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chris-brown-cover-230.jpgChris Brown covers the November issue of Prestige Hong Kong, and the 23-year-old R&B singer opens up about his painting, what he does on his off days and his charity work. He may strike some um, interesting poses for his shoot, but we're actually quite surprised with how mature and charming he is in this interview. Yes, really!

Chris has a passion for film and video, and he proclaims, "Not to be arrogant when I say it, but I want to be the Steven Spielberg of music videos, to be innovative and young, not to put a bar on it just because of budgetary issues or certain capabilities."

In case you don't follow him on Twitter, Chris is also an avid painter, and he's constantly posting photos of his work online. "A lot of people didn’t know that it was my hobby," he says. "I focused on doing the bad stuff at first with graffiti and vandalizing as a kid. But as you get older, you start studying art books and sketchbooks in the libraries. I started getting better, like maybe three or four years ago ... I finally got people to recognize it and I did a couple of art galleries – one in LA and one in New York – and I sold four out of my seven paintings. You know, I’m new. But my feet are in the water and that’s all it takes. I don’t think I want to conquer painting. It’s just something I love to do."

Chris is also involved with St Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Best Buddies, but he doesn't necessarily feel the need to brag about it. "I’ve been involved with [those] since I was 15, 16" he says. "It’s not about recognition, because that’s not what satisfies me. The satisfaction is people that are getting helped or are benefitting from whatever I donate, whatever I contribute to their lives. I don’t like it to be publicized. If there are cameras around, it’s cool. But I do it from the heart."

So what does he do on his days off? "I hang out with my homeboys and play basketball. I paint, go to parties, listen to music, dance. I just bought a bike, so I like to ride. The cardio is good. Just to ride on the street on the bike, beating the traffic. Then maybe a couple of minutes later someone in a car turns around and realizes it’s me. 'Hey, that’s Chris Brown. What’s Chris Brown doing on a bike?'"