Usher responds to Diddy’s claim that R&B is “dead”
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Usher responds to Diddy's claim that R&B is "dead"

Diddy caused a stir last week when claimed that R&B is “dead” during an Instagram Live conversation with acclaimed musician and producer Timbaland that quickly turned into a surreal rant.

“R&B is muthafuckin’ dead as of right now,” he cried. “The R&B I made my babies to? R&B gotta be judged to a certain thing — it’s the feeling though, doggy. No, no, no. It’s a feeling. You gotta be able to sing for R&B and then you gotta tell the truth. R&B is not a hustle. This shit is about feeling your vulnerability.”

Diddy expanded on his feelings, saying: “You gotta muthafuckin make a n-gga dick hard or a woman’s vagina wet. You gotta cry. You gotta be able to get your girl back. I don’t wanna hear all this bullshit […] It’s our fault for accepting anything less for anybody getting on a mic. I feel like there was a death of R&B singing, and I’m a part of bringing that shit back! I ain’t feelin’ no emotions.”

A tremendous statement, it kicked off a debate that is still going strong, with R&B star Usher now weighing in. During a new interview on the SiriusXM show Bevelations, Usher made his thoughts clear, and he does not agree with Diddy at all.

“When I do hear people, even like Puff saying, you know R&B is dead, he sounds nuts to me,” he explained. “It sounds, it sounds, it sounds crazy. You know, especially knowing he was a pioneer in understanding and beneficiary of it.

“You know, the source that is R&B created the breath of life that was breathed into Hip Hop. It wouldn’t be. There would be no Hip Hop if there were not R&B, so it’s blasphemous to hear me say, to hear people say anything, especially Hip Hop cats, to say anything about R&B”, Usher continued. 

“King, whatever you wanna call it,” he concluded. “Yeah, I’ve been working to the point where I do own that, and I do deserve that. And I ain’t gonna ask for it no more. You’re gonna give it. Because I did work for it.”