Chris Brown is giving back as part of his Unity Campaign, sponsored by Reebok.
“I used to have to borrow my cousin’s clothes,” he told People on Saturday at an L.A. event in which he and the athletics giant are donating tons of shoes.
“So being able to come from that poverty-stricken environment and then being able to get out of it is what I tried to [do],” says Chris of reaching out.
“I just want to show the kids and help them out so that they can have a better light of opportunities for them to do what they need to do.”
Brown is still struggling with his own personal #UnityCampaign at times.
Just last month, he was charged with hit-and-run, and this winter, he was accused of violating his probation in connection with his felony assault conviction in 2009.
He’s been investigated for at least three fights (Drake, Frank Ocean, nightclub girl) in the past year alone, and seems to cause troubled at every turn.
His efforts with Reebok are part of a personal image rehab of sorts, but it’ll take work to undo the damage caused by years of courting controversy.