Once again, former pop couple Chris Brown and Rihanna simultaneously releases new content.
Friday, Chris premiered the video for his song of redemption "Crawl" on "The Wendy Williams Show." Later that night, Rihanna's chilling clip for "Russian Roulette" made its debut on "20/20."
There is a commonality among the videos. Both are highly emotional. "Crawl" captures Chris in a seemingly depressed state, rarely smiling, and fantasizing about having his woman back in his life.
Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" video is even more harrowing than the song lyrics suggest. Through a series of shocking scenes, Rihanna relives her traumatic involvement with a psychopath.
Chris has the stronger song. "Crawl," a sincere apology ballad, is clearly among Chris' best records and good enough to top the charts. Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" track is average, but its over-the-top, thematic video has enough drama and sub-plots to be fleshed out into a feature length film.
The coordinated release of both videos sends a poignant message about how both young stars are coping with their turbulent split.
See below my detailed recap of "Crawl" and "Russian Roulette":
Chris Brown
"Crawl"
The video opens with Chris sitting on the edge of a bed, wearing a pair of thick black glasses. The conservative specs make him look like the nerd he portrayed in his video for "Kiss Kiss."
Chris is in a daze, looking blindly into space. His head is bowed. An illuminated pink heart flashes on his white T-shirt. It's so cold in the room that when he breathes, smoke comes out of his mouth.
The very first lyric resonates--"Everybody sees it's you, I'm the one who lost the view." When Chris refers to losing the "view," it is implied he is referring to the night he assaulted Rihanna.
I've questioned Chris' remorse since the ordeal, but I feel the sorrow in this song and visual. When Chris sings the second line, "Everybody says we're through, I hope you haven't said it too" he makes his first direct eye contact with the camera.
He doesn't smirk or grin as he has done when discussing the assault with Larry King or Sway from MTV. He is broken and humble. You believe and forgive him.
Next, the camera introduces his female lead, singer Cassie. The shot is angelic. She is engulfed in the bright natural light of the sun. She is smiling, looks beautiful and oblivious to his plea for forgiveness.
In less than 60 seconds, director Joseph Kahn has managed to humanize the 20-year-old who once solely made headlines for his comparisons to Michael Jackson.
The rest of the video finds Chris struggling to move on beyond his heartache but constantly reminded of his lost love. When he's on the street she pulls up in her limo. When he's in the store, she walks right past him. When they cross paths in an alley, they stop to reminisce. They don't reunite, but she offers him a comforting smile. He is relieved and freed to return to his typical jovial self.