Bobby Brown Says Britney Spears ‘Butchered’ His Song

While appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, “Club Shay Shay,” the former New Edition band member slammed Spears for turning his classic into what he described as a “butchering.”

According to Bobby Brown, allowing Britney Spears to sing his song taught him a valuable lesson about the music industry. Specifically, Brown says he’ll never allow musicians to release covers of his music without approving them first.

While speaking with Sharpe about his legacy and career, which includes several movies and TV shows and five solo albums, the topic switched to other artists sampling Brown’s music.

According to him, he no longer permits musicians to produce covers of his tracks without hearing them. “I gotta hear it [first],” he said. “Gotta hear it.”

He continued, “You don’t know what these kids will say these days.”

The father of seven went on to say that part of the reason he needs to hear the music prior to its release is because he doesn’t want his legacy to be associated with anything unsavory.

However, that’s not his only reason.

When asked which of the many singers who sampled his work did it best, Brown revealed he wasn’t a fan of any of them, specifically Spears’ 2004 release of his single “My Prerogative.”

“I don’t think they did it justice,” he said before pointing to Spears’ record. “Britney Spears butchered ‘My Prerogative.'”

The “Being Bobby Brown” star said he was encouraged to let Spears sing his track because of her star power and the song’s producer, Teddy Riley. But after hearing it, Brown maintains that he believed it was a “butchering.”

Online, netizens have been reacting to Brown’s statements, and feelings seem to be divided.

According to the comments, many users agree with Brown, saying Spears’ take on the swing track just didn’t do it for them.

“Yeah, she butchered it terribly, tbh,” someone wrote, while another agreed and said the “originals will always be [more] groundbreaking” than the covers.

However, other users defended Spears’ version, which peaked atop the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

“Britney’s version actually ain’t bad,” a user commented. “Bobby Brown really said Britney Spears butchered ‘Prerogative’ despite clearing the song,” another wrote. “I DISAGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY.”

The defense didn’t stop there, though. Another user chimed in and said the only reason she knows of Brown’s late ’80s single is “because of the QUEEN OF POP.”

“F-ck a Bobby Brown,” they continued. “It’s Britney, b-tch.”

“I mean, I feel him, but I wouldn’t say she butchered it,” a user shared on Instagram. “Her version is just more pop. I mean, it is Britney Spears.”

“Bobby, pls. Britney’s version was sexy as h-ll! She made it her own and provided great visuals,” someone else posted.

“No Britney slander!” someone else posted. “I like her version. To each [their] own.”

At the time of this article’s publication, Spears’ version of the song has amassed over 51 million views on YouTube.

In 2022, Brown appeared in an A&E documentary titled “Biography: Bobby Brown,” in which he detailed past traumatic experiences, including the time a priest assaulted him after being placed in the custody of a religious home.

“One of the priests tried to molest me,” Brown recalled. “He tried to touch my private parts. At that time, I was a young boy. I didn’t know what sexual boundaries were. I just knew I didn’t like being touched.”

Brown was first taken to the religious home by social services following his mother’s arrest, which he said could’ve been the catalyst for problems he faced years later.

“Some things are hard to forget,” he said. “That really, really bothered me as a child, and as a grown adult, I think it was part of the reason I did things, other things, drugs, alcohol, why I abused myself.”

Brown, however, said that his previous relationship with the late Whitney Houston and their children is part of what made him want to seek recovery. He added that the “Bible” helped get him through the darkest moments.

“It was about becoming healthier for my daughter [Bobbi Kristina] and for the rest of my kids.”