Chris Brown blasts Nia Guzman for using their baby as a ‘meal ticket’

Rapper Chris Brown recently announced that he was working to turn his life around after years of bad boy behaviour. Step one of his many lifestyle changes is spending time focusing on his daughter Royalty, but it seems that's not been very easy for him to do of late.

The No Air hitmaker took to Twitter earlier today to hit out at Royalty's mother, Nia Guzman, for using their child as "leverage" in an ongoing financial battle.

"Some men my age run from their responsibility as fathers. I embrace mine. Just sucks that some females use children as meal tickets," he wrote.

"Using a child as leverage is never ok. The highest praise to the men who actually want their kids."

Chris has been paying Nia $2,500 (€2,270) in child support since discovering he was father to one-year-old Royalty in January of this year. But Nia is now demanding $15,000 (€13,600) each month, six times more than Chris is currently paying her.

And according to sources close to the rapper, he refused to pay anything at all last month after Royalty was sent to Nia's mother's house at the time he was due to see her. He has also contested Nia's plans to get full custody of the little one.

Nia and Chris were never in a long-term relationship but had a brief fling back in 2013. As part of the custody battle, Chris must prove he is indeed Royalty's biological father and must also refute Nia on three points – that he might put Royalty in harm's way, that drugs may be used in her presence, and that she might be in danger of violence from Chris' acquaintances.

Last month a group of gunmen targeted Chris' aunt at his €5m Los Angeles home, holding her at gunpoint as they rooted through the house for valuables.

Sounds like the singer has a rocky road ahead.