Akon Says He Still Wants to Work With Chris Brown

Chris Brown has received a lot of negative press, lost endorsement deals, and had several radio stations pull his music in reaction to his alleged altercation with girlfriend Rihanna. But, instead of jumping on the band wagon and turning a cold shoulder, Akon says he would "absolutely" still work with the embattled pop star.

"I wouldn't take anybody's personal issues or problems -- I won't hold them accountable for that when it comes to work. I think it's two separate things. It's not fair to hold his whole career at bay because of it. He's gonna learn and he's gonna move forward and just hopefully he won't treat the next woman the same way."

No stranger to legal woes and bad publicity, Akon said that during the difficult times making music helped him cope and might do the same for Brown. "If you are going through personal issues, to me, those are the best times to make records."

"At the end of the day, what Rihanna and Chris went through is nothing different than what couples go through every day. They have problems, they go through issues, and some of them, of course, expand to domestic violence which I don't in any way condone. But, you know, sometimes you really can't control it and some people just need to seek help and figure out ways to deal with their emotions and how they deal with issues and certain things."