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Usher is letting his fans and the world know that he's the reigning king of R&B.
During his recent "R&B Tour" stop in Las Vegas, the Grammy Award-winning artist was toward the end of his "Confessions" performance when he pulled out a customized, diamond-encrusted crown with a "U" at the center. He placed it on his head and tilted it slightly before gazing at the crowd and taking a seat at his throne. The gesture was an obvious declaration that he's the true ruler of R&B artists, past and present. While some fans embraced his notion, others felt as if there were better candidates.
"Usher is overrated," one fan argued on X. "Y’all crowned him off Confessions and have been recycling that same argument for 20 years. Take that album away and the “King of R&B” conversation gets real quiet. Chris [Brown] has a deeper catalog, more versatility, longevity, hits, features and cultural presence."
"Saying Chris Brown is the king of R&B over Usher is absurd when Chris Brown can’t put out a good quality album to save his life," another commented. "Usher deserves that crown cus the real king of R&B is incarcerated."
This isn't the first time Usher has embraced the idea of ruling as the king of R&B. During a radio interview in 2022, the beloved singer responded to people calling him the king over other acts like Chris Brown and R. Kelly, but also praised those artists that ruled before him.
“I mean, you call me that, I’ll definitely carry it,” Usher said at the time. “I’mma tilt my crown knowing that I’m standing on the shoulders of all of the icons of our time. It is Michael [Jackson] that I stand on the shoulders of. It is James Brown that I stand on the shoulders of. It is Ronald Isley I stand on the shoulders of. It is Luther Vandross, it is Barry White, it is Teddy Pendergrass, it is all of these incredible artists like Marvin Gaye that will never be forgotten as long as there’s a breath in my body to breathe."
See more reactions to Usher's performance below.