What Is Usher's Greatest Legacy?
It's been 20 glorious years since the ridiculously talented powerhouse Usher made his debut to the world. Ever since, the simple phrase "Ursher baby" has become so much more than just his calling card. It has caused countless panties all over the world to drop (and be thrown on stage, we can imagine), a deeper fusion of hip-hop and pop and arguably the best live dancing since the King of Pop himself.
But I'm not the only one who thinks Usher is pure amazingness. The records prove it. Plus his hits, no matter how old they are, never lose their spark or infectiousness. From "My Way" (aww, baby Usher) to "You Don't Have To Call" and "U Remind Me" - his hits just never get old and always make us feel like baby making, I mean, dancing. As we celebrate the 2+ decades of him slaying in the R&B world, we recognize the body parts, moves and all of Usher that make him the once-in-a-lifetime artist he is. Read on to see what part of Usher I believe will live on for all of eternity and vote for your pick in the poll below.
8. Hitting the big screen.
Because you know he killed it as the high school DJ in She's All That. He is, after all, responsible for the most epic prom dance-off in movie history. Move goers could enjoy his beautifulness with a side of popcorn in The Faculty, Light It Up and In the Mix among others.
7. Abs for days. Literally, he always has them.
When I say Usher never ages, this doesn't just pertain to his face. As if he wasn't perfect enough, that body is just, wow.
6. Confessing things.
His 2004 record-breaking album Confessions allowed Usher to expose his "own little secrets" in what was previously, a somewhat private aspect of his life. For example, "Burn" was supposedly about the crash of his relationship with Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas. Although "Confessions Part I" and "Part II" sparked speculation that Usher got a mistress of his pregnant, he claimed the songs weren't based on personal experience, but on others' he knew. Regardless, people positively responded to Usher revealing such personal aspects of his life. And the numbers prove it. According to Billboard, it was the second best-selling US album of the 2000s.
5. His delicious dimples.
Like you don't get giddy just looking at those adorable things? It's no wonder why his dimples + dancing + sexual lyrics are a lethal combination.
4. Multitasking in the club.
[listicle order="none"]
Usher My Way
Usher 8701
Twork It Out Usher
Usher Yeah
Usher Beyonce Bad Girl Performance
Usher Hottest Thing
Usher U Turn
Love In This Club Usher
Usher Love In This Club Part 2
Usher OMG
T.I. Usher Guilty
Usher Lil Freak
Usher Love Em All
DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love Usher
Usher Get In My Car
Usher Can't Stop Won't Stop
Usher Scream
Usher Good Kisser
When it comes to everything Usher is capable of doing in the club, the possibilities are endless. Amongst the partying and bottle popping, there's still time to make love and fall in love. A man of many talents, indeed.
3. Dancing. Just pure dancing.
When Usher dances it's like watching him walk on a cloud. In other words, it's a magical experience. Like a fine wine, he's gotten better with age, as he proved at the 2014 BET Awards. It's hard to take your eyes off him when he performs as he puts every other player in the music game to shame. So hyp.. no... tizing...
2. Having the voice of an angel.
It's hard to believe someone so good looking could be this talented, like, actually talented, as well. Although he has killer dance moves and is so great looking, he doesn't need to rely on either OR auto-tune, to showcase his vocals, unlike many other singers to date.
1. Being great in bed.
Usher released Here I Stand in 2008, as, in many ways, an ode to his new happy life and marriage to Tameka Foster. However, as a departure from his usual, sexed up albums, it was seen as a commercial failure in selling only 1.3 million copies in the US in comparison to Confessions' 19 million. In other words- fans wanted Usher to sex them up. In case you thought his songs like "Trading Places," "In this Club," and "Nice and Slow" were all talk, or that his music videos (such as the above) were all smoke and mirrors, Usher proved his baby making skills are very, very real - live, during his concerts. It's what his fans know and love and we can always count on Usher's music to take our minds to very... far away places.
[Photo: Getty Images]