Chris Brown’s ‘Crawl’ Video Makes A ‘Big Statement,’ Director Says

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‘What he does in the video will speak for itself,’ Joseph Kahn tells MTV News of upcoming clip.
By Jocelyn Vena

Chris Brown

Photo: James Devaney/ WireImage

Chris Brown’s video for “I Can Transform Ya” is a high-octane, special-effects-driven dance video. But for his next single from December’s Graffiti, the ballad “Crawl,” Brown wants to show the world how he’s feeling after his very public breakup with Rihanna.

For the “Crawl” clip, Brown reunited with “Transform” director Joseph Kahn, who said the R&B singer got really personal in the video.

“I think of the two videos, ‘Crawl’ is my favorite one, because — gosh, I’m going to let you in on this — ’cause it’s probably his most personal thing he’s ever done,” Kahn said of the video, which features Bad Boy singer Cassie. “I mean, everything that’s happened to him in the year, I think this is going to be his big statement, in terms of what he’s feeling and what he’s living through right now.”

Although he wouldn’t divulge too much about the video’s concept, he said Brown had a very good idea of what he wanted to see in it. “It’s my first ballad with Chris, and it was easy,” he explained. “Again, it’s another idea that he clearly had, in terms of what the genesis of the idea is. I don’t even know if Chris is trying to say anything with the video. I think he just sort of, as an artist, I think Chris communicates more through what he does … and so what he does in the video will speak for itself.”

While Brown has faced a lot of negative attention over the past year — pleading guilty to felony assault after a February incident with then-girlfriend Rihanna — Kahn shared in a previous interview that he thinks it’s time for people to move on and focus on Brown’s talent.

“I know there’s a lot of controversy with Chris,” he said. “I would never, ever work with him unless he was the person I thought he was and he is, truly. The person that controversy happened to and the person that I know — there’s a complete disconnect. Nothing can excuse all that stuff that happened, but everybody’s human. That’s a really big mistake, obviously, but he pays for [it] daily. When people say, ‘Has he been punished enough?’ Media crucifixion, check.”

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