Stepping Into The Shade Room
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</script></div><p>The latest episode of <em>Stepping Into The Shade Room </em>features Part 2 of our sit-down with <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/usher-fans-tiktok-concert-tickets/?_gl=1*b5wu7v*_up*MQ..*_ga*NTEzNjQ0NDIyLjE2ODM4MTA1OTE.*_ga_V2HX8YP3XL*MTY4MzgxMDU5MC4xLjEuMTY4MzgxMDY0My4wLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Usher</strong></a>, and he made sure to give R&;B its flowers while chatting with host Thembi.</p>
<p>The 44-year-old superstar hit the scene in 1994 with his debut album, and his sophomore project, <em>My Way, </em>was an instant hit that catapulted him to success. Of course, projects like <em>8701 </em>and <em>Confessions</em> further cemented his legacy, and Usher continues to prove himself as a force in the industry. In fact, some have even crowned him the &#8220;King of R&;B&#8221; — but does he claim this title?</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">What Does Usher Think About The &#8220;King Of R&;B&#8221; Honor?</h3>
<p>During the interview, Usher acknowledged other people granting him the honorific title, and Thembi inquired if he personally agrees.</p>
<p>In turn, Usher noted that &#8220;confin[ing]&#8221; himself to being the King of R&;B is &#8220;too short-sighted.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;If I confine myself to just being a King of R&;B, that would be too short-sighted. I love R&;B — R&;B is a segue to [so many] things.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>Nonetheless, as &#8220;people have given [him] that title,&#8221; he says that he&#8217;ll &#8220;take it.&#8221; However, he points out,<strong> <em>&#8220;It&#8217;s so much more than being that.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>Instead, Usher noted that he&#8217;s more concerned about keeping the genre going strong and ensuring it &#8220;doesn&#8217;t fade away.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m more invested in making certain that it doesn&#8217;t fade away.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>He further explained that, as he sees other genres decline in popularity over time, he hopes &#8220;R&;B never does that.&#8221; As a result, Usher says he &#8220;want[s] to continue to encourage people to listen to it.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Genres of music that were very popular at one time, they&#8217;re not as popular. Not as potent — they don&#8217;t hold as much excitement. I hope that R&;B never does that, so I want to continue to encourage people to listen to it.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">He Gives The Genre Its Flowers: &#8220;The Son Of R&;B is Hip Hop&#8221;</h3>
<p>While on the subject, Thembi proceeded to bring up the continual conversation about how R&;B is supposedly &#8220;<a href="https://www.essence.com/entertainment/only-essence/rnb-isnt-dead/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dead</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>In turn, Usher declared that he doesn&#8217;t agree with this sentiment at all. Instead, he said, <strong><em>&#8220;I think there&#8217;s just many different sides to it that might be being looked over.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>He also acknowledged R&;B&#8217;s influence on the hip-hop game.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;When I think about how R&;B has really been the breath that breathes life into hip hop. Let&#8217;s not forget that if it didn&#8217;t exist, hip hop wouldn&#8217;t.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>The artist wrapped up by adding, &#8220;Therefore, the son of R&;B is hip hop.&#8221; <em>You betta preach, Usher!</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Catch Part 2 of Usher&#8217;s <em>Stepping Into The Shade Room </em>sit-down above! Also, be sure to watch <a href="https://video.theshaderoom.com/m/229JZ0nE/usher-surprises-fan-that-attempted-to-see-him-perform-in-vegas-stepping-into-the-shade-room-pt-1?list=ZecZPbrn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part 1</a> if you haven&#8217;t already.</p>
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