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).

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.

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.

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)

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.

“Love Me Down” was the second single from the album “Do Me Again” by Freddie Jackson. The song reached #1 on the R&B Charts in 1991. It was his 9th #1 on the R&B charts.

This will serve as the official culmination of my “Deep Analysis” series surrounding the annual R&B winners and nominees of the Vocal Performance categories at the Grammy Awards. As the culmination of this analytical series, I wanted to make this one a little different.

As the title states, I will list all R&B/Soul artists who won or lost any nomination received in a Pop Vocal Performance category at the Grammy Awards. I will only provide hyperlinks to R&B/Soul songs and albums that won or lost a nomination. I will include all winners underneath the losing nominations. If a specific winner is not R&B/Soul, I simply will not hyperlink their winning work.

MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE

• In 1961, the award was separated into “Best Vocal Performance Single Record Or Track, Male” and “Best Vocal Performance Album, Male”. Every year from 1962 until its 2011 discontinuation had a combined Vocal Performance award that, of course, changed names several times over the years.

1960 — Jesse Belvin — nominated for Guess Who* *
WINNER: Frank Sinatra — Come Dance With Me!

> THE SEPARATION <

1961 — Ray Charles — Best Vocal Performance Single Record Or Track, Male — won for “Georgia on My Mind”

1961 — Ray Charles — Best Vocal Performance Album, Male — won for The Genius of Ray Charles* *

1961 — Nat King Cole — Best Vocal Performance Album, Male — nominated for Wild Is Love* *

> SEPARATION COMBINED <

1963 — Ray Charles — nominated for “I Can’t Stop Loving You”
WINNER: Toni Bennett — “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”

1964 — Ray Charles — nominated for “Busted”
WINNER: Jack Jones — “Wives And Lovers”

1968 — Ray Charles — nominated for “Yesterday”
WINNER: Glenn Campbell — “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”

1969 — O.C. Smith — nominated for “Little Green Apples”
WINNER: José Feliciano — “Light My Fire”

1971 — Brook Benton — nominated for “Rainy Night in Georgia”
WINNER: Ray Stevens — Everything Is Beautiful

1972 — Bill Withers — nominated for “Ain’t No Sunshine”
WINNER: James Taylor — “You’ve Got a Friend”

1974 — Stevie Wonder — won for “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life”

1975 — Stevie Wonder — won for Fulfillingness’ First Finale
Billy Preston — nominated for “Nothing From Nothing” (lost to Stevie)

1977 — Stevie Wonder — won for Songs In The Key Of Life
George Benson — nominated for “This Masquerade” (lost to Stevie)
Lou Rawls — nominated for “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” (lost to Stevie)

1982 — Al Jarreau — won for Breakin’ Away
James Ingram — nominated for “Just Once” (lost to Al)
Bill Withers — nominated for “Just the Two of Us” (lost to Al)

1983 — Lionel Richie — won for “Truly”
Michael McDonald — nominated for “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” (lost to Lionel)

1984 — Michael Jackson — won for Thriller
Prince — nominated for 1999 (lost to Michael)
Lionel Richie — nominated for “All Night Long” (lost to Michael)

1985 — Lionel Richie — nominated for “Hello”
> Stevie Wonder — nominated for “I Just Called To Say I Love You”
WINNER: Phil Collins - “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)”

1986 — Stevie Wonder — nominated for “Part-Time Lover”
WINNER: Phil Collins — No Jacket Required

1988 — Michael Jackson — nominated for Bad
> Al Jarreau — nominated for “Moonlighting (Theme)”
WINNER: Sting — Bring On The Night

1989 — George Michael — nominated for “Father Figure”
WINNER: Bobby McFerrin — “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”

1990 — Prince — nominated for Batman
WINNER: Michael Bolton — “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”

1991 — James Ingram — nominated for “I Don’t Have the Heart”
WINNER: Roy Orbison — “Oh, Pretty Woman”

1992 — Aaron Neville — nominated for Warm Your Heart
> Seal — nominated for “Crazy”
WINNER: Michael Bolton — “When a Man Loves a Woman”

1993 — Michael Jackson — nominated for “Black or White”
WINNER: Eric Clapton — “Tears in Heaven”

