Usher As A #Woke Icon

A few weeks ago, I was having a discussion with a friend of mine (a rapper by the artist name Friday) about the history of contemporary R&B. We started with the big names such as Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, then Boyz II Men and Jodeci, et al. And after we had a lengthy discussion on Mariah Carey (and a much shorter one on R.Kelly), we arrived at Usher. Immediately at the mention of his name, the other people in the room shouted “USHER BABY” at the top of their lungs.

Anecdotally, Usher is synonymous with turn-of-the-millennium R&B. According to my friend Friday and co., Usher Raymond IV single-handedly defined the genre for nearly a decade. Yet in 2016, his place in popular culture is questionable. He has not released an album since Michele Bachmann was running for presidential office (remember that?) and the very first Avengers movie. And the first Hunger Games movie. And the first Hobbit movie. And the first Spider-man reboot movie. You get the point.

Well, times have changed, and while Usher released a new album this year after a 4-year gap–which, by the way, was mediocre–younger listeners may only know him as “the guy who was a judge on The Voice for a couple years”. What has also changed in the last four years is the discussion surrounding race and, more specifically, racism against black people in America. We live in an age where black celebrities are now bravely speaking out against the institutionalized racism in our country; Jesse Williams, Carmelo Anthony, and recently Colin Kaepernick have actively protested the sickening treatment of black people in the United States.

Usher is no stranger to the racism discourse; he has repeatedly spoken out regarding the issue, even making the song “Chains” to address the murder of Trayvon Martin. So it was no surprise when race was brought up during his episode of Sneaker Shopping by Complex:

Sneaker Shopping is a series by pop culture magazine Complex that invites celebrity guests to, well, shop for sneakers. In the midst of looking at dope shoes right in my backyard at KITH SoHo (with some incredible interior design, by the way, as highlighted by the opening sequence of the video) Usher speaks regarding Adidas around the 3:40 mark:

For African-American people, I’m not sure; I’d like to know more what Adidas is doing for the culture of people who are making them as cool as they are…greater than just having the right curators.

As someone watching to see which sneakers the R&B singer rocks, it was shocking to hear Usher direct such an indictment towards the three stripes. Although he did try to quickly backtrack on his statement with this:

You know, and not to say that they aren’t. I think Adidas is probably the only [sneaker brand] that has been willing to work with artists. The fact that Missy Elliot had a line with Adidas, Pharrell had a line with Adidas, Kanye has gone from Nike to Adidas…

I was not convinced that Usher was truly content with the German shoe company, and I understand why. Outside of the immensely popular Yeezys–which are basically their own brand itself–Adidas has a street reputation as having an overwhelmingly white and Asian fanbase. Brands like Jordan, on the other hand, have been integral to black culture since the 90s, as Usher says so himself earlier in the video.

Of course, his demand that Adidas should manufacture in the States is questionable. But I agree with the sentiment that, if Adidas is targeting the black American demographic–which they are evidently trying to do–they must join in the pertinent conversation around the strife of black people in this country. And while Usher may not be the #woke icon who made a massive difference by mentioning the topic in the middle of looking at Kyrie 2s and NMDs, I applaud the fact that he was unafraid to speak up–even in the most unassuming circumstances.

Original Article:

http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2016/09/sneaker-shopping-usher