FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USHER TO BE FEATURED ON THE JULY 2008 COVER OF VIBE MAGAZINE
-- Vibe's Cover Photo Features the Newly Married Singer Showing Off His Wedding Band
as He Offers a Gesture Aimed at Anyone Who Questions His Happy Marriage --
-- This Month's Vibe Also Features an Investigative Report on the Controversies Surrounding
Music Manager/Producer Chris Stokes --
-- On Newsstands Now -
NEW YORK, June 10, 2008 –International superstar Usher will be featured on the cover of VIBE Magazine’s July 2008 issue. The cover story – currently on newsstands – discusses the success and star power of the multi-platinum selling recording artist, actor, businessman, and now family man for this month’s special Swagger Issue.
After recently releasing his highly anticipated new album, Here I Stand, on Tuesday, May 27th, the Grammy Award-winning singer speaks candidly to Vibe about the inspiration behind his new music, including his wife Tameka of nearly one year and five-month-old son Usher V, affectionately known as Cinco.
In April, celebrity photographer Jonathan Mannion shot this month’s cover feature on the streets of Harlem, NY. Behind-the-scenes photos taken at the shoot will be posted on VIBE.com on Wednesday, June 11th (www.vibe.com). In the magazine, VIBE Contributor Mitzi Miller speaks one-on-one with the R&B superstar about the controversy surrounding his recent marriage and the newfound joys of fatherhood:
Usher on marrying stylist Tameka Foster: “Am I so much of a bad guy because I decided to get married? Am I so much of a bad guy [because once I got in the situation] I decided to stand for something, build a foundation and think about my future? As a man, you would respect me for not turning my back on it.”
Usher speaks about black love: “It can never be bad to have a foundation as a man – a black man – in a time when women are dying for men. Women have started to become lovers of each other as a result of not having enough men. Are you not studying the stories? Wake up! Black love is a good thing.”
-- MORE --
Usher’s answer when asked if he fired his mother as his long-time manager: “I decided to not fire, not get rid of, but to give [my mother] the ultimate compliment – to retire her to be a full-time grandmother. My mother and I decided to change her situation, together. There was a conversation. I didn’t write her a letter or pink slip her.”
Usher on the pressures of success: “There are all types of realities and dark secrets that every entertainer has. But I’m trying to build a brand. [The retail chain] Target didn’t start in the ‘hood.”
Usher on his new family: “The swagger I possess now definitely comes from my wife. And my son completes me. He changes my perspective on what life is, and what matters.”
Usher on balancing work and family life: “It gets harder because I don’t want to be [in the studio]. I want to be in the house. These are the days of my son’s life, these first three years. I want to be there. The challenge is having it all.”
The July 2008 issue of VIBE also features an investigative report on the ongoing controversies surrounding Chris Stokes, the founder and long-time manager of B2K and Immature. In the issue, VIBE conducts a detailed and thorough examination of the highly publicized allegations against Stokes that have been surfacing in the media since late last year. The 10-page feature includes an exclusive one-on-one interview with Stokes as he provides his own response to the media’s ongoing reports.
Both his critics and defenders speak candidly to VIBE in this thoroughly researched and reported story, including music executive Michael Bivins, formerly of New Edition, former Stokes protégé Quindon Tarver, and former B2K and Immature members Omarion and Marques Houston.
The feature also reviews Stokes’ many career accomplishments as his talents have lead to a series of successful albums and singles for Immature, B2K, and Omarion. Stokes additionally wrote, produced and directed the movie You Got Served, starring B2K and Marques Houston, resulting in a box office hit that grossed more than $40 million.
ABOUT VIBE:
VIBE Media Group, an affiliate of The Wicks Group of Companies, L.L.C., is a leading music/lifestyle media company that publishes the award-winning VIBE magazine, the preeminent brand in urban and music culture, which was founded by Quincy Jones in 1993, now celebrating its 15 Anniversary-year. Additional VIBE Media Group properties include Vibe.com; Comcast's VIBE video-on-demand channel; The VIBE Awards; the wireless content service mVibe; and VIBE Books, which published The New York Times bestseller, Tupac Shakur.
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