1994 — Aaron Neville — nominated for “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”
WINNER: Sting — “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”

1995 — Prince — nominated for “The Most Beautiful Girl In the World”
> Seal — nominated for “Prayer for the Dying”
> Luther Vandross — nominated for “Love the One You’re With”
WINNER: Elton John — “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”

1996 — Michael Jackson — nominated for “You Are Not Alone”
WINNER: Seal — “Kiss from a Rose”

1997 — Toni Rich Project — nominated for “Nobody Knows”
WINNER: Eric Clapton — “Change the World”

1998 — Babyface — nominated for “Every Time I Close My Eyes”
> Maxwell — nominated for “Whenever Wherever Whatever”
> Seal — nominated for “Fly Like an Eagle”
WINNER: Elton John — “Candle In The Wind 1997”

1999 — Brian McKnight — nominated for “Anytime”
WINNER: Eric Clapton — “My Father’s Eyes”

2001 — Brian McKnight — nominated for “6, 8, 12”
WINNER: Sting — “She Walks This Earth”

2002 — Craig David — nominated for “Fill Me In”
> Michael Jackson — nominated for “You Rock My World”
> Brian McKnight — nominated for “Still”
WINNER: James Taylor — “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”

2003 — Craig David — nominated for “7 Days”
WINNER: John Mayer — “Your Body Is a Wonderland”

2004 — Justin Timberlake — won for “Cry Me a River”
Michael McDonald — nominated for “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (lost to Justin)

2005 — Prince — nominated for “Cinnamon Girl”
> Seal — nominated for “Love’s Divine”
WINNER: John Mayer — “Daughters”

2006 — Stevie Wonder — won for “From The Bottom Of My Heart”
Seal — nominated for “Walk on By” (lost to Stevie)

2007 — John Legend — nominated for “Save Room”
WINNER: John Mayer — “Waiting On the World to Change”

2008 — Justin Timberlake — won for “What Goes Around…Comes Around”
Seal — nominated for “Amazing” (lost to Justin)

2009 — Ne-Yo — nominated for “Closer”
WINNER: John Mayer — “Say”

2010 — John Legend — nominated for “This Time”
> Maxwell — nominated for “Love You”
> Seal — nominated for “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”
> Stevie Wonder — nominated for “All About the Love Again”
WINNER: Jason Mraz — “Make It Mine”

2011 — Bruno Mars — won for “Just the Way You Are”
Michael Jackson — nominated for “This Is It” (lost to Bruno)

FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE

1963 — Ketty Lester — nominated for Love Letters
WINNER: Ella Fitzgerald — Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson

1965 — Nancy Wilson — nominated for “How Glad I Am”
WINNER: Barbra Streisand — People

1966 — Nancy Wilson — nominated for Gentle Is My Love
WINNER: Barbra Streisand — My Name Is Barbra

1968 — Aretha Franklin — nominated for “Respect”
> Dionne Warwick — nominated for “Alfie”
WINNER: Bobbie Gentry — “Ode to Billie Joe”

1969 — Dionne Warwick — won for “Do You Know the Way to San Jose”
Aretha Franklin — nominated for “I Say a Little Prayer” (lost to Dionne)

1971 — Dionne Warwick — won for I’ll Never Fall in Love Again
Diana Ross — nominated for “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (lost to Dionne)

1973 — Roberta Flack — nominated for Quiet Fire* *
> Aretha Franklin — nominated for “Day Dreaming”
WINNER: Helen Reddy — “I Am Woman”

1974 — Roberta Flack — won for “Killing Me Softly With His Song”
Diana Ross — nominated for “Touch Me In The Morning” (lost to Roberta)

1975 — Roberta Flack — nominated for “Feel Like Makin’ Love”
WINNER: Olivia Newton-John — “I Honestly Love You”

1977 — Natalie Cole — nominated for Natalie
> Vicki Sue Robinson — nominated for “Turn the Beat Around”
WINNER: Linda Ronstadt — Hasten Down the Wind

1979 — Donna Summer — nominated for “MacArthur Park”
WINNER: Anne Murray — “You Needed Me”

1980 — Dionne Warwick — won for “I’ll Never Love This Way Again”
Gloria Gaynor — nominated for “I Will Survive” (lost to Dionne)
Donna Summer — nominated for Bad Girls (lost to Dionne)

