Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Shaheem Reid
Usher is used to having people dying to meet him. But the Grammy Award-winning singer can cop to having the tables turned when it came to meeting Barack Obama. The two crossed paths when the president-elect was running to become the junior U.S. senator from Illinois.
"The first time we met was in 2004, and what made me want to stand behind Barack Obama is that he was always a man of his word," Usher told MTV News on Sunday after the "We Are One" concert in Washington, D.C., where he performed with Steve Wonder. "He said, 'Anything I can do to support you, I'll do so.' He really cared about being a voice for the youth. We sat down to discuss some of the issues we were dealing with in America. And when we came back together [during his run for the Democratic nomination], I asked, 'Well, what can I do to make you our president?' And he said, 'I think the youth need to know more about the voting process.' "
Needless to say, Ursh said "Yeah!" with the same fervor as Lil Jon on the dancing machine's song of the same title.
And now that he's witnessed history during the inauguration festivities and prepares for Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony, Usher is waxing philosophical about what the moment means.
"There's one thing that I'll take for the week," he said, trying to put the win into a proper context. "Forty acres and a mule! Well, we didn't get that, but we got 50 states and the White House. So I'll take that."