Usher followed in 50 Cent's footsteps once before by naming his youngest son Sire, and is also hoping to blaze a trail similar to the TV/movie empire the G-Unit mogul has built outside of music.
Ahead of his 2024 Super Bowl halftime show this weekend, the R&B superstar sat down with Apple Music's Nadeska Alexis on Thursday (February 8) in Las Vegas to talk about his future and how he plans to stay “role model” for greatness while parlaying his success in the music industry into other ambitious ventures.
“I push myself because this is just an option. I want to be great. I want to set standards,” he testified. “I want to be a role model that shows through my passion. My passion for music, my passion for creativity. Instead of becoming something that's artistic through the videos we create or the narratives that are in the music that then become something else [like a] TV series.”
While Usher and 50 never collaborated, Fif still managed to inspire the “Caught Up” hitmaker with his endeavors in the media space.
“You look at 50 Cent, right, he creates Power. First you hear the music, then you see the visuals,” Usher said. “I hope I can do more of that with the brands I've built with the songs. It's about making money while also giving people an escape. When you hear a song, you relate to it. It becomes a helper in your emotional… It's more than just music, it's all of those things. Most importantly, it's a connection.”
Before his Super Bowl performance, Usher served as the final cover star Advertising signwhere he spoke about the need to revamp the merchandising market for R&B artists so that they can best cash in on their potential.
“It's about generating trade in other areas,” he explained. “Lovers and friends [where Usher will perform Confessions in full in May] is a successful R&B festival that gives you a place to go and celebrate the songs we make.
“We need things that you associate with R&B and that you can buy. Like with hip-hop — glasses, clothes, cars, jewelry, sneakers… accessory things that people can access. R&B needs and has the potential to have those things as well.”
Before taking the Super Bowl stage in Las Vegas, Usher is gearing up to release his ninth studio album, I'm coming home, on Friday (February 9). It's a stellar 20-song affair, enlisting Latto, Burna Boy, 21 Savage, The-Dream, HER, Summer Walker and BTS's Jung Kook to join him.
“I put a lot of heart and time into making sure this was edited right. Something that felt like this next chapter of my life. It's the next frontier, the next chapter of my legacy,” the “Love in This Club” singer said of the album in a recent interview with Club Shay Shay.
Watch the full Apple Music interview with Usher below. 50 Cent's speech starts around 35:15.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/usher-50-cent-power-empire-1235603234/
