Usher

Lovers & Friends Festival Is Set To Return In 2022 And Moving To Las Vegas

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Just before the pandemic started, one of the most anticipated festivals of the 2020 season was Lovers & Friends, a new but nostalgic festival that popped up out of nowhere and caused mass havoc and confusion on Twitter as fans clamored to figure out if the stacked lineup was real. Furthering the confusion, some of the billed acts, like Lil Kim, claimed to have not been booked, adding a layer of intrigue and attention that had anticipation sky-high when they finally confirmed.

Unfortunately, as we all know, Corona came through hating and we all missed out on seeing every elder Millennial’s favorite artists return to the stage alongside contemporary artists like Jhene Aiko, Megan Thee Stallion, Saweetie, and Summer Walker (all heavily influenced by 2000s-era sounds and aesthetics). It looked like Lovers & Friends was a wrap, a fever dream we all shared for a bit before the world collectively went to hell.

Live Nation

But apparently, Live Nation, Snoop Dogg, and Bobby Dee had to do it again (see what I did there?), bringing the festival back for a new date, May 14, 2022. The venue has changed as well; while the original was scheduled for Carson, CA (a smaller venue that prompted the show’s organizers to add a second day) the 2022 iteration will take place in Las Vegas. Presale begins August 2 at 10 am PT. For more information, check out loversandfriendsfest.com.

T-Pain Says There’s Still ‘Love And Respect’ For Usher Despite His Comments About Auto-Tune

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Earlier this week, the internet was shocked by an anecdote T-Pain shared during an interview for the upcoming Netflix film This Is Pop. In it, he detailed a depression-sparking conversation he had with Usher during a flight together to the 2013 BET Awards. “I was like, ‘What’s good?’” T-Pain recalled. “I thought he was about to tell me something real. He sounded real concerned. He was like, ‘Man, you kind of… you kind of f*cked up music.’” He added, “I didn’t understand. Usher was my friend. He was like, ‘Yeah man, you really f*cked up music for real singers.’”

The news T-Pain fans to rush to social media to give Usher a piece of their minds. Less than 24 hours after the clip from the upcoming This Is Pop film arrived on social media, T-Pain returned to Twitter to clarify his feelings towards Usher. “I still love and respect @Usher telling that story was in no way meant to disrespect that man,” he wrote. “Ppl talk sh*t about me 24/7 but when it comes from someone you truly respect it hits very different. I never said f*ck Ursh it was a drop in the ocean of sh*t I was already goin through.”

Usher Allegedly Sent T-Pain Into A Long Depression By Saying His Auto-Tuned Singing ‘F*cked Up Music’

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T-Pain is a talented vocalist, as he has proven on many occasions. His 2014 Tiny Desk Concert stands out as a shining example of that. Ultimately, though, he is best known for his songs that make use of Auto-Tune to alter the sound of his vocals. His Auto-Tuned voice dominated the music landscape in the latter half of the 2000s, but not everybody was a fan. The way T-Pain tells it, that group includes Usher, who allegedly accused T-Pain of ruining music, a moment that sent T-Pain into a long depression.

In a clip from Netflix’s This Is Pop, T-Pain tells the story about the time he and Usher were on a plane, on their way to the 2013 BET Awards:

“We were actually going to the 2013 BET Awards, and we were all in first class and I went to sleep. I was awakened by the flight attendant. She said, ‘Usher would like to talk to you in the back.’ So I got up and went back and he was like, you know, ‘How’s everything going?’ Quick small talk, no big deal. And he was like, ‘Man, I want to tell you something, man.’ I was like, ‘What’s good?’ I thought he was about to tell me something real. He sounded real concerned. He was like, ‘Man, you kind of… you kind of f*cked up music.’

I didn’t understand. Usher was my friend. He was like, ‘Yeah man, you really f*cked up music for real singers.’ Literally, at that point, I couldn’t listen. ‘Is he right? Did I f*ck up music?’ And that is the very moment… I don’t even think I realized this for a long time, but that’s the very moment that started a four-year depression for me.”

Watch the clip above.

Usher Discusses His Infamous ‘Usher Bucks’ And His Las Vegas Residency

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A couple weeks ago, Usher went viral after it was alleged that he paid a stripper with fake money that had his face on it. It was later reported that he didn’t actually do that, but rather, he and his team were just leaving the phony bills around town to promote his upcoming Las Vegas residency. Now, in a new interview with Billboard, Usher has discussed the now-infamous “Usher Bucks.”

Usher spoke about how the fake money is part of his broader promotional campaign, saying:

“The idea behind Usher Bucks was really as a way of promoting the residency. And since then, there has been more conversations, thus proving roads lead to Las Vegas. Stay tuned. We’ve been working on the merchandise for the night and that was the start of it. […] I have a really great team, behind the scenes and on the stage putting together the show promoting the show, coming up with ideas of how to promote the show and market the merchandising. A lot of great detail and thought has gone into the experience. From the moment you walk into the Coliseum to the moment you leave the Coliseum we’re going to definitely make it an environment to enjoy, experience, and celebrate.”

