The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Usher On His Most Unhinged Moments, Evolving From His Toxic Ways, Uplifting Our Icons, Tour + More

Episode Date: February 19, 2024

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Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Jack B. Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while running errands

or at the end of a busy day. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Listen to Black Lit on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, everyone. This is Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Wake that ass up. It's in the morning.

The Breakfast Club. There he is. Ursa! That wild man over there, what's going on i know the domestic terrorist ain't calling nobody a wild man just hilarious is here too usher you know she's the new official third co-host of the breakfast club what's up jess with all the mess how you doing said i just got this job and you ain't even come in here. You ain't been here since 2017. I know, man. I need to come up there to be more earned and endures.

Congratulations on everything, though, my brother. An amazing Super Bowl performance. A new album is out right now. Yes. And you are a domestic terrorist. You did it again. You're a menace to society. Why were you so handsy? Why were you so handsy?

Why were you so handsy with Miss Alicia Keys, sir? No, listen, it's not any way in any shape, form or fashion that unfortunately you gave me to handle. But no, man, it was a celebration, man. And we, you know, we we we we had an amazing time at the Super Bowl. Most watched Super Bowl of all time. all time all time yeah of all time more people watched that than uh the apollo 11 landed man so i'm like i'm like blown away since 1990 1969 you know there's not been a a greater viewing uh than than what happened on super bowl sunday so i'm really that, man. And you've been a superstar for a long, long time.

So what does something like the Superbowl do for you when you perform in front of that many people on that stage? I mean, is there another level? I don't, I don't know. Um, it's pretty hard to beat that one.

Uh, and it's going to be pretty hard to beat that number. Um, so man, I'm just, I'm just really happy, blessed. You know, I worked really hard in Las Vegas to tell a story about my culture, where I come from. And being able to share that with the rest of the world, you know, was really a monumental moment in my career and my life. I've said many times I turned Vegas to Atlanta

where I was able to introduce the entire world to what Atlanta is and turn the world to Atlanta for that moment, for those 15 minutes. I'm just really happy that everything happened the way that it did. I'm happy that Jay-Z and Des reached out to me to do it. I'm happy that Hamish shot it

the way that he did. I'm happy that Akamon Jones and Hamish worked together and Baz, the people who put all of it together to look like it was. I'm happy that all my choreographers and dancers and contortionists and tumblers, Lil Jon,

Ludacris, Alicia Keys, her, Will.i.am, everybody came through and was able to be a part of it. because it's a 30-year-plus celebration for me. Absolutely. And it was hard as hell to put all of those 30 years into 15 minutes, but I did it. And I was able to introduce people to the culture of the past. You think about everything that Vegas has offered over the last two years to me, but everything that it represented of the past you think about everything that vegas has offered you know over

the last two years to me but everything that it represented in the past you noticed the wardrobe and the fact that i kind of took people through what i would consider a past present and future you know experience just in time for me to you know launch my tour but it was real deliberate like the wardrobe was selected to make you remember how glamorous we were in those times and how, you know, going into, you know, segregated casinos and being able to not, you know, fraternize with normal people in those times. It was like a thing of pride being taken in that time. So that was part of my storytelling. I really wanted to honor all of the people who had had anything to do with us being in Las Vegas from the beginning of what Las Vegas' experience was for our Black experience. Bringing HBCUs into the conversation. Kappas came out and stepped with me.

Skate culture. All of those things. It was a past, present, future conversation there. And then you end your night getting married yeah congratulations oh my god yeah well i see you keep that's what made me think you you keep you purposely keep throwing it in the camera i ain't matter of fact i'm just you know i'm just rubbing my beard sometimes i you know i get real honest you know when i get when i'm going through it i like that what made you do it that. What made you do it that night? What made you get married that night?

