Usher, The #71 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

 

Usher then released his collaboration with fellow superstar Alicia Keys, "My Boo", another monster #1 smash of six weeks.  It also rose to #1 in Canada and was a Top 10 hit in nearly every country in the world.  "My Boo" was certified Platinum and earned a nomination at the MTV Video Music Awards for Best R&B Video.

 

The single "Caught Up" made the Confessions album the 19th studio album out of just 25 in the history of the Rock Era to contain five Top 10 hits from a studio album.  The accompanying video was nominated for Best Male Video at the MTV VMA's.

Usher spent 28 of the 52 weeks in 2004 at #1 to set an all-time mark for the most weeks at the top in a calendar year, breaking the record set by Glenn Miller in 1940, whose music preceded the Hot 100 charts of the Rock Era.

Usher and Keys won the Grammy Award for R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "My Boo".  Usher also won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Yeah!" and Best Contemporary R&B Album and was nominated for Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best R&B Song (for "Yeah!"), Best Male R&B Song (for both "Burn" and "My Boo" and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "Burn").  He won American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Album and was nominated for Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards.  

Usher received Artist of the Year honors at the Billboard Music Awards, one of 11 trophies he earned that night to set a record for most awards won by a male performer in a single night.  He also won for Hot 100 Artist of the Year, Billboard 200 Artist of the Year, Mainstream Top 40 Artist of the year, R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist of the Year, Hot 100 Single of the Year, Hot 100 Airplay Single of the Year and Mainstream Top 40 Single of the Year (all for "Yeah!") and Billboard 200 Album of the Year and R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year and was nominated for R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Artist of the Year, Digital Artist of the Year and four nominations for "Burn"--Hot 100 Single of the Year, Hot 100 Airplay Single of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Single of the Year.  

All told, Usher received 19 Billboard Music Award nominations for his work on Confessions.  He won World Music Awards for the World's Best Male Artist, World's Best Pop Male Artist and World's Best R&B Male Artist and received Favorite Male Performer and Best Combined Forces honors (for his work with Ludacris & Lil Jon on "Yeah!") at the People's Choice Awards.  In addition, "Burn", "My Boo" and "Confessions Part II" qualified for the ASCAP honor of Most Performed Songs.

Usher went on a successful tour; recordings of the shows were released as the DVD Behind the Truth:  Live from Atlanta, which has now sold over seven million copies.

In 2005, Usher reached #3 when he joined Lil' Jon on "Lovers & Friends" and earned Billboard Music Award nominations for R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Single of the Year and Ringtone of the Year.  Usher was named Male Entertainer of the Year at the World Music Awards and was nominated for World's Best Pop Male Artist and World's Best-Selling R&B Artist.  Later that year, he starred in the movie In the Mix.  

Usher founded New Look, a non-profit organization in 2005, which the next year began the program Our Block to rebuild and revitalize city blocks in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  In the years since, Usher has expanded New Look into Baltimore, Maryland, Detroit, Michigan, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, New York City and Washington, D.C.  New Look programs are available beginning in 8th grade and continue through post-secondary education.  Students in the New Look program achieve 100% graduation rates and all advance to Higher Education.

In 2006, Usher joined the Broadway cast of Chicago, but a case of strep throat forced him to abandon the performance after two months.

 

In 2008, Usher released the album Here I Stand, which debuted at #1.  "Love In This Club" topped the U.S. chart for three weeks, his eighth #1 song and earned a nomination for Best Male Video at the MTV VMA's.

The album has now sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. and over five million worldwide.  Usher was nominated for both Favorite Pop/Rock, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist at the American Music Awards and Favorite Male Performer at the People's Choice Awards.  He went on a 15-date tour and performed with Stevie Wonder and Shakira at the musical celebration We Are One:  The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama.

In 2009, Billboard named Usher the #1 Hot 100 artist of the first decade of the 21st century.  

