Trapt, the nu-metal band whose early 2000s hit “Headstrong” has since been superseded by the band’s racist and xenophobic antics online, has returned to the spotlight this morning for another bizarre reason.
“I don’t call a 24-year-old woman who takes advantage of a 15-year-old-boy who is entirely through puberty a pedophile,” Trapt lead singer Chris Brown tweeted from the band’s official account late last night. Once the inevitable backlash ensued, Brown, for some reason, dug his heels in and bit back at anyone who challenged his definition of child rape.
“A 15-year-old male and a 25-year-old female is not pedophilia, you f***ing moron,” he said to one user.
But shockingly enough, the band’s latest antics are relatively tame compared to the sh*t they’ve stirred up in the past.
The band’s deranged behavior over the last few months, in particular, has been hilarious at times. Brown shamelessly promoted Trapt’s new record this summer as “probably one of the top 5 albums that will ever exist for all time,” only for Shadow Works to go on and sell a mere 600 copies in its first week.
But a lot of the time, Brown’s presence online is repulsive and has helped make Trapt a laughing stock in the metal community. Here are some of Trapt’s sh*tiest antics in 2020, antics that remind us why being “Headstrong” is oftentimes a really bad thing.
Trapt Invites The Proud Boys to a Dallas Concert
An already established far-right presence online, Brown returned to Twitter to air his frustrations when a music venue, Tress in Dallas, Texas, canceled his band’s gig due to “threats made against venue staff.” Brown was furious and claimed that “SJW’s” were responsible for the schedule change. In protest, Brown announced that Trapt’s next gig would be exclusively for the Dallas chapter of The Proud Boys. Brown himself recently claimed to have become a member of the far-right fringe group.
The statement came mere weeks after Trump had told the far-right group to “stand back and stand by” during the first 2020 presidential debate, so backlash was swift on Brown’s comments. “For the 100th time, Proud Boys include members of all races…” Brown responded to critics on Twitter. “My mother is as Mexican as it gets. Got way too many pure white dudes throwing the race card.”
Trapt Defends Trump’s COVID Response
An avid COVID-Denier, it came as no surprise when Brown took to Twitter to defend Trump’s undeniably insufficient COVID-response earlier this spring. But the claim, whose origins were hard to identify, soon turned into a month-long Twitter tirade of fat-shaming and racist pandering.
Brown came out swinging at almost everyone and anyone who refuted his claims, at one point even targeting civil rights activist Bishop Talbert Swan. “Racist racist racist racist, that’s all you idiots ever say…STFU,” wrote Brown on Twitter.
“Everyone is tired of the only card in your deck! Get a life and stop being a victim!” Swan responded, calling the band “racist buffoons” and “talentless… mayonnaise drippers,” among other things. “Get that chip off ya shoulder!” Brown retaliated.
Additional racist remarks included referring to COVID as the “Chinese virus” and claiming that Black people need to “move the f*ck on” from slavery because the “Civil Rights act was passed over 50 years ago.”
Trapt Flat-Out Denies Racism Exists
In the same week-long Twitter debacle, Trapt also directly denied the existence of racism. “NO GROUP OF PEOPLE IS BEING OPPRESSED IN THE YEAR 2020,” Brown tweeted in all caps. “Stop being a f***ing victim.” Hundreds of tweets later, another one stands out in particular: “The Unite the right rally was not all white supremacists…”
Trapt Fat-Shames a Woman for No Reason
“You couldn’t insult me if it would save your parent’s life,” Brown tweeted to a female critic back in March. “I’m not just saying you are a chubster…much more than that Ms. Piggy.” The classless fat-shaming only continued: “I can imagine you are very thirsty Ms. Piggy….oink oink. Hit that gym….hurry up.”
Trapt Refuses to Pay Artist Who Designed Their Album Cover
In a brief legal spat that caught the attention of Judge Judy, an artist who designed the cover for two of the band’s albums openly accused Brown and his band of “refusing to pay him for the $4,000 he was owed for his art.”
In what should be a surprise to no one, Brown was a total d*ck about it. “We tried to make something that could be released,” Brown tweeted. “It’s not usable in its current form. This guy should not want the damn thing released. It’s just not good. I can’t believe that he thinks it’s wise 2 air dirty laundry like this but whatever he has to do. It’s not what I asked 4.”
Trapt Gets Their Own Facebook Deleted for Hate Speech
As reported by Spin, the band got their Facebook account entirely deleted back in November after Brown shamelessly promoted The Proud Boys. The post, which included an image of a shadowed man wearing The Proud Boys logo as he carried Lady Liberty, read “Don’t worry Girl, We Got You.”
But according to Brown, the very literal comic wasn’t about the far-right group at all, claiming the post was a promotional announcement to follow the band on Parler, where, they said, “they will never be censored.” Brown said he would sue Facebook, a claim that he hasn’t seemed to follow through on.
Trapt Blames George Floyd for His Own Death
When George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin back in May, almost everyone, including some Republican lawmakers, saw the murder as a despicable act and transformational moment in the conversation of racism in America. Meanwhile, Brown remained defiant.
“The guy refused to get into a cop car!” he tweeted out. “It took 4 cops to subdue the guy! Dude was partly responsible for his death.” As was routine for the band at this point, the backlash was swift, but Brown didn’t care.
“I think if you are some kind of community leader in any way and you are denouncing these riots, there is something wrong with you,” he wrote. “Autopsy says dude died of a heart attack. A knee to the neck does not give someone a heart attack. Flight or flight resisting arrest would…” He then went on to contradict himself and say Derek Chauvin was “MOSTLY” responsible and that kneeling on a man’s neck should be outlawed, but let him be clear:
“I hate anyone who uses skin color to say why they are better OR why they feel they are oppressed. We are ALL Americans first!” The ignorance and contradictions of Brown and his tepid irrelevant band remain truly shocking, and it remains to be seen what future the band has in a Biden-led America.