Just to put an incredible ending on this chapter of Las Vegas. We talked about it. I proposed to her last year and she'd been wearing that ring and I didn't want to be that guy who just

continued to hold on forever to the ring. But, you know, we talked about the best time to do it. Obviously, around the time we started getting ready for Super Bowl, I was going back to Las Vegas. I was like, damn, I got to play Las Vegas, do these shows, then go get ready for Super Bowl. And let's do a wedding. I was like, that's just too much pressure. What if we, you know, we do a drive-thru just for our kids and our immediate family yeah you know old vegas style you know how frank sinatra and and elvis presley did it you

know what i'm saying so it's like yo let's go get officiated by um elvis an elvis impersonator and make it fun you know you got all the pressures that come with getting married you gotta you know get your gown together make sure everybody's accommodated get the food make sure you you're spending hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars on this moment that really is about the union of two people and the love of your family.

I was happy to have her family there, my family there, my kids there. We did it. We did it without any pressure. Finishing the Super Bowl was the hardest part, and then getting dressed to get there. In time to make it to the after party, we went and

kicked it with Snoop and Dr. Dre at my flippers party. It was cool, man. It was wonderful. Regardless of your reputation as Mr. Don't Leave Your Girl Around Me, you're a family man. You like being married.

I'm plural you're saying terrorists you see what i'm saying minutes what was the important people saying i guess i'm just plural what was the importance of paying tribute to michael jackson and your performance because i don't know if people i don't know a lot of people see what you don't realize is that there's so many gems that you have yet to unlock. So you only call one. Okay. You call Michael.

Did you catch Marvin? Did you catch the back leg pop for James Brown? Did you catch that one? I think I called Marvin when you were shirtless. No, that was Teddy P. See, you got it off.

Teddy P, okay, okay, okay. Okay. That was Bobby Brown and Teddy p um i gave a little bit of luther vandross in there uh the piano moment was roberta flack and uh and uh donnie hathaway you you missing them oh yeah you gotta give us some of these easter eggs now so what please what was the i'm delivering in all things that i do when i bring the culture of what i am and what has made me who i am everywhere I go, even right now. You don't even realize it's happening right now.

Look behind him. Look behind him. Look behind him. I see the picture. I see the picture. So you saw the Michael. What was the Teddy P and Marvin? Gordon Park, ladies and gentlemen, just so you know.

All right, go ahead. School us, man. What was that? That says Gordon Park, Spector. Oh. Just the, go ahead. School us, man. What was that? That's Gordon Parks back there. Oh. Just a culture. Okay. Yeah.

Got you. Yeah. What was the Teddy P, Bobby Brown tribute? Well, I mean, coming out of my shirt was obviously a Bobby Brown moment. Teddy P was the tank top. And just cloning and being able to have that moment. All of it is who I am but in

what I've done and who I am I recognize all of the people that have really paved the way. Far too often, man, do we just forget about the people that really made it happen. It was some Ron Isley in there. It was Gapman in there.

You didn't catch the Gapman in Earth, Wind & Fire? You didn't get that part? No, man. All of them was there, man. And then Jackson 5 was there. You heard that one. Can you feel it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I, um...

You didn't catch the Zap one? I gotta go back and watch you. Now, now it's like, if you go back, it's a, it's an entire education that's happening right in front of your eyes. I just think we was all blown away from everything. It was like a party and it was like a, it was, it was amazing. It was so much. It was what we do, baby.

That's how we get out. When we get out, we debated about it. A lot of people said i was being a prisoner at a moment but i'm just talking about our first watch my initial reaction was that's the best half super bowl halftime performance i've ever seen and so then the next day we i went through them and even with it i'm like i don't see how you you can't say this isn't the best for me the top five is you michael jackson beyonce the first well i think it was the first beyonce when she bought destiny's child out yeah um prince and dr dren

snoop i appreciate that game i really do you know um i i um i approached it with all of those things in mind you know michael is the reason why all of us even want to do it, just so you're clear. And Prince's moment was amazing because of God's involvement. You saw the rain come down. It was like, oh, God is a Prince fan. Yes. And many people have had amazing moments there. It is a celebration of their entire career. But for me, I wanted it to

be something that, you know, not only spoke about what I did in my belief of Las Vegas, but what my career has represented, the resilience that I've had to have. And the fact that, you know, even giving that one message to my mother, it was a gospel moment. My mother sang on him when we were kids, when I was a a kid she was young too but um uh they said i wouldn't make it they said i wouldn't be here today they said i never amount to anything and but but but i made it that was her church that was the song that actually inspired me to sing so i said it to her in front of the world like yo you know for all that people who've had anything negative to say or or tried to, you know, the negative that would have stopped this moment from happening.

