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Usher 87016/25/2023 ![]() Even if he was just sitting on a chair singing, he was amazing,” says Jam. “Being in the studio with him, we were impressed by his vocals. Since Jam & Lewis were familiar with Usher’s vocal ability from working with him in years prior, they wanted to craft a song that would allow him to solidify himself as more than an entertainer. “Can you help me? Tell me what you want from me / Can you help me? Tell me why you wanna leave,” Usher croons on the standout track. For nearly six minutes, Usher pleads to his woman to work with him on saving their relationship. Take “Can U Help Me,” for instance, another track produced by Jam & Lewis. Hits aside, 8701 was a solid album all-around. The latter tune also earned Usher a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 45th ceremony. The album also spawned the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “U Got It Bad,” co-produced by Dupri and Cox, and The Neptunes-produced “U Don’t Have to Call,” which peaked at No. “U Remind Me” wasn’t the only hit on 8701. But then he’s taken the reins of that and built an amazing career from that.” He’s like a musical student that’s been mentored by a lot of great creative people in his life. Then, the maturity from that into the Jermaine Dupri My Way era, into the 8701 era. “Then he went from that to the DeVante Swing- ‘Can U Get Wit It’. It sounded like little Michael Jackson,” he recounts. “I look at Usher and I think about when I heard his first song, ‘Call Me A Mack’, where he had the little boy voice. Jam goes into describing how Usher naturally evolved over the years prior to 8701. He contributed his skills on “Intro-Lude 8701” and “Without U (Interlude),” with support from Jam & Lewis.Ī post-teen Usher, 23 at the time, had told JET Magazine that 8701 reflected his “evolution as an artist.” Looking back 20 years later, Jam agrees, citing it was “a moment of growth.” Usher showing his growth as an artist wasn’t anything new, though. Similar to his sophomore album, My Way, Usher was involved with the songwriting process of 8701 - and production, too. In addition to working with Jam & Lewis on his third LP, he teamed up with other producers such as Babyface, Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Mike City, Soulshock & Karlin, The Neptunes and Soulshock & Karlin. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.8701 was released on August 7, 2001. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL. He has also dabbled in acting, with a recurring role on the teen sitcom Moesha, and roles in the films The Faculty (1998, with Josh Harnett) She's All That (1999, with Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Texas Rangers (2001, with Ashton Kutcher). He has established his own record label, US Records, and is a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise. Aside from recording, Usher has ventured into business. In 1990 Usher joined an R&B local quintet called the NuBeginnings, which was organized by local music svengali, Darryl Wheeler and then he decided to pursue a career in music. He released his debut album in 1994 and has since released 1997's My Way, 2001's 8701, 2004's Confessions and 2008's Here I Stand. To date, he has sold approximately 40 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards. His success continued with the release of his 2004 album, Confessions, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and earned Usher four American Music Awards and eight Grammy nominations. He rose to fame in the late 90s, releasing the multi-platinum albums My Way and 8701. Usher Raymond IV (born Octoin Dallas, Texas), known simply as Usher, is a Grammy Award winning American R&B singer-songwriter, producer and actor.
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