Frogtoon Music

Yeah! by Usher

Artist Biography For Usher


Usher Raymond IV Born October 14 1978 In Chattanooga Tennessee Known Simply As Usher Is A Grammy Award Winning American R&B Singer-Songwriter Producer And Actor. He Rose To Fame In The Late 90s Releasing The Multi-Platinum Albums My Way And 8701. His Success Continued With The Release Of His 2004 Album Confessions Which Has Sold Over 20 Million Copies Worldwide And Earned Usher Four American Music Awards And Eight Grammy Nominations. To Date He Has Sold Approximately 40 Million Albums Worldwide And Has Won Five Grammy Awards. He Released His Debut Album In 1994 And Has Since Released 1997's My Way 2001's 8701 2004's Confessions And 2008's Here I Stand. His Sixth Studio Album Raymond V. Raymond Was Released March 2010. In 1990 Usher Joined An R&B Local Quintet Called The NuBeginnings Which Was Organized By Local Music Svengali Darryl Wheeler And Then He Decided To Pursue A Career In Music. Aside From Recording Usher Has Ventured Into Business. He Has Established His Own Record Label US Records And Is A Part Owner Of The Cleveland Cavaliers Franchise. He Has Also Dabbled In Acting With A Recurring Role On The Teen Sitcom Moesha And Roles In The Films The Faculty 1998 With Josh Harnett She's All That 1999 With Freddie Prinze Jr. And Texas Rangers 2001 With Ashton Kutcher .

Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Yeah!

