Usher Raymond

THE RISE OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

FROM MUSIC AND MOVIES TO BIG BUSINESS AND A NONPROFIT, THE R&B SENSATION WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY. // BY BRET LOVE

Its BEEN 14 YEARS since teenage R&B prodigy Usher Raymond IV was signed to a recording contract by LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid. In that time, he’s emerged as one of the world’s biggest pop stars, with a string of chart-topping albums, five Grammys, several films (including The Faculty and Light It Up) and a stint on Broadway in Chicago. Last year, at the ripe old age of 28, the man who boldly proclaims his desire to inherit James Brown’s title of “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. He’s also pursued several business ventures, including investing in an Atlanta restaurant, The Grape, and started his own nonprofit organization, the Atlanta-based New Look Foundation. We recently spoke to the singer about growing up in the spotlight, taking care of business and how his next album will compare to his multiplatinum Confessions.

Who were your earliest musical influences?
“It was people like Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown, who were great entertainers as well as great vocalists. I also love the Winans, because I listened to a lot of gospel since my mother was the director of my youth choir at

St. Elmo Missionary Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When I began to take my career more seriously, I studied people like Guy, New Edition and the Jackson 5.

In order to be great, I knew I had to study the people who had influenced them, so that’s when I was introduced to Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles and other mega-stars of that era. My career became like my version of college, and I realized I had to become a student of this game in order to understand where true inspiration comes from. In dance, I studied Bob Fosse, Ben Vereen, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and all those guys. Growing up in Tennessee, there wasn’t a lot to do, so music was our favorite pastime.”

What are your favorite memories of your time singing in your mom’s church choir?
“(Laughs) I think I was more of a problem child than I was a good singer. I used to cause my mother the most problems. Here she is, the director of the youth choir, and I’m acting [up] every Saturday at rehearsals. I can’t remember how many times she kicked me out of rehearsals because I wouldn’t act right.”

How were you discovered at the age of 13?
“There was a guy named A.J. Alexander who introduced me to L.A. Reid’s brother (Bryant Reid) when I performed in the Atlanta Talent Search at Center Stage Theatre. Back then, there was such a wealth of upand-coming talent coming out of Atlanta, and I remember performing everywhere from the parking lots of clubs to the stadium downtown.

A.J. Alexander took me to this talent search, I auditioned and got accepted, then won three times in a row. By the third time, I had offers to perform on ‘Star Search’ and ‘Showtime at the Apollo,’ though I never did the Apollo because I got a record deal first. So A.J. introduced me to Brian, who said he was blown away by me and wanted his brother to meet me. I met with L.A. Reid, and he brought all the females from the LaFace Records office in to hear me sing ‘End of the Road’ (by Boyz II Men), which was their No. 1 single at the time. The ladies were going crazy, clapping and screaming, and he stopped the song halfway through. From there, I started my career, and the rest is history.”

Was it overwhelming to be snatched from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight?
“To an extent it was, but I always had my mother to help gauge the balance and make sure I got my schooling. It was every kid’s dream, but my mother and grandmother did a really good job of helping me stay grounded. I had a goal in my mind to be the best and make my name mean something. I want to be remembered for being a great performer and entertainer.”

You were still in high school when you were working with producers like Babyface, Jermaine Dupri and Diddy. What did you learn from them?
“Watching those guys maneuver and handle their business at a very young age gave me a relentless view of how to approach this business. What you put into it, you get out of it, and I always strive for perfection.”

What was the most difficult aspect of making the transition from teenage pop star to respected adult R&B artist?
“I think it was a little easier for me because I didn’t have a teenybopper approach when I first started. I had Puffy executive produce my first album, and it was music that I think catered to a more adult audience. But in general, getting recognized as a man in this industry has been a struggle because people see me in one way and in one format. As years went by, I became more of a man through my music, my life experiences and what I have to offer. When you look at what I do, from business to philanthropy, you can’t continue to look at the young Usher that used to dance and do back flips onstage, even though I’m still going to do that stuff.

I want to take that title of ‘Hardest Working Man in Show Business’! But you can’t hold me in one box because I do so much, while at the same time being strategic about how I do it all.”

