Brown is the son of Albert Joseph Brown II, a nuclear medical technician, and Cassandra Brown, an accountant. Brown was a star football quarterback at Mount Vernon High School in New York, who rejected an athletic scholarship to the University of Iowa to pursue a music career. In 1987, Quincy Jones selected Brown as the first winner of the Sony Innovators Talent Search. Subsequently, he went on to work with Jones on several projects, most notably the platinum 1990 single “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” from Jones’ double-platinum-certified album Back on the Block. On this recording, Brown was one of a quartet with Barry White, El DeBarge, and James Ingram.

Brown’s 1988 debut album In Effect Mode sold more than three million copies, topping the Billboard R&B chart for seven straight weeks. It included the single “Nite and Day,” which topped the R&B chart and reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Off on Your Own (Girl)”, which also top the R&B chart. He received numerous Grammy and American Music Award (AMA) nominations, and won an AMA for Best New R&B Artist. He also received several Soul Train Award nominations, and won the award for Best New Artist. Brown also won several New York Music Awards. In addition, his 1-900 phone line was third in generating revenue, following those for New Kids on the Block and Run-D.M.C.

In 1991, Brown co-starred with Martin Lawrence in a television pilot titled Private Times. Other cast members included ER’s Michael Michele and The Five Heartbeats’ Michael Wright. Brown’s various talk show appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Good Morning America, The Arsenio Hall Show, Rolonda, and Donahue. Brown’s television and acting performances include It’s Showtime at the Apollo!, Soul Train and The Soul Train Music Awards, the Grammys, the American Music Awards, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and The Magic Johnson Special from Hawaii. He also hosted MTV Jams.

In 2000, Brown’s ABS Entertainment launched a television development division, and he served as co-executive producer of an HBO Comedy Special starring Jamie Foxx, filmed at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California. More recently, Brown teamed with the ABC Radio Network to produce and host a romantically themed nighttime music program, The Secret Garden, featuring a blend of music and celebrity guests.

In 2009, Brown signed with Hidden Beach Recordings. His first single for the label, “I Love It (Papi Aye, Aye, Aye),” entered the Radio & Records Urban AC chart at No. 33. The album Honey, I’m Home was released on June 23, 2009.

His eldest son Al Brown, also known as Lil’ B. Sure!, was featured on the MTV series Rock the Cradle. In 2010, Brown appeared as one of the 12 contestants on the TV One reality television dating game show The Ultimate Merger. The series was produced by Donald Trump and starred former Apprentice contestant Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, whom Brown dated previously.

In July 2019, Brown became the new host of Urban One’s nationally syndicated evening quiet storm/slow jams program Love and R&B, replacing the previous host, John Monds. The show, syndicated through Urban One subsidiary Reach Media and based in Dallas, Texas, is heard on urban adult contemporary format radio stations such as WZAK in Cleveland, WMMJ in Washington, KZMJ in Dallas, and WDMK in Detroit among others.