 

Usher released the album Raymond v. Raymond in 2010, issued after his divorce from wife Tameka.  "Papers" went to #1 on the R&B chart.  

Raymond v. Raymond debuted at #1, Usher's third consecutive #1 album.

 

When "OMG" with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas went to #1, it made Usher the fifth artist of all-time to achieve number one songs in three straight decades.  He joined Stevie Wonder ('60s, '70s and '80s), Michael Jackson ('70s, '80s and '90s) and Janet Jackson and Madonna ('80s, '90s and '00s) and became the third artist in history (behind Paul McCartney and Jackson) to score a #1 song from five consecutive studio albums.    

Usher won a People's Choice Award for Favorite R&B Artist and was nominated for Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Song.  "OMG" was nominated for Best Male Video and Best Dance Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Usher captured American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist and Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "There Goes My Baby".  He was also nominated for Favorite R&B Artist at the People's Choice Awards.

 

Usher released an extended play to the album called Versus, which debuted at #4 on the Album chart.  He achieved another huge hit with "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love", #4 in the U.S. and Top 10 in 15 countries.

Usher won another American Music Award in 2011 for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.  He received 11 more Billboard Music Award nominations--Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Male Artist, Top R&B Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top R&B Album, Top Radio Song ("DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love", Top Hot 100 Song, Top R&B Song and Top Radio Song (for "OMG") and Top R&B Song (for "There Goes My Baby", winning for Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Album and Top R&B Song with "OMG".  Usher was nominated for Favorite Tour Headliner at the People's Choice Awards.  His OMG Tour grossed $70 million worldwide.

In 2011, Usher received the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, which honors people who work for justice, equality, philanthropy, civil and human rights and humanitarian causes.

 

Usher joined David Guetta for the Double Platinum single "Without You", #4 in the U.S. and Top Five in nearly every major country in the world.

"Without You" was nominated for Top Dance Song and Top Streaming Song, and his project with Romeo Santos (the song "Promise") was nominated for Top Latin Song.

In January, Usher and will.i.am performed "OMG" at Super Bowl XLV.

 

In 2012, Usher released the album Looking 4 (sic) Myself.  The single "Climax" topped the Hot 100 chart for 11 weeks, giving Usher two of the six longest runs at #1 of all-time (joining "You Make Me Wanna'").  The video was nominated for Best Male Video at the MTV VMA's.

 "Scream" also reached #4 in Canada, #5 in the United Kingdom and #9 in the United States and sold over two million copies.  Usher won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.

Usher won Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist for the third year in a row and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the American Music Awards.  He also was recognized at the Billboard Music Awards with nominations for R&B Artist of the Year and R&B Album of the Year and he was nominated for Favorite Male Artist and Favorite R&B Artist at the People's Choice Awards.  The next year, Usher joined the NBC program The Voice as a coach.

In 2014, Usher released his eighth studio album, UR, and picked up Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance (for both "New Flame" and "Good Kisser") and .  He was also nominated for Favorite R&B Artist at the People's Choice Awards.  Usher performed a 27-city North American tour followed by 23 dates in Europe.  In 2015, Usher became a part-owner of the music streaming service Tidal.

In 2016, Usher released the album Hard II Love, but "I Don't Mind" at #11 was the best of three single releases.  He starred as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in the movie Hands of Stone, a biographical film of Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran.

Usher is one of a group of people who bought the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association for $375 million and he also owns several restaurants.

Usher received a star at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Usher has sold 23.8 million albums in the U.S. and over 43 million worldwide.  He has won eight American Music Awards from 14 nominations, eight Grammy Awards from an incredible 22 nominations, 18 Billboard Music Awards out of a staggering 50 nominations, four World Music Awards from six nominations, seven ASCAP Pop Awards,  two MTV Video Music Awards with 13 nominations, three People's Choice Awards out of 12 nominations (with one pending next year) and one Blockbuster Entertainment Award.  His 47 weeks at #1 from nine singles are the most by a male artist in the Rock Era.