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Usher and L.A. Reid are finally reuniting in musical harmony.
The long-time friends and collaborators are coming together for a new business venture in the form of a new record label.
The idea came from the Atlanta native wanting to make R&B “more endlessly consumable,” According to a recent GQ profile, having his own imprint with Reid is a way to ensure the genre’s future success.
While in high school, he signed with L.A. Reid’s LaFace label, which Arista later absorbed. While there, they helped create albums like the masterful My Way and the classic album Confessions before the two had a falling out. After the Sony and BMG merger, Reid went to Island Def Jam Music for nearly 10 years before joining Epic in 2011. However, a few years into the Epic gig, he was forced to leave the label because of multiple sexual assault allegations.
They wouldn’t reunite until last year when they found themselves seated across from each other at a dinner in Atlanta. Once they began talking, Usher asked if he could play him a few songs to get his opinion. And now that they’re back in the groove, they’re inspired to create musical magic together.
“His system is what created that expectation for me, as a young artist,” says Usher, who will be the label’s first signee. “So now, damn near 25 or some odd years later, we feel inspired to go out and create more artists.”
But business aside, Usher also gave a look into how long he’s been in the industry with a short story about being in the studio with Biggie.
