Usher, the current musical flavor of the times, was nominated for five awards at the upcoming Vibe Awards. On the strength of his top selling album, Confessions, he has become the biggest star in the music industry, for the time being. While he has been making music for years this period of time represents the height of his popularity among all audiences. The idea of a celebrity becoming the flavor of the moment is tried and true however if you spend the time to dig a little deeper a more sinister plot begins to reveal itself.
To say 2004 has been the year of Usher is not a ridiculous statement. But if that is the case, then surely 2003 belonged to Justin Timberlake. Ricky Martin owned 1999, and so on and so on. With each year we are subjected to a new artist of the moment, each one slightly altered from their predecessors to help them stand out. While you could say this is due to intelligent marketing, it can also be perceived as going beyond simple good publicity and that is has an obvious scientific methodology to it. To further illustrate this theory I will explore the rises in fame of the three men mentioned above, Usher, Justin and Ricky. The following observations are in no way meant to denigrate their accomplishments or abilities, nor to cast a condescending eye on their millions and millions of fan who enjoy their musical offerings. That should hopefully serve as a pre-emptive measure to any hate mail that might be authored in response to this article, having learned my lesson previously after making a snide comment in regards to Shakira.
Starting first with Senor Martin, who rose to stratospheric heights in 1999 and the following year. With a exhilarating performance at the Grammy’s and an undeniable catchy hit “Livin’ La Vida Loca”, Martin found himself at the forefront of the so-called Latin explosion. I hesitate calling it full-scale explosion just because prior to 1999, Martin and many other singers, such as Marc Anthony, were already huge stars in the global sense and just because the American public finally started paying attention doesn’t mean that only from that they were validated. Overall, the timing of Ricky Martin was perfect, the Hispanic scene was the new “It”, Miami was the hip new city to live in, etc. All of which makes the sudden emergence of Ricky Martin all too convenient. Certainly there are instances of “right place right time” but more often than not, that equation is anything but legitimate. No, I think that certain people got together and decided that Ricky would be the big star. Who those people are I’m not sure, but their power is far reaching, covering all media outlets thereby ensuring maximum coverage on TV, radio, and print. So based on their decision we embraced Ricky Martin into our lives. On it’s own, it seems harmless, the idea of creating stars is an age-old practice, but never before has it been some blatantly planned and easily controlled. Ricky said all the right things, he always smiled, he was the perfect mix of Latino flavor and “wholesome” American demeanor. His star shone brightly on the American media landscape for a few years, but as with all products, he soon becomes obsolete.
Enter the next phase named “The Justin Timberlake” project. First cultivated in the boy band circuit, where all potential experiments iron out their kinks, it was only a matter of time till the scientists decided he was ready. As opposed to the Hispanic flair of Ricky Martin, the taste of the public had shifted, instead focusing now on black culture, as interpreted through the white audience. This is why Timberlake worked so well. He combined the singing and dancing abilities of a younger, more san, Michael Jackson, the good looks befitting a proper Southern boy, and he carried and presented himself as a lover of the hip hop culture. The recipe of all the parts mixed perfectly and Justin became a mega-star. Where as he was once the butt of jokes from his boy band days, now he was legit, hanging out with Timbalind and the Neptunes. He broke up with a then still in her prime Britney Spears and managed to actually upgrade to Cameron Diaz, although he made some impressive, and all too planned pit stops with Janet Jackson and Alyssa Milano. For a short period of time, he could do no wrong and those responsible for his success were no doubt sharing toasts and laudatory speeches. The project managers probably figured they had the next five years taken care of. Then “Nipplegate” happened, the image was tarnished and the scramble for a replacement began. All of which brings us to the man of the moment, Usher.
Although he first hit the scene way back in 1994 as a fresh faced singer who appealed to the bubble gum audience Usher had seemingly faded away from public consciousness. As is the case with many projects, Usher served his purpose and was no doubt on a course set for oblivion. He got older, meaning the squeaky clean image, once a positive, was now holding him back. Then the Super Bowl happened, and Timberlake fell from his lofty perch. Someone was needed to replace him. But they couldn’t just serve up a carbon copy, they needed to make slight alterations while keeping the core components intact. For instance, the Michael Jackson type performing style remained, based on its success over the years. But other tweaks were needed. Taking into account the Timberlake was a Southern White boy who acted black, the next logical step was to get another Southern Boy who actually was black. Usher was perfect. Much like they did with Timberlake, they paired up Usher with the big names in hip-hop, Little John and Ludacris and recorded a song, the hit “Yeah.” Finally, the last step, break him up with girlfriend Chili, of TLC, and put him out on the market as a sexy, single singer who was out having fun but wouldn’t get too wild. All of which was done and presto, Usher is the man.
This practice that I’ve just described has been going on forever. Elvis begat Ricky Nelson. The Beatles produced the Monkees. David Cassidy is a classic example of the almost mechanical creation of a pop star. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the practice remains to this day. Nor will it ever end, because while Usher is on top right now, in time people will get bored of him. Then the question will be who is next? Aaron Carter? Bow Wow? A complete unknown? Time will tell.
