The Genius Who Is Usher
Usher Raymond IV, who was born on 14 October 1978, is an American R&B singer. Usher was born in
Dallas, Texas however he was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, until moving to Atlanta, Georgia. At
the tender age of 12, his mother put him in local singing competitions prior to grabbing the attention
of a music A&R from LaFace Records.
His Early Career
As a young boy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Usher sang in church choirs but wanted to enter into the
mainstream music industry by participating in talent shows. At age 12 he moved in with his mother
and brother to Atlanta, and two years later he obtained a recording contract with LaFace Records.
He launched his self-titled debut album Usher (1994) and then soared to fame in the late 1990s with
the announcement of his second album My Way (1997). It produced his first US Billboard Hot 100
number-one single "Nice & Slow" as well as the top-two singles "You Make Me Wanna…" in addition
to "My Way".
Usher’s third album, 8701 (2001), supplied the number-one singles "U Remind Me" and "U Got It
Bad", in addition to the top-three single "U Don't Have to Call". The album sold eight million copies
globally and won his first two Grammy Awards as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002 as well
as in 2003.
Usher’s Net Worth
Usher has a net worth of $180 million . To date, Usher has sold far more than 75 million records
globally, which is enough to make him one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. Also he is
the co-founder, with Scooter Braun, of RBMG Records, Justin Bieber's record company.
Philanthropy
Usher founded a non-profit charity which aims to "provide young people with a new look on life via
education as well as real-world experience" called New Look. He's released chapters in many major
countries across the US Usher was bestowed with the Freedom Award for his sterling work with New
Look by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. This award is kept for people who
have worked tirelessly for justice, equality, civil in addition to human rights.
After Hurricane Katrina, Usher launched Project Restart to assist more than 700 families with seeking
out or rebuilding housing. Owing to his monumental efforts, Usher was awarded the key to the city
of New Orleans in 2008. The mayor of the city declared a day in his honour, Usher Day.
He teamed up with other musicians in 2015 to donate over $500, 000 in scholarships to students
attending historically black colleges. That’s a huge sum, and one that many online roulette players
would love to win. Usher partnered with UNCF in order to create the Usher Raymond Scholarship
Programme where he granted a student a $100,000 scholarship to Tuskegee University.
Usher was married to Tameka Foster in 2007. When they got married, he became a stepfather to her
three sons from a prior relationship. Usher and Tameka have two sons together. The couple divorced
in 2009 and a highly publicised child custody dispute ensued. It was not solved until 2012 when a
judge granted Usher primary custody of their two sons.
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