Usher

Jan
16
T.I., Usher, Kelly Rowland, & Rick Ross Celebrate Dwyane Wade’s 30th Birthday

Kelly Rowland

Dwyane Wade was living large at his 30th birthday bash in Miami last night. The NBA star partied with his pals at the swanky affair at The Setai hotel. T.I. and Rick Ross got the crowd hype with their performances, a dapper Common freestyled over his single “Celebrate,” and Kelly Rowland serenaded the birthday boy with “Happy Birthday.” If that wasn’t enough, D-Wade was gifted with a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C valued at around $230,000. Other celebrity well wishers included Usher, Flo Rida, LeBron James, and Fat Joe.

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Dec
3
Rico Love Celebrates Birthday with Usher, Mary J. Blige, & Diddy

Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Rico Love

Rico Love turned the lights all the way on at his star-studded 29th birthday bash hosted by Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Diddy during Art Basel week in Miami on Friday night (Dec. 2). The Grammy-winning songwriter/producer, who’s written hits for Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Diddy-Dirty Money, partied with his friends including Timbaland, Cee Lo Green, Yelawolf, Maino, Irv Gotti, and his Division1 signees Cherlise and Teairra Mari, who celebrated her 24th birthday. Guests dined on Italian fare at the invite-only dinner at Vic & Angelo’s before heading to the after-party at Club Play.

Rico was presented with the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “There Goes My Baby” by his close friend and mentor Usher, while “4 AM” singer Melanie Fiona serenaded him with “Happy Birthday” before he blew out the candles on his five-tier music-themed cake.

“I had such an amazing time! I had Diddy, Usher, and Mary hosting, my closest friends celebrating with me—this was so epic,” said Rico, who was named SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year. “2011 was such an incredible year for me and I look forward to another year of #1 hits.”

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Dec
1
Nicki Minaj, Bruno Mars, Usher, & Lupe Fiasco Salute Grammy Nominees

Nicki Minaj

Grammy season got underway with a star-studded concert held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (Nov. 30). During the one-hour special, “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night,” Lady Gaga performed twice—once by herself and a second time with country duo Sugarland.

LL Cool J hosted, Nicki Minaj presented the Record of the Year nominees, Ludacris teamed up with Jason Aldean for a country-meets-rap collabo, and Usher joined Valerie Simpson and Mike Stoller in a moving tribute to songwriters Nick Ashford and Jerry Leiber.

Lupe Fiasco, Common, and LL Cool J paid homage to the hip-hop classic “The Message” by linking with Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel. Backstage, a surprised Melanie Fiona gushed over her two nominations with Cee Lo Green for “Fool for You” and Bruno Mars celebrated with his production partners Phil Smeezington and Ari Levine.

“It means that we’re kinda the coolest kids on the block this year,” said Bruno of his six nods. “We worked extremely hard on ['Grenade'] and I can speak for all of us when I say we’re most proud of that song.”

Kanye West leads the nominations for the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, airing February 12. See a full list of nominees.

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Nov
30
Usher and David Guetta Light Up Late Night on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ [Video]

Usher and David Guetta

After appearing on “Ellen” earlier in the day, Usher and David Guetta heat up Hollywood on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The dynamic duo hit the outdoor stage to perform their smash “Without You” off the French DJ’s album Nothing But the Beat. Ursh and his dancers showed off their fancy footwork as Guetta worked the turntables from behind the LED screen.

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Nov
29
Usher and David Guetta Perform ‘Without You’ on ‘Ellen’ [Video]

David Guetta, Ellen DeGeneres, and Usher

Usher joined forces with David Guetta to perform their chart-topping smash “Without You” on Tuesday’s “Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Looking sharp in all black, Ursh emerged from the smoke as laser beams shot across the stage, with the French DJ working the turntables behind him. Ellen even got in on the fun at the end. They will do it again tonight on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

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Nov
25
Justin Bieber Lights Up Rockefeller Center with Busta Rhymes, Usher

Justin Bieber and Busta Rhymes

Justin Bieber rocked around the Christmas tree with some special guests during a taping of “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” earlier this week. Busta Rhymes marched to the teen sensation’s beat on “Drummer Boy,” which they performed live for the first time. Biebs rapped his verse before throwing it to Bussa Bus, who put a new spin on the holiday classic. The camera phones came out when Usher hit the stage to duet with his protégé on “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).”

The annual Christmas special, which airs on November 30 at 8 p.m., will also feature the premiere of Justin’s video with Mariah Carey for “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

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Nov
23
Usher and Justin Bieber Team Up for Christmas Duet on ‘Today’ [Video]

Justin Bieber and Usher

Christmas came to NYC’s Rockefeller Plaza a month early when Justin Bieber hit the outdoor stage on the “Today” show to perform songs off his Christmas album Under the Mistletoe. The teen idol warmed up the freezing stage by bringing out Usher to cover the holiday classic “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).”

Following the performance, Ursh addressed the recent claims from a woman who says Bieber fathered her child. “A lot of it comes with the territory. Popularity makes you a target,” said the music industry vet. “We’re focusing on more positive things. This year, having the first No. 1 Christmas album ever, it’s a great accomplishment. That speaks to the world, no matter what negativity comes your way, there’s always something positive there.”

The Biebs also premiered the video for “Fa La La,” a duet with his childhood idols Boyz II Men. Watch both below.

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Nov
18
Heavy D Mourned by Jay-Z, Will Smith, & Obamas at Hometown Funeral

Jay-Z

Dwight “Heavy D” Myers was remembered by his family and friends at a funeral service held at Grace Baptist Church in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York, on Friday (Nov. 18). Jay-Z, Usher, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, John Legend, Queen Latifah, Denzel Washington, Salt-N-Pepa, and more gathered to pay their respects to the self-proclaimed “Overweight Lover” at the star-studded sendoff.

An emotional Diddy remembered his friend, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 44. “Heavy D was the first person to believe in me. He’s the person who made me who I am today,” said the Bad Boy mogul, who was seated in the front row next to Heavy’s parents. “I’ll admit that I took Hev for granted. I always thought he’d be there.”

Johnny Gill, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, and Heavy D’s nieces performed, while Anthony Hamilton walked down the aisle singing a somber version of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Even the First Family grieved the loss of the hip-hop pioneer. “We extend our heartfelt condolences at this difficult time. He will be remembered for his infectious optimism and many contributions to American music. Please know that you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers,” read a note from the Obamas, which was delivered by Rev. Al Sharpton.

Heavy D’s daughter Xea Myers also gave a touching tribute to her father during the two-and-a-half-hour funeral service. “He was just amazing,” said the 11-year-old. “That’s why we’re all here today. To celebrate his love and passion.”

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Nov
16
Rihanna, Usher to Perform at Grammy Nominations Concert

Usher and Rihanna

Are more Grammys in the future for Rihanna and Usher? The music superstars have been added to the star-studded lineup for “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night.”

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