Speaking to radio host Ryan Seacrest, Rihanna played down the controversy surrounding the collaborations, saying, "There shouldn't be a divide, you know.It's music and it's innocent". Brown's restraining order has now expired, meaning he can mix with Rihanna as much as he likes - something which she appears entirely comfortably with. The Barbadian singer explained, "I reached out to him about doing Birthday Cake because that's the only person that really . it made sense to do the record. Just as a musician, despite everything else, that was going to be the person. You know I thought about rappers, and I've done that so many times, and the hottest R&B artist out right now is Chris Brown". Though many predicted his conviction would be the downfall of his career, Brown has since recorded strong album sales and scooped a Grammy Award in February - much to the dismay of some fellow musicians.
