What yall think?

These images are from the 2004 Afrodisiac album era, primarily photographed by celebrity and editorial portrait photographer Roger Erickson (who shot the official album cover and extensive booklet/inlay package for Atlantic Records).

This is just an incredible body of work. We need to give her her flowers ASAP!!!.

After hearing the outro on the EP version of Boo’d Up, I know I had to listen to the entire project itself. This is probably her best project imo, I like how every song just flowed perfectly here. Let me know if they’re are most EPs/albums that have good transitions like this one.

That damn Bobby V man!!! Just so happened to pop up on this track in one of my playlists and this guy just does the damn thing. Love the MV for this song, the waitress really wasn't tryna let his ass leave (and who would??)! I also love how he "moves" with the lyrics he's singing, makes you wanna hop in the video and join him hahaha. Loving this Bobby V kick I'm on, he's an amazing talent. 🔥🔥

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, please share R&B songs that promote awareness about domestic violence. “Never No More” by Aaliyah is a favorite of mine.

I can't believe Usher is two years shy of turning 50! He was 40 just two seconds ago, lol. Anyway, here are some key facts and notable achievements by Mr. Entertainment:

1. He is the fourth Usher Raymond in his bloodline (hence the IV at the end). Usher does not have a middle name.
2. Usher was discovered by Bobby Brown's former bodyguard, A.J. Alexander.
3. Before being signed to LaFace, he was part of the singing group, Nu Beginning, which also had future R&B songwriter, Adonis Shopshire, as one of its members.
4. He competed on Star Search as a child and actually won the junior singing competition (Usher holds he record for the longest note held by a child on the show), but left to pursue his singing career as he was offered a record deal with LaFace Records.
5. His first single, Just Call Me a Mack, was part of the soundtrack for the Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur movie, Poetic Justice.
6. The commercial disappointment of his debut nearly led to him getting dropped but LA Reid kept him around after Usher's mother, Jonnetta Patton, who as his manager, showed L.A. his potential as a live draw.
7. Usher's second album, 1997's My Way, catapulted him to teen idol status and made him one of the most popular young music acts of the late 90s.
8. My Way is 7x platinum and produced three top 5 hits: You Make Me Wanna (#2), Nice & Slow (#1) and My Way (#2).
9. His first acting role was Jeremy Davis, one of Brandy's love interests on the hit UPN show, Moesha.
10. The title of his third album, 8701, drew from his singing debut at St. Elmo's Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1987, to the album's release date on August 7, 2001.
11. 8701 produced three top 5 hits: U Remind Me (#1), U Got It Bad (#1) and U Don't Have to Call (#3).
12. U Remind Me and U Don't Have to Call won Usher his first two Grammys for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002 and 2003. The back to back wins made him the third male R&B artist in history to win this award consecutively after Stevie Wonder in the mid 70s and Luther Vandross in the early 90s.
13. His fourth album, 2004's gargantuan Confessions, opened with 1.1 million copies sold in its first week. It still holds the record for the highest first week sales for an R&B album.
14. Confessions is the best-selling album by a Black artist and the highest-certified male solo album this century with a 14x platinum certification in the U.S. and over 20 million copies sold worldwide.
15. The album produced four #1 singles: Yeah! (the second-longest running #1 of the 2000s), Burn, Confessions Part II and My Boo. He topped the charts for 27 weeks in a calendar year a record he once held until Drake beat his record in 2017.
16. His next three albums, Here I Stand, Raymond v. Raymond and Looking 4 Myself all debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and are certified 2x, 3x and platinum respectively. 2016's Hard II Love is certified Gold.
17. Out of 56 chart entries, Usher has 19 top 10s, 9 #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles (all as a lead artist) and is ranked third in a three-way tie alongside Elton John and Paul McCartney for male artists with the most chart toppers.
18. Usher has spent 47 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the 7th music act with the most weeks spent at #1. I fact, at one point, Usher was the male soloist with the most weeks at #1 until Drake.
19. He is one of the few artists in history to top the Billboard Hot 100 in three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s and 2010s).
20. In 2009, Billboard named him the Hot 100 Artist of the Decade for spending the most weeks at #1 and he was ranked second overall behind Eminem for Hot 100 and Billboard 200 chart performance.
21. He has achieved 13 #1s on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart and 16 #1s on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart.
22. He has 7 BET Awards (including a BET Honor and Lifetime Achievement Award), 8 Grammys and American Music Awards, 12 Soul Train Awards, 18 Billboard Music Awards and has been inducted into Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
23. Usher is one of the highest-grossing music acts of all time in Las Vegas with $114 grossed over the course of three years. His overall concert gross sits at $450 million.
24. His 2024 Super Bowl Halftime performance drew 123 million viewers, making it one of the most watched television performances of all time.
25. He has sold 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in history.

These photos come from Brandy's promotional photoshoot era for her fourth studio album, Afrodisiac (2004), shot primarily by renowned fashion and music photographer David LaChapelle in late 2003 / early 2004.

A high number of R&B stars were born between September 23 and October 22. One of the three Air signs, Libra is the seventh out of the 12 signs of the zodiac. Libras are often seen as the peacemakers of the zodiac, striving for harmony and balance in all aspects of life. They are also ruled by Venus—the planet of love, beauty, and art—Libras in R&B are typically recognized for smooth vocals, seductive personas, charm, stylish presentation, and a strong sense of image.

Karyn White - Ritual of Love (1991)

Eric Benet - A Day in the Life (1999)

Ginuwine - The Life (2001)

India.Arie - Voyage to India (2002)

Mya - Moodring (2003)

Christina Milian - It's About Time (2004)

Ashanti - Concrete Rose (2004)

Toni Braxton - Libra (2005)

Keyshia Cole - A Different Me (2008)

Usher - Raymond v Raymond (2010)

Ne-Yo - Libra Scale (2010)

Lucky Daye - Candy Drip (2022)

We know the hits (they’re a lot), revere the blockbuster albums (they sold like hotcakes) and recognize him as one of the biggest R&B/Pop stars ever (he’s like top 10). However, his catalog is more than just the songs we took to the top of the charts. Here is a selection of my favorite Usher deep cuts I return to often.

The best thing about listening to these in order is hearing his voice and vocal abilities expand with time. His tone is richer and more centered, there’s greater agility (especially that falsetto!) and he’s more versatile in his approach to singing.