Before the arrests, before the tabloid photos, before the stories about egging houses, DUI mugshots, and public meltdowns, Justin Bieber’s life had already begun tilting off balance, quietly and in plain sight. His rise wasn’t gradual. It wasn’t earned through years of small rooms and empty crowds. Scooter Braun saw a boy singing on YouTube and decided to move fast. Within months, Justin went from a bedroom camera to global fame, becoming one of the first true internet-born superstars.

By 2010, “Baby” had turned him into a phenomenon. He worked with Usher, traveled nonstop, and became recognizable everywhere he went. Fame didn’t arrive step by step—it dropped all at once, and it never slowed down.

Scooter Braun wasn’t just managing schedules and contracts. He became Justin’s daily authority figure. Justin’s father was in Canada and not closely involved at the time, which meant Scooter was the one making decisions every day: where Justin went, what he did, who he saw, and when he rested.

It was a professional relationship forced into a parental shape, and at first, it worked. But cracks showed early. One of the clearest warnings came at a shopping mall back east, where a planned appearance spiraled into chaos before it even began.

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