I made it. We made it. But it was, it was, I'm happy that you give me that. I thank you, brother. You know, I thank you for always being of support, even when the shenanigans start, Jess, the mess, I know you keep your ass in some shit always, but I love you even for it because it keeps all of us motivated to continue to push, to keep pushing.

Yeah, you know what? Yeah, Jess, no. I hit Jess like, yo, what you doing, man? Yes, yo, I know. I know, but you know what I love? I love the fact that you starting that tour in the DMV. You doing Baltimore, you doing DC. What made you want to do that?

I told you I wanted to do what we're doing. I want to hear the Jews and the Jews. I need to hear them. What made you do that? What made you come to Baltimore and DC first? Baltimore and DC, actually it does not start in

BMO. It starts in Atlanta. Oh, my gosh. It started in BMORE, but we put – I didn't put all of the dates up as there was a first string. And then, you know, we're going to play four nights in Atlanta by the end of this. Hopefully, I put up three so far, sold out two, working on one. Would love to get four total. And the idea behind that was just the fact that I'm able to play residency better

with my kids. I really got accustomed to working on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and I can go home and be with my family on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and make certain that I don't miss anything.

I'm just keeping the flow. I don't want to make certain that everybody that didn't get a chance to come to Las Vegas and experience what that was, whether it was the serenade or whether it was us having an amazing time and enjoying this music, this musical legacy of 30 years plus,

I'm going to bring it to you now. Bringing it live directly to your front set. Why didn't things work out with Justin Bue? You know what? They did work out with Justin. I honor and

recognize that my brother, you know, I think that it might have been the fact that he was brother, you know, he, he, you know, I think that it might've been the fact that he was just, you know, wanting to tell a different story right now. And I understand that. But we, we did have a brief conversation and, you know, we're going to do something else in the future. And, but there's no love lost or anything like that.

I think that it's a lot of pressure for the Super Bowl, obviously, for me to put together a show. So I reached out to everybody. Justin wasn't the only person that I actually spoke to about doing the Super Bowl. But the moment was maybe for later. He's going to play the Super Bowl. I'll go ahead and give you that in the future. I profess that over his life and over his

time because he has a career that deserves it. But it just didn't happen, but that doesn't mean it's not going to. Was Chris Brown ever up for consideration? That was another rumor out there. No, I did not reach out to Chris Brown.

Is there anybody else? There was always a rumor that you and Chris had a little kerfuffle. No. Was that ever real? It's all good, man. It's actually always going to be something that you're going to hear.

Ain't no issues between me and that man. We good. Okay. Is there anyone else you wanted on stage with you, but things didn't work out? I can't give you all of that,lie i wish i could but i can't give you that exclusive if you hear it by the way i will confirm it but i will not okay i'm not gonna tell you everybody i reached out to i reached out to some some hitters i was listening okay i was curated i was curating what would be one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time. And it actually turned into that because of who I reached out to.

I felt like. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired? Depressed? A little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag.

I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There are 55 gallons of water for 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Ladonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Kaperburg.

I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. Why can't I trade my own country? My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warhead. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Bullets. We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High.

It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection, it was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going.

This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing.

Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, y'all? This is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right.

A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand-new history podcast

for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Colvin.

Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jacqueline Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm

Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me and a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks Thank you. Stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Blacklit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life. Listen to Blacklit on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Her, she is an amazing artist artist but even more amazing guitarist and and i wanted the world to see her as the rock star or rock rock and soul star she is and uh alicia obviously reached out to because we had you know my boo and i wanted the world to see her as a glamorous star as she was. I dreamt her vision, and I always saw this flowing, huge dress that would go over the entire stadium. I was like, I just got this very – I'm just real specific about handling our icons the way that they need to be handled, and we need to do that more often. We can get into the mess, yes, and we can absolutely get into the mess just and we can absolutely get into the mess the god you know what i'm saying but yo we gotta handle our icons the right way we gotta make sure we lift them up on god you understand what i'm saying yes i had a very impassioned

conversation with the dream one time who you got a song with on your new album this was recently this is at the jay-z uh jay-z museum but the way that Jay reached out, hold on, I want to say this. The way that Jay reached out because he understood, yo, this is a moment for the culture. We have to preserve our icons in the same way. Don't let the mess bring our icons down because we don't get them back and we don't get a chance. Like, we all human and we all go through things and we all want to experience things. But we got to handle our icons the right way you know the rock stars they handle each other the right way i agree you know they do we don't we don't get caught up in the bullshit and we shouldn't let's stop that

let's let's let's lift our icons up let's make certain that we keep them preserved high at the highest place in the best wardrobe on the biggest stage in the biggest moment being seen because they'll surely forget about us yeah and if you help them and if you help them forget about us they'll do it quicker so let's you know you know all right so i just wanted to say i apologize but you said the wardrobe. Whoa. What? I said, I apologize. What you apologizing for? What you done say? For helping out the mess.

Because he talking to us. He's very intentional. He's very intentional about the stuff that he's saying. And he keeps saying mess and Jess. And I understand. So I apologize, Usher. But did you know Jermaine Dupri was going to wear that? Yeah, y'all didn't keep Jermaine Dupri in the highest of prestige.

Absolutely we didn't. No, Jermaine knew exactly what he was wearing. And you know what? He should because that's his story. And that's what's dope. The reality is the first time we saw Michael in glittery socks, we laughed. The first time we saw Prince with his cheeks out, we all

laughed and we thought that shit was funny until it became his moment. That's his moment. We're just looking at it. It's cool. Y'all look at it however you want. I see something that's going to continue to grow. It's all about how you look at life, man. It's how you look at it.

I'll tell you, being a dreamer... Just know that you definitely have the influence to determine how people choose to look at things. So frame it in the right direction because our icons matter. And that's why I said Usher Raymond is an icon

who should always be treated as such. Me and The Dream had this convo and I don't know why it just stuck with me that night when The Dream said it. I'm like, yo, The Dream is right. We have to celebrate the legends that we have now. I really think it's because y'all still here. Which is sad. Sure is celebrate the legends that we have now i really think it's because y'all still here it sure is sure as technology becomes obsolete you know you could assume that music and the spirituality that's inside of it will too but it won't it'll always be there but why not celebrate the people not just what they made let's celebrate them and let's make them feel loved because they

gave something they dedicated they made you feel something they made you fall in love they made. Let's celebrate them and let's make them feel loved because they gave something. They dedicated. They made you feel something. They made you fall in love. They made you happy. They made you smile. They gave you energy. They gave you something that you needed in that moment. So why not continue to lift them up? That's why at every show you see me bringing the artists that I know have been influential to my stage. I ain't hiding them. I'm not trying to make them look bad. I'm like, no, let's make them look great. Let's continue to lift our own people up. Let's lift each other up. Let's continue to push each other

up. Jess, you know, I stay on you. I'm like, yo, do it better. Come on, do it better. Yes. Lift me up then, Usher. I got you. I'm going to keep pushing you. I'm going to make you great. I want you to be great. That's it. That's all I want. I'm going to keep pushing you. I'm going to make you great. You know what I'm saying? I want you to be great. That's it.

That's all I want. I want greatness for our people. I want our people to make certain that we know we are great. Absolutely. You know what I'm saying? You know, Usher, have you seen some of your old moments, like when you was on stage with Nicki Minaj and you was headbutting her ass? Why was you so unhinged? Yeah, absolutely.

