Bobby Brown Glad to Be 'Off the Heroin, the Crack, the Coke'

By Boombox Editors Posted Apr 14th 2011 03:10PM

There is no arguing that singer Bobby Brown has led a high-profile life. From his early years with New Edition and his solo music career to his marriage and subsequent divorce from Whitney Houston, he's experienced a wealth of ups and downs that include arrests, drug abuse and reality TV stardom. But these days, however, Brown -- who is engaged to fiancée and manager Alicia Etheridge -- is showing a mellower side and admits to experiencing a happy time in his life.

"I'm definitely in a better place in my life," the singer tells the BoomBox. "Six years sober from drugs. I'm just really grateful that I can get off the heroin, the crack, the coke. I'm glad I just have a beautiful woman in my life who's always there for me. At times when it gets really hard, she's right there, you know, to hold me and let me know, you know, 'Look at where you come from and look at where you are right now.' I'm just grateful."

As far as how domestic life has been for him so far, Brown, who also has a son, Cassius, with Etheridge, says he loves being in love. "I'm definitely in love right now and I'm happy and my little boy is just, like, he's a little me," he explains. "Alicia is just a gem to be around. But we also do business together, so it's just like, you know, she's my lady, man, and when you're happy, you're happy."

As for his music career, the singer is reemerging with a new album, 'The Masterpiece,' which comes out in May. "I've been basically trying to live and grow with myself and find what I wanted to write about," says Brown. "Unfortunately my mom passed [away] and I had to do something quick, so 'The Masterpiece' is just 13 years of my ups and downs and everything that I've been through. I'm just grateful to be able to put this album out because I really feel it is a masterpiece."

Brown is also getting back in touch with his musical past as he and the other members of New Edition are in talks about a reunion to coincide with their 30th anniversary next year. "I'm just, I'm at awe with being able to come together as brothers," he continues. "Business can tear friends apart but we've been working with our friendship and talking every week. It's just a good thing that, you know, I still got five brothers."

The singer also says he and Etheridge are thinking about producing a new reality TV show that would involve themselves and their kids. "I just like being open," Brown says. "I like people to see exactly what I'm about and exactly what kind of person I am and not judge me for, you know, other people's words or what other people think about me."

On how he copes with the tabloid stories about him, Brown recalls what his mother once said -- that "if they're not talking about you, you're not successful." "I'm only human," he says. "I'm going to go through rough patches in my life but it's how I pick myself up from it. And thank God I've been able to pick myself up from everything that has hurt me in the past. You have to know yourself and you have to learn to love yourself and I love myself now. I know how my kids feel about me. I know how I feel about them. And we just try to stay strong for each other."

Brown's life continues to be in the spotlight. Most recently there were media reports about Bobbi Kristina -- his daughter with Whitney Houston -- allegedly using drugs. "I did talk to her," Brown says. "I have all faith in my daughter that she's going to stay strong for herself. My daughter is doing great. I love her dearly."

Besides Bobbi Kristina, he's also the father of three other children: sons Landon and Bobby, Jr., and daughter LaPrincia. He offers these words of wisdom to his kids: "Don't do what I do. Period. Be yourself and always, always know that daddy is gonna be there no matter what."

Get more at the Boombox.

Check out Bobby Brown's Interview with the Boombox.

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Comments

(18)

Thursday 14 April

By KR

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Five minutes from now, Whitney will be six minutes sober.

By Polar Patrol

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jwblackpride, where are you to tell us what a wonderful African American man Bobby is?

By The Jig is up.

well said.

By fishslayer

polor patrol all jwblackpride wants to talk about is african american men. he needs to be told if you are in america and a american citizen then you are just plain AMERICAN. save the rest of that for kunta kinta.

Yes fishslayer you are right. If he wants to call someone African American (even when they're not, like Obama, who's biracial, or Maria Carey, who's multiracial and more Irish and Venezuelen than African anyhow) then he should not bash Kim Kardashian, Snooki and Lady Gaga as "white trash." They would be Armenian American, Chilean American and Italian American, respectively.

Friday 15 April

By Mike

Exactly! jwblackpride wanted those "African American" stories and he got 'em! How many "Baby Mamas" does Bobby have now? If only he could give THOSE up as well! He be da man!

By rayhend

I'm always amazed at women who are "there" for losers, regardless of their degree of loserdom. This guys has multiple illegitimate kids/babymamas. He has had a lifetime of child support court/jail time/drug and drug addictions, etc. Yet there never seems to be a shortage of women, ready to add to the idiocy by laying down with, let alone getting pregnant from dudes like this.

Seriously, how pathetic is that?

We know there are some really deplorable dudes out there. And although I am a fan of his music, I think Bobby Brown ranks right up there as one of the worst kinds of examples of manhood in America today. But at some point, these women need to take a really hard look at themselves and some of the choices they're making too.

This is ridiculous.

By Sharon

@Ray-I was about to post the same thing. When is he going to be off bringing a bunch of kids by diffeent mamas into the world????? Groupies chase what they perceive as "fame." He sounded HORRIBLE on The View recently. They only invited him on so Sherri could do a Robin Roberts and ask him about his rumored crack head daughter......

By flankrroydlight

Good start Bobby . Now get off TV , radio , the printed page and any form of recorded media . That would be nice . That way we could be glad too .

By maureen

alcohol is a drug. Switching substances is not recovery, it is still addiction. I am not judging, I have been there.

By tylean210

when bb was on cfc he did a lot of drinking so how in the world can he say hes been sober for six years!!!!!

By JBaer

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Just imagine how much happier he might be if he never touched that garbage in the first place. Oh, well--hindsight is 20/20.

By shirleyA

Drugs, jail, gang signs in his photo? The media
has given this jerk another chance, yet they continue
to bash Lindsey Lohan?

By NotMe

Now it could be Booby Brown (spelling intentional) is off drugs and has been for six years. But then again, it could be that Charlie Sheen is a rational logical individual as well.

(For the clueless, I don't find Charlie Sheen rational nor logical...)

By My proud afro-american brillo-pad-armpits!

Bobby shined my shoes once, did a damn fine job! good boy!

By Marisol

Wow, you much really love black people. What's the matter, jealous?

By grapost

Bobby Brown Glad to Be 'Off the Heroin, the Crack, the Coke'

WILL WHITNEY HOUSTON EVER BE ABLE TO SAY THAT!

By Angel

I, occasionally, watched Celebrity Fit Club last season. One of the shows showed Bobby drunk off his butt. I mean he couldn't make a coherent sentence...ok, worse that usual. It was awful. How can he say he is sober? A drug is a drug, be it alcohol, heroin, crack or meth. Someone mentioned the women that are in line waiting for such infamous men, hey, there are women that want to marry murderers that are in prison. It baffles the mind.

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