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Check Out Usher's Awesome Cover Of Foster The People's Hit 'Pumped Up Kicks'

Posted 6/14/12 10:42 am EST by in Usher

We're used to seeing Usher crooning his club classic hits into a headset microphone so his limbs are free for his signature smooth dance moves. It's not often that you see the hunky R&B superstar, whose new album Looking 4 Myself dropped this week, plucking away on a bass, which makes his funky cover of Foster the People's hit "Pumped Up Kicks" all the more awesome.

In the U.K. promoting Myself, which is expected to debut at #1 on the Billboard album chart next week, Usher stopped by the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge for a performance of his latest smash "Scream" and thrilled the audience with the cover.

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See Usher's equally fantastic "Scream" performance from his BBC Radio 1 visit below! Read More...

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Usher’s Top 5 Sexiest Videos

Posted 6/13/12 1:04 pm EST by in Usher, Video

Get More: Usher, Music News

By Christina Garibaldi

With the release of Usher’s latest video for "Scream" and in celebration of his seventh studio album, Looking 4 Myself, we here at MTV News decided it was time for us to take a trip down memory lane and look back at Usher’s top five sexiest videos of all time. Believe us, this was not easy, we had to spend hours looking at videos of Usher baring his abs, showing off his sultry dance moves, flashing his charming smile and even shots of him in his boxers. Somehow we managed to get through it.

Here are our top five sexiest Usher videos of all time:

"Nice & Slow"

Usher had everyone calling out U-S-H-E-R after seeing the video for the 1998 hit single "Nice & Slow." This video quickly made people realize that Usher had all the right moves as he set out on a mission to rescue his lady love, played by Kimora Lee Simmons. Usher races through Paris, fights off kidnappers, escapes an exploding building and in his spare time manages to grind the camera and jam out with a guitar, sans shirt, in front of the Eiffel Tower.

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Usher Can't Stop Releasing Awesome New Songs

Posted 4/30/12 1:51 pm EST by in Usher

First there was the sexy sex beast slow jam "Climax." Then there was the beat-driven thumper "Scream." Now, it's "Lemme See" featuring Rick Ross. All three songs are featured on Usher's new record, Looking for Myself, due June 12 … so, well, at least we already know what we'll be doing that day.

>> It's Time For An Usher Greatest Hits Album

"This album has many different views and many different perspectives," Usher recently told MTV News. "Whereas the first song ['Climax'] was a little bit more artistic and a little bit more soulful, and it has done everything, it probably exceeded my expectations, I mean, from the moment I was able to give it away. I was able to kind of be reintroduced in a way musically, and thank you to [producer] Diplo, but 'Scream' is really like the next step. It's just in time for summer and the type of experience that I want people to get out of the album."

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Listen to "Lemme See" below! Read More...

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It's Time For An Usher Greatest Hits Album

Posted 2/16/12 11:47 am EST by in Music, Usher

Usher

This morning, we were enjoying our morning java buzz and chatting with our colleagues in the MTV Newsroom about the happenings in music and pop culture when the conversation turned to Usher's new Diplo-produced jam "Climax." The song is a slick, sexy electro-pop ballad that features perhaps Usher's best (falsetto!) vocal performance in a long time. (Listen to it after the jump!)

The R&B superstar and his producer engaged in some fun and frank talk about the track on Twitter, with Diplo tweeting, "Seriously the best record I've been part of. Really proud of it. I'm pretty sure in 9 months there are gonna be a lot of new babies that this song is responsible for." Usher's response? "Yeah...I hope they don't name the babies Usher too...I don't need them problems...lol."

That seems about right.

With the Newsroom buzzing about Usher's latest hit, one of his earliest smashes, "My Way," coincidentally started playing on MTV, bearing the hashtag "#classic." It got us thinking: Why has Usher never released a greatest hits album? The smooth superstar has so many hits to his name it would almost have to be a double disc (for those who still buy CDs, that is) and it would most definitely be a smash. Read More...

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Time to Change: Justin Bieber's Voice Cracks And Other Teen Pop Puberty Woes

Posted 11/1/11 12:21 pm EST by in Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson, Usher

It's hard to think of something more embarrassing for a 17-year-old boy than going to the mall with his mom to buy jeans and having her measure his inseam while all his friends fall out of their food court chairs giggling.

Well, except being a 17-year-old international pop superstar and having your manager discuss the status of your little fellas with all the world. Cue to what we can only imagine was a very red-faced Justin Bieber slouching on a couch during a cover story interview with Billboard magazine recently in which his longtime manager, Scooter Braun, dropped this bon mot. "Vocally, his balls have dropped," Braun said of the vocal changes fans might hear on the singer's upcoming Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe.

Wow, okay. Thanks Scooter, but seriously dude, TMI.

Of course, Bieber isn't the only teen dream who's had to deal with ch-ch-ch-changes to his voice at the peak of his powers. Read More...

