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.
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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By 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...
By Whitney-Gayle Benta
Like my colleagues Rahman, Shaheem, Erica and Yasmine, I have many fond memories of Kanye West's early days as he transitioned from producer to musician. The story that sticks out the most was during his first tour.
In 2004, the same year Kanye released his debut album, The College Dropout, he was also asked to join Usher's the Truth Tour as the opening act.
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By Yasmine Richard
OK, working at MTVizzle or "The Matrix" as my friends call it, I've met a whole lot of people. But here on the set of Usher's latest video for "Trading Places," I got to meet one of the coolest people in the biz. And it's not who you think!
Watch Usher talk about his new video after the jump.
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Usher has announced his plans for an "intimate" 15-date tour especially made for the ladies, called the One Night Stand Tour. After all his talk about being a family man, it seems he hopes to prove he's still a sex symbol too. Read all about Usher's tour here.
So the question is, are there any guys out there who'll be feeling left out if Ush does, in fact, bar men from the shows?
Usher's wife Tameka Raymond, who felt inspired by her husband's voter-registration efforts in Atlanta and Detroit, will host the first annual "Back to School Expo" in Oakland, California, on August 24. The Oakland Natives Give Back fund has joined forces with Usher's I Can't But You Can voter -registration drive.
The expo, to be held at City Hall, will hand out backpacks filled with school supplies to over 600 Oakland public school students. The event will also include a surprise celebrity appearance as well as a fashion show, teen summit and talent showcase. The expo not only wishes to teach kids about the importance of academic success, but also seeks to tell the kids to encourage the adults in their lives to vote.
Oakland native Tameka, along with philanthropists Nyeisha DeWitt and Delicia Abdur-Rahim, started the Oakland Natives Give Back fund to show solidarity with the Oakland community.
Are you ready for football season? We know we are. But if your enthusiasm for the start of this year's NFL season could use a little kick in the pants, check out the planned — and rumored — musical performances associated with the launch and conclusion of it.
The NFL has now confirmed that its 89th season will be ushered in by ... well, none other than Usher.
The R&B star will perform during a special and (more importantly) free pregame event on September 4 at 3 p.m. in New York's Columbus Circle. Country crooner Keith Urban will also take the stage, right before the defending Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants, face the Washington Redskins in this year's season opener.
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