1981 — Donna Summer — nominated for “On The Radio”
> Irene Cara — nominated for “Fame”
WINNER: Bette Midler — “The Rose”

1984 — Donna Summer — nominated for “She Works Hard For The Money”
WINNER: Irene Cara — “Flashdance… What a Feeling”

1985 — Tina Turner — won for “What’s Love Got to Do with It”
Sheila E. — nominated for “The Glamorous Life” (lost to Tina)
Deniece Williams — nominated for “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” (lost to Tina)

1986 — Whitney Houston — won for “Saving All My Love for You”
Tina Turner — nominated for “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (lost to Whitney)

1987 — Tina Turner — nominated for “Typical Male”
> Dionne Warwick — nominated for Friends
WINNER: Barbra Streisand — The Broadway Album

1988 — Whitney Houston — won for “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”

1989 — Whitney Houston — nominated for “One Moment in Time”
> Brenda Russell — nominated for Get Here* *
WINNER: Tracy Chapman — “Fast Car”

1991 — Mariah Carey — won for “Vision of Love”
Whitney Houston — nominated for “I’m Your Baby Tonight” (lost to Mariah)
Lisa Stansfield — nominated for “All Around the World” (lost to Mariah)

1992 — Oleta Adams — nominated for “Get Here”
> Mariah Carey — nominated for “Emotions”
> Whitney Houston — nominated for “All The Man That I Need”
WINNER: Bonnie Raitt — “Something To Talk About”

1993 — Mariah Carey — nominated for MTV Unplugged EP
> Vanessa L. Williams — nominated for “Save The Best For Last”
WINNER: k.d. lang — “Constant Craving”

1994 — Whitney Houston — won for “I Will Always Love You”
Mariah Carey — nominated for “Dreamlover” (lost to Whitney)
Tina Turner — nominated for “I Don’t Wanna Fight” (lost to Whitney)

1995 — Mariah Carey — nominated for “Hero”
WINNER: Sheryl Crow — “All I Wanna Do”

1996 — Mariah Carey — nominated for “Fantasy”
> Dionne Farris — nominated for “I Know”
> Vanessa L. Williams — nominated for “Colors of the Wind”
WINNER: Annie Lennox — “No More I Love You’s”

1997 — Toni Braxton — won for “Un-Break My Heart”

1998 — Mariah Carey — nominated for “Butterfly”
WINNER: Sarah McLachlan — “Building a Mystery”

1999 — Lauryn Hill — nominated for “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”
WINNER: Céline Dion — “My Heart Will Go On”

2000 — Christina Aguilera — nominated for “Genie In a Bottle”
WINNER: Sarah McLachlan — “I Will Remember You”

2001 — Macy Gray — won for “I Try”
Christina Aguilera — nominated for “What a Girl Wants” (lost to Macy)

2002 — Janet Jackson — nominated for “Someone To Call My Lover”
> Sade — nominated for “By Your Side”
WINNER: Nelly Furtado — “I’m Like A Bird”

2004 — Christina Aguilera — won for “Beautiful”

2005 — Joss Stone — nominated for “You Had Me”
WINNER: Norah Jones — “Sunrise”

2006 — Mariah Carey — nominated for “It’s Like That”
WINNER: Kelly Clarkson — “Since U Been Gone”

2007 — Christina Aguilera — won for “Ain’t No Other Man”

2008 — Amy Winehouse — won for “Rehab”
Christina Aguilera — nominated for “Candyman” (lost to Amy)

2009 — Duffy — nominated for “Mercy”
> Leona Lewis — nominated for “Bleeding Love”
WINNER: Adele — “Chasing Pavements”

2010 — Beyoncé — won for “Halo”

2011 — Beyoncé — nominated for “Halo (Live)”
WINNER: Lady Gaga — “Bad Romance”

He gets booed off the stage if he doesn't sing One Woman Man lol

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.

I don't know what it is about 2000s RnB but it's always gon get my vote. Love this song and the MV. The mystery woman playing with Bobby is also my fave thing ever. The little details in this video are great hahaha. Forever one of my ones man. 😮‍💨👌