Yeah! Is A Song By American R&B Singer Usher Written By American Songwriters And Producers Lil Jon Sean Garrett Patrick J. Que Smith Ludacris Robert McDowell And James Elbert "LRoc" Phillips For Usher's Fourth Studio Album Confessions 2004 . The Track Was Produced By Lil Jon Which He Combined Crunk And R&B Genres Triggering Positive Reviews From Music Critics. The Song Features Lil Jon And Rapper Ludacris. The Song Was Released As The Lead Single From The Album In Early 2004 Which Reached Number One On The Billboard Hot 100 For Twelve Weeks. It Performed Equally Well On International Music Markets Topping Several Charts. The Single Was Certified Platinum In Various Countries And The Song Received Awards. In 2003 Usher Submitted His Fourth Studio Album Confessions To His Label Arista Records Thinking It Was Already Completed. However When Usher And The Company's Then-President Antonio "LA" Reid Listened To The Songs They Felt The Album Needed A Lead Single. Although They Had "Burn" The First Song Created Early In The Making Of The Album As Waiting List Usher Had To Record Few More Tracks. Usher Went Back To The Studio And Enlisted Fellow Atlantians Rapper-Producer Lil Jon Alongside Rapper-Actor Ludacris To Produce Songs For Him. Lil Jon Recalled "He Needed A Single. They Had 'Burn ' 'Burn' Was Hot But They Needed That First Powerful Monster. That's When I Came In." Several Months Before Lil Jon Came Into The Production Of Confessions He Was Commissioned By Jive Records To Produce Fifteen Beats For Rapper Mystikal. The Rapper Would Only Choose Two Tracks That Gave Lil Jon The Chance To Peddle The Leftovers To Other Record Labels Subsequently Using It For Usher. Beyond His Awareness Jive Gave One Of The Tracks Mystikal Passed Onto Hip Hop Artist Petey Pablo Who Also Records For The Label. Lil Jon Went To Pablo Who Had Already Recorded The Song Which Later Became "Freak A Leek". Lil Jon Tried To Settle It With Jive By Making Another Beat For Pablo However Pablo Did Not Give Up The Track Considering It Was Already Recorded And Had Gaining Responses From South Radio. Lil Jon Comments "With So Much Invested Jive Wouldn't Give Up The Cut." Lil Jon Reworked The Track And A New Instrumental Was Used From Which The "Yeah!" Was Based. The Song Was Co-Written By Sean Garrett Patrick J. Que Smith Ludacris Robert McDowell And James Elbert "LRoc" Phillips. "Yeah!" Was Lauded By Contemporary Critics For Its Production. Jem Aswad Of Entertainment Weekly Called It "irresistibly Crunked-Out" Adding "ensuing Track Glides Smoothly Between Club-Friendly Hip-Hop Soul And Ballads." Laura Sinagra Rolling Stone Commented That The Song "creates Sensual Panic By Combining Usher's Jumpy Attacks With Jon's Sublime Frayed Beats." Jon Caramanica Of Blender Noted That "Yeah!" Is The First Song To Mix "mainstream R&B And Menacing Southern Crunk." Sal Cinquemani Of Slant Magazine The Song Has Brought Usher To A "whole New Level Of Crunk." Andy Kellman Of Allmusic Described The Song A "crunk-Meets-R&B Foundation" Which Features An "instantly Addictive Eight-Note Keyboard Vamp". He Added That Because It Is "absorbing" Ludacris' Voice Cannot Be Noticed That Much. Matt Cibula Of Popmatters Characterized The Song A "full-Fledged Club Über-Crunk Salacious" But He Added That It Fails To Be A "club Banger". Steve Jones Of USA Today Referred To "Yeah!" A "club-Rattling" Song From A Combination Of "Atlanta's Vibrant Music Scene" Lil Jon's "insistent Beats" And Ludacris' "racy Rhymes". Critics Complimented Usher For The Song. Aswad Called It The "grittiest Song" Usher Had Sung For Revealing His "newfound Maturity". Caramanica Said That It Is "probably The Scariest Record — In A Good Way — He's Ever Made" And Usher "smartly Shares The Spotlight." Cibula Stated That Usher's "smoove-Ass" Singing And Ludacris' Presence Contributes To The Success Of The Single. "Yeah!" Was Nominated At The 2005 Grammy Awards For Record Of The Year And Won The Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Award. At The 2005 Soul Train Music Awards "Yeah!" Was Nominated For Best R&B/Soul Or Rap Dance Cut. Mr. X Formerly Little X Had Previously Captured Videos For Usher's Single "U Don't Have To Call" And "U Got It Bad". Mr. X Was Inspired With The Treatment Of Laser Beams After Listening To The Song. He Felt The Sound Was A Laser Beam For Him Referring To The Beat As "distinctive". Usher And Mr. X Combined Ideas To Create A Dance Video For "Yeah!". The Treatment Was Accompanied Of How Usher Wanted To Be Portrayed In The Video Particularly Showcasing His Dance Moves. The Music Video Was Filmed In A Vacant Art Gallery In Los Angeles Over Two Days. When The Shooting Started Mr. X Recalled Michael Jackson's "low-Tech" And "laser-Flashing" 1979 "Rock With You" Video And Used It As A Reference. Forty Extras Were Commissioned To Dance With Usher And Two Ladies To Tempt Him In Different Scenes. They Went Through Photo Browsing And Phone Calling Opting For Destiny A Friend Of Mr. X Who Seduces Usher In The Club Ala Marilyn Monroe Wardrobe To Complement The Lyrics. Usher's Other Would-Be Seductress Is Portrayed By Model Melyssa Ford. Lil Jon Acted As An Assistant Director During The Sessions. Usher Took Charge Of His Ideas On His Wardrobe And Choreography With Additional Routines Specifically The Rockaway And The Thunderclap Which Mr. X Learned From Jamaica. The Rockaway Influenced Fat Joe And Terror Squad's "Lean Back" Video. Usher's Dancing In Front Of The Green And Blue Laser Beams Is Prominently Featured Throughout The Video. Lil Jon And Ludacris Appeared On The Video As Well. Ludacris Protégé Chingy Also Appears Near The End Of The Video Holding Up His Chain Which Shows His Name. Sean "Diddy" Combs' Former Assistant Farnsworth Bentley Made A Cameo At The End Of The Video As Well When He Was In Los Angeles And Mr. X Begged Him To Dance In The Video With His Violin. The Music Video Debuted On MTV's Total Request Live At Number Ten On February 19 2004. "Yeah!" Topped The Countdown And Retired On May 3 At Number Six After Appearing On The Countdown For Fifty Days. "Yeah!" Became One Of The Most Successful Music Video By Usher Alongside "Confessions Part II" Which Also Remained For Fifty Days. At The 2005 Soul Train Music Awards The Video Was Nominated For Michael Jackson Award For Best R&B/Soul Or Rap Music Video.

