The question: How old was Usher when he became famous? How did he? What was the baby mama drama?
Usher is among the most successful R&B acts of the last two decades. His looks probably don't hurt.
The line rings true:
Take that, rewind it back, Ursher got the voice to make your booty go (clap).
In the R&B game since the age of 13 Usher Raymond IV — better known as Usher — has enough hit songs on his discography that validate Ludacris’s claim at the end of 2004′s most successful song “Yeah!”
But how did he get his start?
Well, just like many of discovered acts of the 1990′s, it was Ed McMahon’s Star Search that first brought Usher to the attention of the mainstream music industry. L.A. Reid, co-founder of LaFace Records, caught word of Usher’s winning performance on the show and auditioned the Atlanta, Georgia area kid at LaFace’s office.
Reid signed Usher to a contract after just one audition, and put him in touch with one of the hottest record producers of the day, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. Combs co-produced Usher’s first effort, Usher, and its been on and poppin’ for A-Town’s finest ever since.
Usher fought Justin Timberlake to sign Justin Bieber after the Canadian YouTube sensation blew up. Bieber eventually signed a venture with Usher, Island Def Jam and L.A. Reid.
Puffy introduced Usher to Jermaine Dupri, who would produce Usher’s first hit, “You Make Me Wanna” and its been non-stop success for Usher (good name huh?) on album after album.
Usher’s popularity crested in 2004 with his album Confessions, which has been certified diamond by the RIAA. Usher promised a deeper look into his personal life on his fourth album, and in the song “Confessions Part II,” many thought that we had gotten a first hand look into the break up between Usher and longtime girl friend Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas of all-girl R&B group TLC. Witness here:
These are my confessions
Just when I thought I said all I could say
My chick on the side said she got one on the way
These are my confessions
Man I’m thrown and I dont know what to do
I guess I gotta give part 2 of my confessions
If I’m gonna tell it then I gotta tell it all
Damn near cried when I got that phone call
Many wondered if baby-mama drama was behind the long time couple’s split. Thomas had accused Usher of infidelity during the relationship
after the break up, but never brought up a baby mama. Usher echoed the sentiment:
People assume things, because as I said, I pull from my personal experiences to make my music … I never experienced [fathering a child outside of a relationship] firsthand, but it’s something I wanted to talk about.
So who to believe? Six years later and its still not clear how truthful Usher was on his most successful album to date. But one thing is for sure, Usher Raymond IV isn’t going away anytime soon.
His 2008 hit “Love in This Club” was already covered by me HERE and his most recent release, Raymond vs. Raymond was the best selling CD in the country in its debut week, the third-straight such release from the now 31 year old.
And now, with his own career secure, he has begun reaching out to discover new talent of his own, most notably the incomparable Justin Bieber, who Usher has mentored into a force so large that it was Bieber’s My World 2.0 that knocked Raymond vs. Raymond off the top spot of the Billboard 200 this week.
And now, the third song from Confessions to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Burn”:
Thanks for the question!
-AAA
Usher’s Official Website [Usher World]
J-Biebs vs. Usher [NY Times]
