i was originally updating my article on the spirit world, but i soon realized that my intention for that article has become far removed from what i expected. it was originally planned to be a schizophrenic description of my perception of the literal spirit world, but for some reason it became a corny sentimental monologue about everything derivative of the spirit world. it might be profound, but the intention was it to be a 20-year-old's attempt to emulate hegel's writing (which i never read), not a pretentious restating of the obvious! in order to combat my faux-philosophical tendencies, i will write about a singer while i sit in a chair in Engineering VI waiting for rustoleum neverwet base coating to dry on plastic, tape, and the inside of my lungs.
just as i finish that paragraph, i was called up to use the linear stage on a super weird looking chip. after that i went out to eat a burger with matt and his tall guangzhouer buddy. that whole time, i was listening to usher through my headphones. now, why would a gen z from hong kong going to university in la like usher? usher is arguably the first singer i ever heard of, since his name came up in a conversation with my mom when i was either in kindergarten or in first grade. she was talking about music, something i was too young to thoroughly process, and mentioned how some singers also rap and dance, with the singer that raps and dances being usher raymond. i never listened to much usher at all except maybe one song where he collaborated with justin bieber, but it really came during a hangout with my friends in the first year of university. i was at my friend's house out in bel air, where we engaged in all kinds of shenanigans including playing super smash bros on the switch and taking a shot of fireball coke if you lost. the fireball shots one led to one of us analyzing japanese adult videos and the rest of us dogpiling on a bed.
actually, i take it back, this was the first time i went to the house. i got into usher the second time i went, where i had to leave early with a friend. both of us watched the boondocks, and when the lyft's radio played "burn", i immediately recognized it. of course, my friend was more surprised that i watched all four seasons of the boondocks, something not even most american's have done much less someone from hong kong, but it was then when i started to take a deep dive into usher's discography.
these songs are what i believe to be his highlights, the songs that one must listen to to get a taste of usher's diverse and incredibly catchy musical style.
if anyone were to know usher from one thing, it is that captainsparklez made a cover of this song and called it "revenge". now whenever i go to a party and hear the beginning synths, i am almost certain the next word will be 'creeper' instead of 'usher'. however, this song itself is a testament to usher's ability to create party-shaking anthems and unforgettable hooks that you literally cannot forget even if you tried. i believe that the songs that top charts are the ones that are able to pinpoint a certain melodic pattern, like a combination lock of notes, that perfectly scratches the itch that people have for that melody; it could be luck or immense songwriting skill, but either way usher was able to do that in this song in a way that resonates to this day. as one of usher's most iconic songs, it is not possible to not know this song if there was one song you had to know fro him.
like "dj got us falling in love", this song is incredibly well-connected to usher's name. this one is a club banger, with a lineup of artists that dominated the early 2000s with club bangers of their own. right after usher shouts out his hometown, the synths and drums kick in, then the intensely jarring triangle that rings for two seconds at a time every eight measures keeps you locked in on the song. usher's voice is no longer an emotive, sensual sound, but is now a commanding call to not only party, but to notice who the party is for. the maximalistic style of the song, from lil jon's excessive adlibbing to the sawtooth wave that protrudes through the mix, exemplifies the best of early 2000s dance music and for many literally oozes nostalgia. also, i just realized this album came out on my birth year.