![]() “You Make Me Wanna…” and “My Way” didn’t trail too far behind. Of the three singles, “Nice & Slow” scored Usher his first No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and later peaked at No. It was a pivotal album that helped set the stage for the Usher we know today. 16, 1997, via LaFace Records, My Way reintroduced Usher significantly. USHER MY WAY ARCHIVEMusic is an emotional experience no matter how small or major it is, it can read when it’s real and coming from an authentic place.”Ī post shared by Classic HipHop Artists Archive on Sept. He continues, “And if I were to be successful, I’d be willing to put it all on the line for what I believed in versus what somebody believed me to be - meaning their version of what they felt like I needed to do to sell. “ the first time I ever felt confident enough to do it felt like I was doing something authentic to who I was.” ![]() “I think it was the first time that I’d ever done it,” Usher says of his participation in the songwriting process. Of the six, Usher helped write five of them, including the album’s three singles: “You Make Me Wanna…,” “Nice & Slow” and “My Way.” (Note: Technically, it’s seven tracks for Dupri and Seal and six for Usher, when counting the extended version of “You Make Me Wanna…) I think that’s where that trust came from.”ĭupri, along with Manuel Seal, ended up co-writing and producing six songs on My Way. He knew that I was going after this just as hard as he was gonna go after it. I wasn’t giving songs that were just laying around the studio. USHER MY WAY HOW TO“That’s how I learned how to write and produce for people,” reveals Dupri, “by incorporating their life into the song to make them know that the music is for them. I never tried to get him to do anything that I don’t think he wanted to do,” Dupri shares.Ī post shared by ClassicDupri time they spent together in and out of the studio helped formulate songs that mirrored Usher’s true experiences. “I listened very closely to what he wanted to do. Even though it was unknown territory for Dupri, he insisted on being an active listener as he was with other collaborators. ![]() It was Dupri’s first time working with a solo male R&B singer like Usher. Usher and Dupri spent time together, bonding and getting to know each other. None of that information was given to me.” “I didn’t know LaFace had gone through several options of trying to do his second album. “Interestingly, when we did My Way, I didn’t know LaFace was on the verge of dropping Usher,” Dupri tells Rated R&B. When Reid approached Dupri about working with Usher, Dupri, at the time, wasn’t made aware of how much of a make-or-break moment it was for Usher. Reid reached out to Jermaine Dupri, a buzzing songwriter and producer then, who had already scored hits with acts such as Kriss Kross, Xscape and Mariah Carey, to name a few. He wanted an active role in his storytelling, instead of recording songs written by others that were impersonal. He didn’t want to work with too many producers and writers like his first album. He had gained new experiences that he wanted to share from his perspective. In Reid’s book, he claimed that when Austin turned in the album, “it didn’t have the magic.”Ĭoncurrently, Usher was entering young adulthood. He initially recruited Dallas Austin, who had scored hits for TLC ( CrazySex圜ool) but also had experiences working with youthful acts at the time, such as Boyz II Men and Another Bad Creation. Reid knew that Usher was the total package, but needed the right music to take him to the next level. “I had to believe that I had to at least have an idea of what the journey represented because, in this whole thing, people choose success to represent things or certain milestones. ![]() “I felt like it was a make-or-break moment for me,” Usher says candidly. When it was time to work on Usher’s second album, My Way, there was an urgency to get the music right this time around. He wanted Usher to be edgier than what LaFace was known for at the time.) (Usher had spent time in New York City under Puffy’s wing, as requested by Reid. ![]() I first search for style, even before songs… I didn’t want a hit for Usher from Puffy, I wanted a style,” wrote Reid. “What was great was I didn’t hear a big hit - far more important, I heard a style. In Reid’s memoir, Sing to Me, he recounted the first time Sean “Puffy” Combs, who served as executive producer, played the album for him. It was an eye-opening moment for Usher and the label - sorta. While Usher scored entries on the Billboard Hot 100 with the first two singles, it wasn’t an overwhelming success. ![]()
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