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Frogtoon Music Album Info: Confessions

Confessions Is The Fourth Studio Album By American R&B And Pop Singer-Songwriter Usher Released March 23 2004 On Arista Records. Recording Sessions For The Album Took Place From 2003 To 2004 And Featured Production By Jermaine Dupri Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis And Lil Jon. Confessions Showcases The Vocals Of Usher As A Crooner. A R&B-Centered Album It Also Encompasses Musical Genres Such As Hip Hop And Crunk. The Album's Themes Generated Controversy About Usher's Personal Relationship However The Album's Primary Producer Jermaine Dupri Claimed The Record Reflects His Personal Story. Confessions Was An Instant Commercial Success In The United States Selling 1.1 Million Copies In Its Debut The Most Copies Ever Sold In A Week By An R&B Recording Artist. The Album's Continued Success Was Bolstered By Its Four Chart-Topping Singles. As A Strategy To Boost Its Sales Amid Threats Of Bootlegging A Special Edition Of The Album Was Issued Featuring The Hit Single "My Boo". Although It Received Criticism For Its Lyrical Quality Confessions Received Generally Positive Reviews And Earned Usher Several Awards. In 2005 The Album Won A Grammy Award For Best Contemporary R&B Album. The Success Of The Album Put Usher In The Mainstream Becoming The Biggest Artist Of 2004. Confessions Has Sold Over 10 Million Copies In The United States And Has Been Certified Diamond In Sales By The Recording Industry Association Of America RIAA . The Album Has Gone Platinum And Gold In Over Twenty Other Countries And Has Sold Nearly 20 Million Copies Worldwide. Usher Did Not Think Of Collaborating With Many New Record Producers To Handle Confessions. With The Production Started In 2003 He Opted To Continue Creating Music With Jermaine Dupri Who Produced His Last Two Albums My Way 1997 And 8701 2001 . In Spite Of His Vision Usher Contacted A Few New Producers As Well "With This Album I Choose Some New Producers Who I Figured Would Definitely Allow Me To Really Articulate Myself In A Different Way ... Every Album You Gotta Grow. You Gotta Look For Something Different." Dupri Also Invited His Frequent Collaborator Bryan-Michael Cox. The Album Features Productions By Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis The Neptunes Just Blaze R. Kelly And Usher's Brother James Lackey. With Forty Recorded Songs Usher Felt The Album Had Already Been Completed. Initially He Submitted The Album To His Record Label Arista. He And The Company's Then-President L.A. Reid Listened To The Record However They Thought Something Was Missing In It "You Know What There's Like One Or Two More Records That We Just Gotta Get." Usher Was Displeased With The Decision He Felt Returning To The Studio Was The Hardest Part And Needed To Re-Motivated Himself. He Went On Recording A Few More Tracks With Help From Fellow Atlantians Lil Jon And Ludacris. Eventually The Team Was Able To Produce Songs Like "Red Light" And "Yeah!". He Also Recorded Songs With P. Diddy And The Neptunes During One Of Those Sessions But Were Not Released. One Of Usher's First Steps In Making Confessions Was Deciding To Reveal "his Own Little Secrets". Friend And Former A&R Rep Kawan "KP" Prather Thought That It Would Let The Public Know Usher Personally "The Music Has Never Been The Question But People Tend To Buy Into The Artist. The More They Know About You The More They Feel Like They're There With You." Primarily Because Of Its Personal Content Usher Said That This Is His Chance To Be Real. He Named The Album Confessions Because He Felt It Is His Most Personal Record To Date "All Of Us Have Our Pandora's Boxes Or Skeletons In Our Closets. I Let A Few Of Them Out You Know. I've Got A Lot To Say. I've Got A Lot Of Things And Stuff Built In Me That I Just Want To Let Go Of." He Wrote More Songs Than He