My Way: 10 Artists Usher Has Influenced
R&B sensations inspired by Mr. Raymond.
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You Make Me Wanna - Usher has sold over 30 million records and his talents were recognized as this year’s BET Honors. Be sure to tune in on Feb. 23 as the dancing and singing sensation will be presented with the Musical Arts Award, but until then, check out a few of your favorite stars confessing about the impact Mr. Raymond has had on their careers. –– Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA) (Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)
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Justin Bieber - Justin Bieber studied his mentor’s résumé and belted out a few of his hits on the YouTube circuit. Bieb even sang “U Got It Bad” during his audition performance for the R&B king. He told ABC back in 2012, "Usher is super-super talented and a great guy. He was at my video set for 'As Long As You Love Me' saying, ‘Breathe. You need to take it here and smile for that camera. He’s always giving me positive feedback and stuff.”(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
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August Alsina - August Alsina grew up studying the “My Way” chart-topper and wasn’t afraid to let his mentor know that he wanted to soak up game from him. He told The Breakfast Club about opening for him on The UR Experience tour, “More than anything what I’m excited about is Usher is an O.G. in the game ... To now get on tour with Ush and be in an arena where it’s all these people and to actually be doing Madison Square Garden is a very very big deal. That’s huge.”(Photo: Scott Legato/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Scott Legato/Getty Images
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Chris Brown - Chris Brown may be ready to do battle with Usher on the dance floor but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t shadow Mr. Raymond back in the day. In the February 2006 issue of Vibe, a young Breezy spoke on the Confessions creator saying, “He was the one who the youngsters looked up to. I know that we, in the dancing and singing world, looked up to him.”(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
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Omarion - Omarion knew who he was chasing after finding himself in a transitional phase from young boy band star to setting his sights on being one of the premier male solo R&B stars. Speaking with Vibe in the March 2005 issue, he stated, "Usher inspires me the most because that's the position I want to be in one day. When I see where he is, it just makes me work that much harder."(Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
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