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Usher And The Case Of His Mystery Collabo

Posted 8/16/11 3:00 pm EST by in collaborations, Usher

By James Dinh

Collaborations are all the rage these days, and Usher appears to be stirring the pot big-time. On Monday, the R&B crooner teased the Twitterverse about a mystery team-up, offering fans with just one cryptic clue – “YO WHAT UP NY!!...I bet you'd never guess who I'm in the studio wit right now? A Clue. Borough starts wit a B! The record is CRAZY!!”

Now, Usher has a long history of star-studded team-ups, including tunes with Alicia Keys (“My Boo”), Ludacris (“Yeah!”) and Mary J. Blige (“Shake Down”), but the chart-topper has the Newsroom pondering who exactly his secret studio partner is. Assuming that his subliminal clue indicates that the collaborator’s name begins with a B, take a look at some our guesses (and wishes) for Ush’s hush-hush matchup.

Beyoncé
With her string of “intimate” New York shows lined up this week, King B serves as our first guess for Usher’s secret collabo. Not only have these two hit the studio together before for a remix to the R&B singer’s slow jam “Love in This Club Part II,” but they’ve also sizzled in front of the cameras for Bey’s “Naughty Girl” clip in 2004. Call us Team Sherlock Holmes, but why does Usher tease NY boroughs that begin with a B? Brooklyn stands as the most populous borough in the city with the simple BK abbreviation, which also remains the initials for the pop queen.

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Justin Bieber, Usher Throw Scooter Braun A Birthday Bash

Posted 6/20/11 9:08 am EST by in Justin Bieber, Usher

Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun

Justin Bieber, Usher and Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine came out to party together on Saturday night. And just what occasion were they celebrating? Well, they were all on hand as Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, celebrated turning the big 3-0. The par-tay took place in Los Angeles, where Braun was roasted by his pals, including the night's MC, Usher.

Other attendees included Asher Roth, Kim Kardashian, Mary J Blige, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Jaden Smith, Wilmer Valderrama and Rita Wilson. Those who couldn't make the party but recorded well-wishes for the music mogul included Will Smith, Diddy, Ludacris and Keri Hilson.

Not only was there food and revelry, but there were also some A-list performances from The Dan Band, Usher and, yes, Bieber, who played drums and performed "Baby," as well as "Never Say Never" with Jaden.

But who turned up for the night's big surprise? Read More...

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Usher Challenges The Boys And Girls Of Atlanta To 'Be Iconic'

Posted 4/30/09 7:18 pm EST by in Usher

Usher Raymond the fourth has been many things. Multi-platinum recording artist, Grammy winner, actor, amazing dancer and now, a giant outdoor billboard in Atlanta.

As part of the Boys & Girls Clubs' “Be Great” campaign, the people of A-Town were greeted this morning with a shiny new outdoor display featuring a young Usher and the phrase "Be Iconic," which Usher certainly has become.

Like other famous alumni of the Boys & Girls Clubs, Usher found his club in Tennessee to be a place to explore and pursue the skills that would one day lead him to become Mr. Entertainment. "It helped reinforce the values I learned at home, including good character, leadership and giving back to my community, my country and my world," Usher said at the unveiling, according to a press release.

Young people of Atlanta, we wish you the best in fulfilling Usher's challenge.

Usher's Confessions Still Holds Up After Five Years

Posted 3/24/09 6:40 pm EST by in Usher

Five years ago this week, Usher dropped one of the biggest R&B albums of the decade, Confessions. I was actually in the studio that summer in New York when Ush was recording the title track with Jermaine Dupri — throwback jerseys were still in, Ush had the San Francisco jacket and JD still had his braids!

Listening to the music, on which Ush sang about everything in his relationship, I knew I would hear — hell, the world would hear — something different this time. He was already a star, but with this joint, you had the feeling it was going to be different. Usher would be talking about realer things that older cats could also relate to.

Then he dropped the megaton bomb with “Yeah!” I remember hearing the record on a mixtape — I wanna say it was a Big Mike R&B mixtape. I told my brother Ari it was going to be huge — it just felt pop and 'hood at the same time, like nothing else that was on the radio — and Luda put the nail in the coffin with his verse at the end. We just listened to the mixtape all that weekend — it had to be close to Christmastime — and “Yeah!” in particular. As the album release date neared, I had the chance to hear more material and do more interviews and really get a chance to know more about Usher as a person. He really let his guard down and got pretty personal.
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Did You See This?! Kelly Clarkson, U2, Usher And More

Posted 3/3/09 5:33 pm EST by in Chris Brown, Headlines Of The Day, Jonas Brothers, kelly-clarkson, U2, Usher

Kelly ClarksonBy Kathleen Newman-Bremang

U2 can now add having their very own street (temporarily) to their stacked list of accomplishments. MTV News was there when the rockers christened U2 Way in New York City.

Can't wait for Kelly Clarkson's new album to drop? If you didn't already check it out when the songs were leaked last month, MTV has the official preview of Kelly's highly anticipated comeback.

Usher has some words of advice for Chris Brown. From one R&B star to another, Usher says Brown should lay low and stay off the jet skis. Read More...

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