Kaiser and I were wondering if anyone would care about this story, since Usher usually doesn’t get a lot of headlines. I wanted to report on it, because it points to a very clear and very dumb pattern with a guy who is a platinum recording artist and otherwise a savvy businessman. He made Justin Bieber a household name, and as annoying as that kid is you have to admit that Usher was smart for signing him.
For background – Usher fired his mom as his manager in 2007, supposedly at the direction of his then-fiance, Tameka Foster, and hired Benny Medina. Things were so strained between Usher and his mom that his mom didn’t even come to his wedding with Tameka in the summer of ’07. Those two were over about a year later anyway, so Usher rehired his mom in ’08 and finally officially divorced Tameka in the summer of ’09. He then predictably fired his mom again around that time at the direction of his latest girlfriend, (you can see a photo of her here and here) who stepped in as his co-manager and is now reportedly trying to convince him to fire his entire management team and basically everyone who works for him.
The R&B singer is currently dating his co-manager and stylist Grace Miguel, a 43-year-old former Def Jam executive who was spotted with Usher mere months after he split from his ex-wife Tameka Foster.
But according to NY Post’s Page Six, Miguel is calling all the shots. The seasoned pro, who helped Usher secure a release date for his latest studio release ‘Raymond v. Raymond,’ is trying to convince him to fire his entire staff including tour managers, stylists and choreographers, with plans to replace them with a whole new team.
Sources close to the action claim that “Usher will do whatever she wants him [to] do right now.”
Already on the chopping block is his longtime agent, Mark Cheatham of Creative Artists Agency, who supposedly got the boot from Miguel. “I don’t know anything about it. I’ve been with Usher for a long time,” he explained, though the R&B singer is now missing from the agency’s client roster.
Usher and Miguel have been a hot item as far back as 2009. After filing for divorce from his 40-year-old ex-wife Foster, the 30-year-old [sic: Usher is 32] went public with his relationship with Miguel, who signed on as his co-manager after he gave his mother the boot from the position.
[From Popeater]
So Usher either has his momma or his older girlfriend telling him what to do and running the show for him. His last relationship, with Foster, went down in flames and this one is going to burn out soon too. He wants someone to run his life and make decisions for him until he ends up feeling controlled and rebelling. The guy needs therapy to work out some obvious issues with his mother. I’m sure he’ll rehire her as his manager again once this new relationship inevitably goes south. Then he’ll write another album about it and make millions.
Usher is shown out in his blue hightops in NY on 4/8/11. I’m pretty sure that’s his girlfriend in the background to the right. He’s also shown performing in Paris on 2/15/11. Look at that scraggly excuse for a beard. Credit: Fame Pictures
You just can’t fix stupid. Clearly his business decisions are motivated by what’s in his pants.
Didn’t he learn from the last times? Geeez!
He likes the older ladies, doesn’t he!
I had the *BIGGEST* crush on Usher circa 1997, “My Way”.
It’s ironic to me that he sings about HOT women, etc, but he clearly doesn’t believe in what he sings.
See, this is the problem with babying your kids and making your son a mama’s boy. Now he’s always going to be looking for someone to take charge and be his mama.
He is a gold digger magnet. I really love Usher, IMO he is very talented and a stand-out R&B singer. He is so wrong for ditching his mom at a dumb girlfriend’s wish. That women is seriously trashy to even suggest firing/replacing his own mother as his manager.
@Dorothy, sadly ITA.
@ MollyB: I will be his Momma if he wants to put me on that kind of payroll.
Wow. Little Oedipus here needs to learn a lesson and how. If I were his mom, I’d stop taking the job, but I guess if we’re all in it for a paycheck…
This guy is clearly letting his penis run his career, what an idiot
This chick makes Tameka look like a super model.
p*ssy-whipped much?
He really has mommy issues. His mommy stays in his life businesswise, and he gets involved with older women. Interesting.
Hmmmm, can’t figure out his type. It’s not looks and it’s not intelligence. Y’all are right, I guess, about the mommy complex.
I know this is terrible but the guy can do better can’t he? I mean he isn’t fugly or anything. Dang!
Tameka Foster might be “old” but she’s pretty, this new one’s just “old”, and Usher doesn’t look like he’s been near a stylist in a while.
Usher sure does like the manly looking chicks. I bet this boy’s freak runs deep & one day he will be at the center of the scandal to end all scandals.
wow – he sure does have some issues!
Stupid is as studid does! He just doesn’t learn.
His girlfriend is NOT attractive, but Usher is nothing to write home about. I just don’t see it where he is concerned.
Whupped or not?
As my neighbor would say while blowing cigarette smoke out of her mouth:
What are ya stupid or something? (Rasising voice) Didnt ya learn the FIRST TIME YOU DUMBASS?
Couldn’t say it better myself.
Sorry but this chick is fugly. I guess looks doesnt matter to Usher but dang he could do alot better than that. Bring back Tameka atleast she was easy on the eyes.
When the rumors of his s@% tape came out, the gossip was that he was into some unusual submissive-type action, so maybe these girlfriend-manager setups are an extension of that.
Full facial hair is not working for him, it’s come in too scraggly.
@Dorothy & MollyB – ITA… He doesn’t seem secure in his ability to make his own choices, & he just searches for women who will take charge…But this didn’t work last time, you’d think he’d know better. You’d think he was in charge, having obviously made good choices for himself in the past. But he’s really ‘whipped’. (& not in a good way).
I don’t understand why he always chooses ‘masculine’ women who are much taller than he is. Lord knows he’s decent in the looks department.
Personally I think the guy should’ve been ‘sacrificed’ for unleashing the supremely annoying Justin Beiber upon the world. (Can’t stand that kid.)
Now I see where JB got his love for ugly shoes.
she spotted that sucker
Is he the one who tweeted the price of every little thing he bought while on a trip to Dubai or somewhere?
So he keeps firing the woman who helped make him the success that he is, for women who, while in or close to the industry, have NO ACTUAL TRACK RECORD in *managing* multi-million dollar acts on their own. Klassy…
If his Mom keeps going back, then she’s just as much the problem as he is (i.e., women who make their sons the only “man” in their lives).
He should stop dating – his choice of women suck big time…the man is using the wrong head to make decisions about his future at this point
He’s gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous, and did I mention talented? Sounds as if his personal decisions aren’t so great, but hey, it’s his life.
@ Sigh. I agree with you about his manager. As far as momager are concerned, I have been impressed with how she manager his career before the women started entering his life. I watched a special on MTV a few years back and it explained why she went that manager route, the stuff he could have been exposed to was pretty…well. I have seen his mother in interviews and she was honest and savvy and did not make excuses for him and wanted him to be successful with a great work ethic which, despite his personal life, has. When he dropped his mother, there was a difference in his career.
considering the second leg of his US tour starts in a couple weeks, this doesn’t seem like a great idea.
Wearing dumb shoes makes you look like a midget 😆
So he likes being beaten up and pushed around by mommy figures eh? Classy.
Yowza! She’s fug. When Usher finds out how fugly we think she is he’s gonna have another awesome meltdown o’ protectin’ his woman on MTV’s latest Countdown show or whatever they do these days (is there a place for music there still, let’s hope).
Let the Meltdow begin. She’s FUG, Usher, you hear me? Eagerly awaiting your crazed reaction.
OMG. He’s actually talented. Hope he knows what he’s doing.
His new girlfriend’s even older than the last one?