Chris Brown

Less than two years ago, he was the 16-year-old boy next door, a teenager from the small town of Tappahannock, VA (population: 2,000), with a world of talent and big dreams, fueled by the artists he grew up with, from Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway to Michael Jackson and Usher.

Now, with the release of Elusive, his sophomore album for Jive Records, Chris Brown is ready to take his place alongside those heroes.

Elusive is something that not everybody can get, he says, explaining the title. I feel its an album especially for my fans. Its not for the critics or the haters or people that get it just to fit in. Its only for those who truly want to hear my music.

Elusive is the follow-up to his self-titled debut, released in November 2005, which debuted at #2 in Billboard and was recently certified double-platinum, having sold 1.9 million copies in the U.S. and more than three million worldwide.

The CD spawned the #1 Scott Storch-produced smash Run It! (featuring Juelz Santana), the Top 10 pop singles Yo (Euse Me Miss) and Gimme That, along with the Top 20 Say Goodbye. Browns year was capped off with a pair of Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Contemporary Album in addition to a nationally televised performance on Awards night with Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson singing a medley of their respective hits. He also nabbed a Soul Train award (Best R&B/Soul New Artist), two BET awards (Best New Artist, Viewers Choice), a Teen Choice honor (Choice Music Breakout Artist Male), three Billboard Awards (Artist, Male Artist and New Artist of the Year) and an NAACP Image Award (Outstanding New Artist). He also was featured on Bow Wows hit single Shortie Like Mine.

I always imagined that I could be what I wanted to be, I just hoped that I could do it, says the humble Brown, now 18-years-old. I never knew how fast this would take off, so I'm just thankful for it.