Chris Brown covers the new issue of Billboard, and they’re trying to make it sound like we never, ever hear about or from him, like he’s this elusive butterfly that has never done an interview. I guess it’s a big deal because this is his first major interview since he was in jail, but…? I don’t know, who really cares about that? Anyway, if you’d like to read the full piece, go here. Chris Brown is pretty much the same guy he’s always been. He puts in the effort to say all of the soundbytes written by a publicist, but I’m not sure who’s buying it at this point. Some highlights:

On the reports that he was the target of a shooter & they got Suge Knight by mistake: “I realize that what I do for a living opens my life to public scrutiny and that I have a responsibility to everyone because of that exposure. I can say that I am only human and I have made mistakes. I can say that I try to live my life in the most true, honest way that I can. I am not perfect, no one is. No one is harder on me than me. No one can please everyone. No one can live in the past and expect to grow. I have been moving forward and hope that I am not defined by just a few moments in my life but all of the moments that will make up my life.”

His daily routine in jail: “A guard wakes you up; you eat. You stay in your cell most of the time, basically 24 hours a day. Maybe on Mondays you go to the roof inside of a cage and have a phone call. It’s isolation. You have time to focus on what matters, on what to do and what not to do.”

The lessons he’s learned from jail: “My maturity level has risen as far as my realizing what’s important. Realizing that I’m human like everyone else. At the end of the day, it’s just a humbling experience. You’re more appreciative of everything else that’s on the outside. A burger tastes 1,000 times better when you’re out.”

What kept him motivated in jail: “Like this happened for a reason. There was a purpose. Maybe I was out of control too much. Or I needed something to humble me to the point where I get it. At that point, I didn’t look at it as trying to get out of the situation but learn from it.”

Whether he thinks he’ll ever shake off the Rihanna assault: “When we’re not relevant anymore, that might be the case. As long as you’re doing something good, people will always bring up old stuff or negative stuff because they don’t want you to surpass a certain level or elevate. But as long as you have your head on straight, it shouldn’t matter what people want to say.”

Whether he considers himself a role model: “As far as my mistakes in life, that’s being a role model, because people can see my mistakes and learn from them. I’ve gone through more stuff than most 35- or 40-year-olds, and I’ve dealt with it.”

[From Billboard]

He actually utters these words as well: “I’m not walking around angry about anything.” Your past says otherwise, dude. I’m always sort of amazed by how well Chris can tow a company/PR line that is obviously such utter BS to who he really is. Like, you’d think he was in jail because of a minor traffic violation or something, he just comes across so “Zen” about it. It’s hard to reconcile this version of Breezy with the guy who does walk around angry, who throws chairs at windows and beats up random people on the street and almost killed his girlfriend.

Photos courtesy of Billboard.