Usher's career taking off, lands him at BJC Sunday

Teen-age R&B sensation Usher wants to add his name to the elite list of hip-hop royalty in the near future. By touring with both Mary J. Blige and Puff Daddy in the past year and Janet Jackson this fall, the young star just might attain his goal.

Usher will join the self-appointed "Queen of hip-hop," Mary J. Blige, at 7 p.m. Sunday in The Bryce Jordan Center with special guest NEXT.

Usher, following in the successful footsteps of Blige, has been on the Billboard 200 chart for 27 weeks with his sophomore album My Way. The album now holds the No. 12 spot on the chart.

Usher gives God, his mother and himself credit for the success of the album.

"I'm a lot less shy and more confident about myself than I was with my first album," Usher said.

The Tennessee native said he also had a lot more creative input on his latest album than he did with his self-titled debut. Usher co-wrote six of My Way's songs.

Stephanie Segal (freshman-communications) said she liked My Way so much that she decided to buy tickets for the concert.

"After the second time I listened to it, it grew on me," she said. "Now there is absolutely no song on the CD I dislike."

Besides having a hit album in 1997, Usher also tried out his acting skills on the television show "Moesha."

"It was a lot of hard work, but the actors on the set made me feel right at home," he said. "Acting is not something I would like to do right now. I just want to concentrate on singing."

Despite Usher's singing and acting skills, some students, such as Michael Shrieves (senior-agricultural sciences), admire other aspects of Usher's talent.

"I think that Usher is a really good dancer, especially in his video 'You Make Me Wanna,' " Shrieves said.

Usher said he and his choreographer have a West Side Story vision of dancing. However, he added, "dropping my pants during a routine on stage is just my idea of a kid having fun."

Usher had many opportunities for pants-dropping during his recent tour with Puff Daddy.

"My biggest rush during the tour was the response the audience would give me after I did that," he said.

Just like his past tour partner Puff Daddy, Usher would like to become a producer.

"If there is anyone in the world I would want to change places with, it would be Puff Daddy," Usher said, because he likes that Puff Daddy works with people outside the hip-hop genre.

"I would like to do the same thing sometime in the future. Maybe work with Elton John or Stevie Wonder," Usher said. "That would probably freak a lot of people out."

One person he said he will work with in the future is Janet Jackson. He is scheduled to begin touring with Jackson this fall.

Even though his touring schedule may seem endless, Usher said he enjoys his busy life.

"Touring does take away from my personal life, but it is worth it," said Usher. "I would perform on street corners for quarters because I love my job so much."