Why was you so unhinged in that moment, Usher? Yo, by the way that was jamaican culture so you gotta go to you gotta go to jamaica you know what i'm saying that was just the moment that was it was fun and by the way it was me playing my bass so i i would have probably bumped my shoulder or my hand you know what i'm saying but i had my bass in my hand so i was playing so i just kind of bopped off her body a little bit if you go back and look at the video you'll understand because i did it there the first time. That was a little bit of Jamaican culture. It was on beat and everything. It was on beat and I was like, damn.

I think I was reaching a bit when I smacked her, though. I shouldn't have smacked her, but I shouldn't have did that. See, you got to lift her up, man. No, I mean, I was lifting. And I always wondered, too, what was your reaction to the Boondocks episode about you, man?

That keeps coming up. That's been coming up all wonder, too, what was your reaction to the Boondocks episode about you, man? Yeah. Because that keeps coming up. That's been coming up all week, too. Yeah. Yeah, I hate Regina about that. I mean, they crazy. It's funny, but I guess that's the truth on the other side of what happens. That's the Usher effect, I guess.

I don't know. Most talked about man ever. That is who you are yeah but yeah i appreciate that but hey in in no way uh anything that was done there should have been uh viewed as uh bad or or in any way uh perverted or anything like that. No, it was literally about, you know, having fun because of a song that me and Alicia made many years ago. And we celebrate it because of the legacy of it and no disrespect to anybody or anything like that. Have you and Swizz and Alicia shared a laugh about it?

Absolutely laughed about it. It's crazy how people pick, they handle. It's all about how you present things, man. But it's all love. Shout out to the Dean Collection. Y'all get out to Brooklyn and check out the Dean Collection this year. Tell us about your Black Love in Atlanta TV show that you got coming up. Oh, it's coming. There's many things on the horizon.

By the way, as I develop these concepts and ideas, I'll tell you more within the process, but I'll just give you the inspiration of why. What it becomes is something that will be unveiled in time. I think that we as artists,

there's a price that we all have to pay in entering this industry. And most of the time we either sell off our publishing or either we don't retain it because it's not an option to or either we don't value it because it doesn't have value in theory. But what the value becomes is something that people have already recognized. A story, a song. Storytelling is something that I've always done. So what I did is I've taken the songs of the masters that I don't own and I reframed them into now something that is a narrative piece that you'll be able to see. So you already know what the story is and you know what the crescendo of the story is. But here's just another way

of you flipping or hustling, you know what I'm saying? If you want to call it a hustle, but the reality is I own the idea, but I don't necessarily own the IP. So why not go after some other portion of it to use it to, to storytell? How does it make sense? It makes all the sense. How does it feel to have coming home speaking in the, how does it feel to have coming home on your own label? It's amazing. Um, you know amazing um you know i'm really uh hoping that it continues to pave the way and show you know artists who have been in this industry for

you know 30 plus years that no matter you know how long you may be in it you know keep going keep going keep striving find great partnerships um because it's really a result of having an amazing partnership with L.A. and also to Larry Jackson that makes it what it is. But, you know, 30 years after signing my first deal and having now come back as an independent artist and having the type of reaction to my music i don't take that lightly i do appreciate the love i do appreciate the fact that people you know they're gravitating towards the music that they're interested in it uh that they that it connects with their lives as it has connected to mine uh and it and i'm just it's just the next chapter and installation of my life ruin is one of my favorite songs off the album oh my god you knew i was going to say that because

i'm the one that put you on with the song. Anyway, I love Ruin with Phils and I was going to ask you it is one of my favorite songs, but it is the one that I do my makeup to every morning. What was that about? I'm giving you a whole book of yous.

I love your yous. Well, thank you. Who inspired that song? Am I Usher or Usher? Which one? Usher. No, he's not Usher. He's just Usher. It's Usher. That's it. I want to know who inspired Ruin.

Life. Life inspired Ruin. The idea that we can be in relationships that, you know, can change your perspective. You know, you can open yourself up, you know, especially for men. You know what I'm saying? It's like, you know how hard it is to get my heart to open? And then when it does, you know, this one, it killed me. It pushed me back.

