NYC police investigate Brown-Drake brawl report

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police investigated a report Thursday of a bar brawl involving hip-hop stars Drake and Chris Brown and their entourages in which bottles flew and five people were injured.

Brown tweeted a photo of himself with a cut chin, then later removed it, as well as other messages about the fight, including epithets and taunts. A representative later released a statement saying Brown, his girlfriend and friends were the victims of a "brutal attack."

At least five people were injured during the fight at the club W.i.P. (Work in Progress) in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood early Thursday, police said. A 25-year-old man suffered a serious cut to the head, two other men and two women suffered minor cuts. At least three were hospitalized.

Police were looking at surveillance footage and talking to patrons who witnessed the melee. No arrests have been made and no complaints filed.

"Chris and his party are cooperating with NY authorities who are pursuing this incident further," Brown's representatives wrote in a statement.

Neither star was on scene when police arrived around 4 a.m. Thursday. It's not clear what prompted the fight. Both Brown and Drake at one time dated singer Rihanna.

A representative for Drake said the star was on his way out of the club when the altercation began.

"He did not engage in any activity which resulted in injury to person or damage to property," according to the written statement.

Calls to the trendy hotspot, located in a basement near the Holland Tunnel, went unanswered.

Drake was scheduled to perform at Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center Thursday night in upstate New York.

Brown had a violent relationship with "Umbrella" singer Rihanna and is still on supervised probation for attacking her on the eve of the 2009 Grammy awards, leaving her with a split lip, a black eye and other injuries. Police in Miami are also investigating claims made in March by a 24-year-old woman that Brown snatched her cellphone outside a nightclub when she tried to photograph him.

When Rihanna addressed the assault in an interview with ABC, she said Brown had "no soul in his eyes" and she had no idea how the beating would end. She also warned other women facing domestic violence on the danger of being blinded by love.

However, the two have been on friendly terms for some time. They've tweeted each other, with him wishing her a happy birthday. She has also said that she is happy about his success and enjoys his music.

They both performed at this year's Grammy awards and also recently debuted two songs featuring each other. Brown sings and raps on the remix of Rihanna's sexually charged song "Birthday Cake," and she appears on a new version of his upbeat tune "Turn up the Music."

The singer dated Drake very briefly after Brown, but their relationship did not mature. She has said it was in part because she was "too fragile" from the split with Brown.

She also recently collaborated with Drake on his hit "Take Care" and appeared in his video.

Drake is known for playing the character Jimmy Brooks on "Degrassi: The Next Generation," and his hit "Run It."