He also spoke about his residency, saying it will feature a live band and fresh choreography. He added, “The anticipation is beautiful. I want you to guess. I want to keep you bubbling with anticipation until I have dropped the first record and you hear the first moment. When the lights go down and you feel the energy. I promise the classics and also new stuff. It’s about celebrating the years about celebrating the records, and celebrating the ones that brought us all together. And also to introduce new ones.”

Read the full interview here.

Shaq Hilariously Tried To Explain The Usher Bucks Controversy On ‘Inside The NBA’

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Earlier this week, Usher found himself trending on Twitter after getting put on blast for throwing fake money with his face on it at a strip club, to the dismay of the dancers. The photos of the “Usher Bucks” as they quickly became known as on social media went viral and caused an awful lot of jokes at Usher’s expense.

The actual story was that Usher had left the bills behind as a gag to promote his upcoming Vegas residency and had indeed been tipping the staff and dancers at the club with actual, legal currency all night. That didn’t stop the jokes, though, and on Thursday night the Usher Bucks scandal made its way to Inside the NBA, where a tweet joking that Charles Barkley’s guarantees are worth about as much as a fake Usher $100. What ensued was some classic Inside banter, with Chuck defending Usher’s honor and then Shaq trying to explain the entire thing as G-rated as he could for the television audience.

Shaq’s use of the “grocery store” in place of strip club was pretty funny and got a good laugh out of the guys, and, honestly, I would much prefer the fellas spend an entire segment trying to explain to Charles Barkley things that went viral on social media each week than, say, debating the merits of big men shooting threes again.

Usher Reportedly Didn’t Actually Give A Stripper Fake Money With His Face On It

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Usher went viral yesterday after it was reported that he paid strippers with fake dollar bills that had his own face on it, in lieu of actual money. Now, TMZ reports that things are not as they seem.

Citing “sources close to Usher,” the publication reports that somebody in Usher’s crew, but not Usher himself, left some of the fake Usher-branded “money” behind “as a bit of a gag,” both as a joke and to promote Usher’s Las Vegas residency. A representative of the Sapphire club where this happened told TMZ that Usher did not give strippers his fake money and that he tipped the staff overall “quite generously” (with real money). Usher apparently spent thousands on dancers and paid for bottle service. Sapphire also told TMZ they’d be happy to host Usher again.

This story began when a stripper shared photos of the phony Usher money, printed in various denominations and designed to look like real money, and asked her followers, “Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??” She also noted, “& the money does not have a trade in value what so ever! Lmao don’t y’all think he should be blasted on social media for this sh*t?”

Usher Clowned For Throwing Fake Money At Strip Club

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Usher-Clowned-Fake-Money-Stripper

R&B superstar Usher is not trying to spread too much love in the club. The chart-topping crooner is making headlines after a wild story surfaced that accuses him of paying a stripper with fake money that has his own face on it. Usher Allegedly Gave Stripper Fake Bills For Tips An exotic dancer in Las […]

The post Usher Clowned For Throwing Fake Money At Strip Club appeared first on SOHH.com.

Usher Goes Viral After Reportedly Giving A Stripper Fake Dollar Bills With His Face On Them

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As of this post, Usher is the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the US, but not for a good reason: He stands accused of giving a stripper fake dollar bills with his face on them (as opposed to real money).

A Las Vegas-based dancer who performs under the name Pisces shared an image of three distinct Usher-themed dollar bills, in denominations of $1, $20, and $100. The bills promote Usher: The Vegas Experience, his upcoming residency that is set to launch in July, and were clearly designed to look like real money. Pisces asked a question on her Instagram Story, writing, “Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??” She added in another post (a screenshot from her private personal account), “& the money does not have a trade in value what so ever! Lmao don’t y’all think he should be blasted on social media for this sh*t?”

A friend of Pisces shared Pisces’ personal page posts and added, “My GF posted this !!! I’ve never seen this level of f*ckery!!!! exactly why we stay away from celebs most of the time they suck!!!!!!!! cheap asf. So disrespectful, this is foul! Working so hard to get nothing in return! This is a joke!! Their job is to entertain, take your cheap ass back home!!!!!”

Usher has offered what may be a response to the controversy (or at least shared a post that seems relevant to the situation): Last night, he shared a photo of himself wearing a bucket hat made of actual $1 bills.

Usher has indeed been getting “blasted on social media,” as Pisces attested he should. Check out some Twitter reactions to Usher’s alleged antics below, along with screenshots of the posts from Pisces and her friend.

@beel0ove/Instagram
@beel0ove/Instagram
@msgoodvibez/Instagram

Timbaland Predicts Who Would Win Chris Brown VERZUZ Usher

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Timbaland's Chris Brown Verzuz Tease

VERZUZ co-creators Timbaland and Swizz Beatz were on The Breakfast Club radio show, and of course the talk turned to fantasy-booking music battles. When it came to a hypothetical matchup of R&B superstars Chris Brown and Usher, one of the legendary producers made his pick clear. Timbaland Says Chris Brown’s Catalog Is Unbeatable Breakfast Club […]

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