“Usher back yeah, Usher back yeah,” these are lyrics from the song “Invented sex remix.” It was Usher proclaiming that he is back and he is ready to take over the R&B game.
After a long overdue wait for his album, his latest CD, “Raymond versus Raymond,” has been released and is ushering in a new era of R&B.
His first single, “Papers,” was a strong message of divorce that Usher sent through song to Ex- wife Tameka Foster. Through this song, Usher displayed his eagerness to let go of a bad marriage and become a new man. This may be the official break-up song of 2009.
His last album, “Here I stand,” sold 1.5 million records. “Raymond Versus Raymond” sales are predicted to go beyond those numbers.
So far Usher has released two chart-topping songs from the album. Songs, “Papers” and “Hey Daddy,” which he performed at the 2010 NBA All-star game, have made Billboard’s Top 100 songs. “Hey Daddy” has been number 31 on the Hot 100 chart and #3 on the R&B chart.
Papers became his tenth number one single to top the R&B charts and it peaked at #31 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Usher has also gained major play on 106 and Park for his video for “Hey Daddy.”
The album includes some of music industry’s best producers such as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jermaine Dupri, Polow Da Don and The Runners just to name a few.
His next single, “Lil’ Freak,” featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, has already doubled his single sales. Will. I. Am, Plies, T.I., Ludacris, and Diddy all make guest appearances on songs for this album.