Old Reads #30: Usher Refresher
A halftime primer.
Thank god today’s Old Read needs very little preamble—I have snacks to make. Usher’s 2004 Rolling Stone cover story is a must read before kickoff. Fresh off the success of Confessions, Vanessa Grigoriadis covers the star’s obvious talent, extreme confidence, and paramount horniness. Read the full article for the anecdotes I was too 😳 to recap.
Usher’s Wild Ride
By: Vanessa Grigoriadis for Rolling Stone
Published: May 13, 2004
His Confessions
LA Reid and Babyface signed Usher the same day they saw him perform “End of the Road,” but started to lose faith when he hit puberty a year later. His changing voice and a case of acne that “looked like a damn machine gun hit [his] face” nearly lost him his record deal.
Confessions sold over a million records in its first week. Many speculated that the huge sales were fueled by his real life breakup with TLC’s Chilli (Rozonda Thomas)—the titular boo. Though the album wasn’t strictly biographical, we can imagine that a few of the real life plot points had some influence on his songwriting.
After their breakup, Chilli pressed him to admit to cheating. Once confirmed she shared that news with the world on an Atlanta radio show. Usher responded by saying that Chilli pressured him to get married.
He in fact was ready to marry her—he had a ring ready to go, and even proposed once, but Chilli demurred. Why? He asked while having sex. Extremely Usher behavior.
Usher may not have fully recovered from his adolescent abandonment. He took a shot at Reid for not congratulating him on the record’s huge week one sales: “Before the news, during the news and after the news, not one call from LA. It’s cool — I’m not expecting one. But it did say a lot about his character.”
LA’s response: “Usher’s real sensitive…By the way, we share the success, and he didn’t call to congratulate me, either.”
As one would expect of a 24 year old celebrity, Usher had a handful of emerging eccentricities, including:
Color coded organizing: decanting M&Ms into color-specific bowls; stacking his jeans by fade.
Hand sanitizing: “Think about how many time you grab your nuts, as a man. I know I scratch my ass, pick my nose—who else is doing that?”
Fasting, after a compelling viewing of The Passion of the Christ.
Words of Note
I see a sea of people in an auditorium — no, a dome, full of people, as far as you can see,” he says, splaying his arms out. “I see millions of albums, huge houses, much prosperity — I’m going to be one of the richest motherfuckers in the world. I’ve always been highly favored.
Braggadocios? Yes. Accurate? Kind of!
Extra Credit
After you’ve gotten off Usher’s wild ride, take in a few final pieces of pre-game coverage:
Get a peek into the setting for this article thanks to the historical preservation work over at MTV cribs. Usher was early on the crystal game!
In The Hollywood Reporter, LA Reid revealed that it was Sean Combs who convinced him not to “sell his stock in Usher” when he hit puberty. Lesson learned—Reid was much more supportive with Justin Bieber, he assigned Usher’s protege the same vocal coach as his mentor to prepare for his voice change. I guess we have P.Diddy to thank (or blame, depending on your POV) for Justin’s career.
Whether you’re watching the Superbowl for spectacle or sport, consider betting on Usher’s halftime show alongside the game.