You appeared in major films like The Faculty and Light It Up, but you haven’t had a major film role in years. Is acting something you aspire to do more of in the future?
“Acting is definitely a very relevant part of my future. I took a break from it after the success of Confessions because I wanted to make sure that I found the right project, but I’m looking and hoping that it’s going to come very soon. In building a career, you have to be very strategic. You can’t just keep shooting in the dark. You have to know exactly what types of roles you want to go after and surround yourself with the type of people who know how to build careers as an entertainment brand. When I look at what Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr. and Fred Astaire did with their careers— acting, singing and dancing—that’s what I’ve always wanted to be. I want to be a triple threat.”

What is the biggest source of validation in your career?
“Knowing I’ve put my creative stamp [on something]. I live through my music, and it represents where I was at the time. If you listen back to music, whether it’s from the ’50s or ’80s, you hear in the music where we were as people at the time.

So with each album, I try to tune into my life and offer the best I can offer in telling the stories of what life is like at that time, whether it’s about how people dance, where they hang out or life-changing experiences. I try to be as honest, vulnerable, forthcoming and soul-baring as I can, because if you listen to classic R&B, that’s what made it what it was. That’s not so much what it is now, because that ideal is slowly but surely being torn down. I feel like R&B music has lied dormant for years because people are afraid of feeling, so it seems like it’s becoming more like hiphop. But I’m taking it on my shoulders to try to show the diversity of what R&B can be. Men used to bare their souls and talk on social issues, like segregation, as a way to help people through it and comfort them. That intimate relationship with music is what I ultimately care about more than any award.”

So do you feel like the urban music scene in general is lacking in substance?
“Definitely. There are still people out there who choose to [make music with a message], but most hit records these days are too much of a novelty and lacking in substance. I’m not discrediting hip-hop, but R&B has never been this close-minded before. Versatility is what made us understand the depth of what music could be.”

You’ve made a lot of moves in the business world lately, from becoming a partial owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta’s Grape restaurant to creating your own fragrance line. Why is it important for you to branch out beyond music?
“Once you grow up, you have to continue to strive for more challenges. Music is my home base, but it’s allowed me an opportunity to do a lot of other things. Once you get the money, you have to figure out what to invest it in. There are so many people who have a great run for years and years, but never do anything with their money and find themselves bankrupt. When I met James Brown, he was the first person who told me, ‘Make sure your money is right.’”

You also do a lot of philanthropic work with your charity organizations. What’s your personal mission for the New Look Foundation and Project Restart?
“I pledged to do something philanthropic years ago, and it really started with donating my time to working with other foundations. I traveled all around the world with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, then I started thinking about all of the issues that we, as minorities, have in America. We don’t have an educational system as it relates to business, so I wanted to come up with a foundation that would teach kids about the sports and entertainment industries. There are so many kids who look up to entertainers and athletes, but they don’t know that there are alternate routes to get to your dream. When they come to Camp New Look in the summer, we teach them about job options ranging from journalism and music video production to recording engineering.

People don’t understand that a lot of times the people around the artists make more money than the artists themselves, and that starting off on that level can lead to something more in the future. Just look at Puffy: He started off in the mailroom, and now he’s a multimillionaire! It’s important for us to encourage our kids, and especially the minorities who tend to get overlooked.”

What does the induction ceremony into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame mean to you?
“It means everything to me, given the fact that I started my career [in Atlanta]. It’s by far one of the greatest accomplishments of my career, right alongside the Grammys.”

You’re working on a new album. How will it be different from Confessions?
“Well, it’s definitely a new concept with a classic feel. It’s well rounded and showcases my versatility and growth. I don’t discredit hip-hop or any other form of music: You should think about everyone from young men in the ’hood to families in the Hamptons.

From a musical standpoint, I wanted to have a classic feel, so I went back to inspirations like Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross, getting into the more sensual side of R&B. You’ll get a little bit of the ‘Godson of Soul’ title James Brown gave me. It’ll definitely be a wild ride, to say the least—the formal rein-troduction of Usher Raymond IV.”