It made me look at every woman differently until i met my daughter and then she ruined me in a different way because i'm she she's like spoiled and all the things that she should be at her three year old as a three major um she um she ruined me but you know before that the song ideally is about you know when you're in a relationship with somebody who, you know, you try to get it right and then you just can't. And it's like you just you don't look at it. You don't look at any relationship the same because of that one until you meet the one who replaces that love in your heart. That's why I shot the video the way that I did. Yes. And that is i bet you see the video is it's a really really nice visual i really love it yeah the completion of that is is the joy the joy that my wife gave me in giving me my first daughter and um you know i love my boys don't get me wrong but um every man who has a daughter he understands what what i'm saying when i say absolutely that

daughters change you i got four they replace them they replace a love that you can't explain that's right when you talk about relationships usher and you talk i saw when you talk about being in toxic relationships throughout your life can you admit to yourself that you might have been toxic once at some point absolutely okay absolutely you know uh and and it's obviously in the music to say so but i think that we all are a product of what experiences we had as kids and what our idea of love is and what we you know we perceive to actually be healthy love that might not necessarily be uh access is is something that all you know people do have but you know is it better to have a ton when you really you know should really love yourself first you know all of those i mean there's i was taught to be a player you know what i'm saying i

hey player from the himalayas you know i was i was killing him you know what i'm saying but um and he looked at you right he said, he's a menace, man. This man is a menace, man. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And probably turned down

more than I could ever choose to say. But I'm saying, like, to be real, toxic is something that I think we all got to individually

work through. And I did. I did it, you know, in a matter of about five to six years of my life. Things changed because I changed because my 40, my 40th year changed my perspective and it made me want something more. It made me want to love myself more. It made me want to be a better person, hopefully for my children so that they didn't have to be toxic in their lives um you know but i think that all of it is you know kind of you know living and learning that's interesting you say that because i feel like when when you made that change and we didn't even know you made that change that's when it seemed like you started to get your flowers in

a real way that's when things started to shift like the residency and everything started around that time so that says a lot you did the work on yourself and it it came back to you in life yeah we all can we all should and uh part of it is is wanting to uh that belief and uh unwavering commitment to what you believe in your mind no matter what life is presenting you or what people may say about you, that doesn't matter. What you feel about you matters. What I say I am is what matters. I'm a ruler in my own mind. I'm a king and I am building a kingdom in my own mind. And that is all that matters. No matter what may be said, no matter what anyone could choose to say, what I say matters. What I say goes in my life. And I am the

architect of my own destiny. You know what I'm saying? And that's just something you got to remember. You got to remind yourself of that every day, young man. Remind yourself of that every day, young lady, that you are as great as you say you are and if you believe it it will be perfect way to end man usher uh make sure y'all go get the coming home album make sure you go check out usher when he he hits the road this year yes because i'm definitely going yeah just i'll see you out there you can you come in to be more you come in atlanta we playing four in brooklyn so y'all know. So y'all get over there. Well, I gotta come to Baltimore. I really

gotta come in there. You gonna bring me up on the stage? I'm just saying, D.C., Baltimore, Atlanta, Houston, Austin, Miami. But I'm from Baltimore. I gotta go to the ball. You gonna bring me on stage so I can say I love you or do or do.

I got you. It's Usher Raymond, y'allall thank you for checking in my brother thank you you bringing your husband with you I surely am I'll be married by then yes I'm gonna bring him with me he wanna make sure you bring your husband so he can have something extra special spicy done to you that's what he wants

no he gonna lift me up he said he's gonna keep pushing me it. He's going to keep pushing me and lifting me. It's Usher Raymond. It's The Breakfast Club. Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete.

Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zaka-stan. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-a-stan. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, guys, I'm Kate Max.

You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself.

It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best, and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts

or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jack B. Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while running errands or at the end of a busy day. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture.

Listen to Black Lit on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. This is Courtney Thorne-Smith, Laura Layton, and Daphne Zuniga. On July 8th, 1992, apartment buildings with pools were never quite the same as Melrose Place was introduced to the world. We are going to be reliving every hookup, every scandal, and every single wig removal together. So listen to Still the Place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.