Popular music legend Usher has shared his honest opinion about the R&B genre. The “Same Girl” crooner recently revealed what he thinks is missing from R&B, and fans have been reacting.
Speaking to Gail Mitchell, Billboard executive director of R&B and hip-hop, during Billboard’s Live Music Summit, Usher said that the genre’s problem is due to a lack of monetization.
According to him, hip-hop, rock & roll, and country music artists have managed to monetize their genres over the years, but R&B is still stuck in the past.
He stated that those who care about genre must take proactive steps to celebrate its legacy, rather than just focus on nostalgia that has come and gone.
“In the same way that I think all other industries have managed to monetize what they are. Whether it’s hip-hop, rock & roll, country — I want the same thing for R&B. That is the thing that I haven’t done yet.
I want us to celebrate the legacy of what it is that we created. Not just look at these nostalgic things that have come and gone, but be able to savor them and savor their legacy,” he said.
On why he takes his performances seriously, Usher noted that he likes to impress his fans on stage.
He concluded by saying that studying music legends helped him become a better performer, and he has artists like Diddy, Mary J. Blige AND Janet Jackson to thank for the opportunity he had to open for them.
“I want to impress them. And I would like to be as theatrical and use my imagination as much as I possibly can to lift the song higher than what it was when I delivered it as a piece of intellectual property.
I’m an artist who was inspired by legends. If I study the legends, then hopefully one day,” he added.
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