Mar 5, 2015

#TBT #8701 - @Usher

Let's go back to a time when we were innocent and young, just like the artist known as Usher.

Sometimes it's hard to believe Usher has been in the game since the tender age of 16 signed to Bad Boy. You know how hard it is to stay relevant til today? If you don't know ask Tevin Cambell. No shade but my point is proven.

This week's Throwback Thursday I wanted to slow it down for the ladies (at least that's what I used to say on air whenever I played a slow jam). That and because no one here knows how to talk about R&B anymore. It's not my writer's fault, R&B just doesn't exist anymore. They only know how to talk about sex or make pop music nowadays but that's a different article. 8701 was the ultimate album which really put Usher at the top of the game at the time.

Everyone knows and will admit Confessions was his best album. In my opinion that is a top 5 R&B album of all time and I could put that against The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill or anything Luther and Marvin Gaye put out (which is saying a lot for a project). Anyways, that's a(whole)nother writeup. Let's get to it.

8701 had it's hits we still jam to today. U Remind Me and U Don't Have to Call is on every DJ's two-step playlist to kick parties off with. Audio Crack, literally, you know it's still on your iPod, don't front. If I Want To is another oldie but goodie. It kind of brings back the point I made earlier about sex and R&B. I remember logging on twitter a few months back and seeing someone tweet something like:

"R&B used to be I'll take your girl because you're not treating her right. Now it's I'll take her because I wanna fuck, and I got more money than you nigga."

It's safe to say the brother made his point.

U Got It Bad might be on your phone too. Yeah I know it was sucka breakup music but it was amazing. U Got It Bad is the reason I still wanna learn how to play electric guitar so I can learn that solo in between verse two and the bridge (well that and Take You Down by Chris Brown). I think that solo by itself set the tone for having guitar solos on R&B tracks. Without U - Interlude leading into Can U Help Me was perfect. The album was great, point blank and that's what I thought I'd take you back to. Oh and not for nothing fellas, the ladies love this stuff. This was one of those "OOOOHHHH THIIISSS MY JAM!" albums. Play it for a snowy night in with shawty (kinda like today). Thank Me Later.

Jonathan C. Ramsey
Jonathan C. Ramsey

Multimedia Journalist, Founder and Chief Editor of WTM Host of A-Side B-Side Podcast and more. I like to talk about stuff and write it down. Sometimes to a microphone. Either way, I need you to feel this.

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