Chris Brown's cousin has come out in support of the R&B star, insisting he must have been provoked to reportedly lash out at girlfriend Rihanna in a Sunday morning fight.

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Phylicia Thompson has become the latest member of the star's family to speak out in the singer's defense after he was charged with making criminal threats over the alleged attack.

Like Brown's sister Lytrell Bundy, who came forward to defend the singer earlier in the week, Thompson insists he isn't violent, stating, "Chris was not brought up... to beat on a woman."

The cousin tells TV news show Extra, "It had to be something to provoke him for Chris to do it (sic). He wouldn't have done it just to be having fun. Yes, he's done something wrong, because he put his hands on her (Rihanna), but you don't know what happened. He had to be provoked to do it. Everybody loved Chris... This comes as a surprise to me."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)