Chris Brown says he identifies with Trayvon Martin, calls out Jay Z in new interview

Every time Chris Brown opens his mouth, he seems to stir up controversy. In a cover story for the October 14th issue of "JET" magazine, the 24-year-old R&B superstar raises eyebrows yet again. He gamely tackles questions about his messy love life and how he’s attempted to move forward after the 2009 Rihanna “incident” – then says he identifies with Trayvon Martin because of his own struggles with racism, calls out Jay Z for his thug past and seems to liken his bad rep to the relationship between a slave and his master.

Here are some of the more interesting quotes from Brown’s interview:

On whether he relates to the everyday struggles of other young African-American males like Trayvon Martin:
“I identify with Trayvon 100 percent as far as living in 2013 and still dealing with blatant racism. This generation is so used to racism that it’s normal; we don’t care. We aren’t on drugs or catching AIDS, but they still look at us as ni**as.”

On whether it’s possible to mend his rocky relationship with the press:
“This is something I’ve been dealing with for the past maybe five years. Anybody with a voice – Tupac, Michael Jackson, the Notorious B.I.G. – gets formatted…except maybe for Jay Z, who is accepted by White America because he shakes hands and kisses babies. No disrespect, because I’m a fan, but nobody brings up the fact that he stabbed somebody and sold drugs. He gets a pass.”

On when he decided to change his attitude:
“I got to the point where it’s only so much you can take from the master, you feel me? I’ve taken my fair share of lashings. I’ve dealt with the media. Instead of being an artist, I’ve been called a woman beater; I’ve been insulted in public and judged. And being able to not want to kill yourself at the end of the day is what made me say, ‘F**k it.’”

The spotlight on Brown will be intense for the next few months. The singer-turned-actor’s new movie, “Battle of the Year,” just hit theaters this weekend, and his sixth studio album, “X,” is due later this year. In the meantime, the Grammy winner is tired of folks expecting him to apologize for his bad boy behavior.

“I’m not perfect, and I don’t have to be,” he tells JET. “We are supposed to make mistakes. I’m not an android or a robot.”