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/rihanna/artist.jhtml">Rihanna</a>'s <a href="http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/02/20/chris-brown-rihanna-reunite-on-cake-remix">"Birthday Cake"</a> remix with ex-beau <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/brown__chris__18_/artist.jhtml">Chris Brown</a>. The-Dream, who wrote the song, admits that he was a bit surprised when Rihanna told him that she'd like to include the man who once <a href="/news/articles/1678923/chris-brown-supervised-probation.jhtml">assaulted her</a> on the track, but the "Shawty Is a 10" singer was far more understanding than RiRi's detractors. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:736002" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "At the end of the day, she's my friend, so whatever she wants to do is whatever she wants to do," <a href="/music/artist/dream_terius_nash_/artist.jhtml">The-Dream</a> told Sway when he appeared on "RapFix Live" on Wednesday (February 22), just two days after Rihanna released the controversial remix. The-Dream remembers first getting the call from Rihanna while driving in Miami. "I think I'm gonna put Chris on it," he remembers the <i>Talk That Talk</i> singer saying to him over the phone nonchalantly. "I don't know which Chris you talkin' about, [but] OK, cool, whatever you say," The-Dream remembers responding. Of course there is really only one Chris, and The-Dream came to grips with the reality that the two would be coming together in song after the damaging 2009 assault that left Rihanna battered and bruised and Brown public enemy #1. "She's pretty smart too. The same questions that went through my mind, and I'm an artist also, had to have gone through hers," The-Dream told "RapFix Live." "When she raised the question to me, I know she's not crazy. So my thought was you've been thinking about this, you've already thought it out, so evidently you know what reaction you gonna get." </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:735982" width="240" height="211"></div><p> The singer/songwriter said that he was just happy that she gave him enough forewarning that he too could prepare for any type of backlash. Still, despite the rumblings of whether or not Rihanna is sending the right message collaborating with Chris on "Birthday Cake" as well as Brown's "Turn Up the Music" remix, The-Dream said that it all boils down to forgiveness. "Don't say you know how to forgive when you don't," he warned. "Everybody knows what took place, cool. Have the power to really forgive if that's what it is. If not, stay on that side of the fence from the beginning." In no way did The-Dream condone Brown's behavior on that February night in 2009, but he does suggest that it is time for people to move on. "It's easy to kinda throw Chris under the bus <i>all the time,</i> but c'mon, man. OK, we get it," he said. <i>Do you support Rihanna's decision to work with Chris Brown again? Leave your comment below!</i></p></p>

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