Contributed To His Previous Album. Several Of The Songs In The Album Were Conceptually Based From A Situation. For Instance "Burn" Was Built Around A Situation Where Usher's Two-Year Relationship With Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas Of American R&B-Hip Hop Girl Group TLC Was About To End. Dupri And Cox Were Talking And Felt That There Is A Song In It And Started Writing. Same Through With The Supposedly Title Track "Confessions Part II" They Were Conversing About An Impregnated A Mistress And Its Concept Was Written Down. Usher Was Recording "Confessions Part II" On A July 2003 Session In New York City United States. With Usher Singing The Song's Lyrics The Theme Of Cheating Inspired Him And Dupri Both Decided To Produce Two Parts "Confessions Part I" And "Confessions Part II The Former Is Heard At The Beginning Of The Video For The Latter . Confessions Is Dominantly In The R&B Genre. Usher Commented That He Chose To Work With Collaborators Who Know "... How To Interpret R&B From A Jazz Standpoint An Old School Throwback Standpoint A New School Point A Traditional Classic Standpoint ..." With Producers And Him Set To Produce Such Album However Other Types Of Genres Including Hip Hop Are Incorporated. While He Wanted To Do R&B Usher Also Wanted His Fans To Experience Hip Hop And At The Same Time R&B "I Try To Think Outside The Box." When Lil Jon Came In The Scene Crunk Was Introduced To The R&B-Centered Album Specifically On The Song "Yeah!". Usher Said "'Yeah!' Could Be Called The First Consciously Styled "crunk R&B" Record." The Album Also Houses Various Slow Jams. It Also Introduces A New Style For Usher Focusing On His Voice And Technique. Andre "Dre" Harris And Vidal Davis Listened To 8701 And Felt That "Usher Really Needs To Sing Hard And Let People Know His Vocal Ability". With Efforts Focused On The Record To Demonstrate His Vocal Ability To Listeners Songs Such As "Superstar" And "Follow Me" Exhibited Usher In A Type Of "crooner Mode". The Ballad-Oriented "Burn" Also Showcases His Vocal Aptitude. With Sales Of More Than Eight Million In 2004 Confessions Is Named In The United States The Most-Shipped Album Of The Year. Along With The Success Of The American Singer Norah Jones's Second Album Feels Like Home 2004 As Well As Breakthroughs Albums By Many New And Old Artists It Was Seen As A Sign That US Record Sales Were Slowly Recovering After Three Straight Years Of Decline Due To Competing DVDs And Video Games And The Prevalent Music Piracy. By The End Of 2004 The Industry Had Sold 667 Million Albums An Increase Of About 1.6 Percent As Recorded By Nielsen SoundScan. Compared With Sales Records In 2003 The Figures Showed Eight Percent Increase. The Public Speculated That 2004 Was The Year Of Usher. The Success Of The Album Put Usher In The Mainstream Becoming The Biggest Artist Of 2004. Others Also Said That Usher Might Be The Successor Of Michael Jackson. The Success Of The Album Had Also Facilitated Usher To Branch Out To Non-Musical Ventures. He Has Opened A Restaurant Starred In A Film Launched His Record Label And Recruited Artists And Has Done Philanthropic Activities Like His Efforts In Helping 2005 Hurricane Katrina Victims. Usher Was Not The Only Person Who Benefited From The Album's Significant Critical And Commercial Success. Bryan-Michael Cox Who Co-Wrote And Co-Produced "Burn" Earned Credibility In The Music Industry For His Role In The Album. Cox Had Been Producing Records For Several Notable American Artists Including Alicia Keys B2K Mariah Carey And Destiny's Child Among Others But He Considered "Burn" As His Crowning Moment Which Earned Him Two Grammy Award Nominations. With 2004 Deemed To Be His Introduction To A Larger More Mainstream Audience Cox Stated In An Interview For MTV That Many People Were Starting To Recount What He Had Done.

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