Usher made his return to the red carpet on Thursday when he attended the Black Music Action Coalition’s Fourth Annual Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The outing, where he was set to receive the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award, marked the first time the 45-year-old singer-songwriter had been photographed since hip-hop mogul Diddy was charged and arrested for sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution.
Usher’s years-long connection to Diddy resurfaced shortly after the 54-year-old rapper’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided in March of this year.
Around that time, an interview Usher did with Howard Stern in 2016 resurfaced, in which he described living with Diddy for a year, despite being only 13 years old.
The Nice & Slow singer described observing “very curious things happening” in Diddy’s circle.
Usher made his return to the red carpet on Thursday when he attended the Black Music Action Coalition’s Fourth Annual Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The outing marked the first time Usher, 45, has been photographed since hip-hop mogul Diddy was charged and arrested for sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution; they were pictured together in 2004 in Los Angeles.
Usher cut a striking figure on the BMAC gala red carpet in an all-black ensemble built around a velvet tuxedo.
He wore a double-breasted jacket with wide, shiny lapels and changed the look of the tuxedo with a black shirt and a black tie, instead of the traditional bow tie.
He wore a delicate pink flower pinned to his lapel and paired the tuxedo with shiny black snakeskin shoes.
Usher — full name: Usher Raymond IV — added an extra touch of class with a slim rectangular-faced wristwatch on a black leather strap, and stood out thanks to small rectangular sapphire earrings.
He arrived at the event sporting a well-groomed goatee and very short hair.
According to BMAC’s website, the organization was created in 2020 to “create a unified force of action for racial equity and justice within the music industry and to use the power of our collective voice to uplift communities and drive systemic change.”
In August it was announced that Usher would be honored with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the ceremony.
Other honorees included LL Cool J, BET and Live Nation, while Kenny Burns served as presenter.
Usher cut a striking figure on the red carpet at the BMAC gala in an all-black ensemble built around a velvet tuxedo.
He wore a double-breasted jacket with wide, shiny lapels and changed the look of the tuxedo with a black shirt and a black tie, instead of the traditional bow tie.
He wore a delicate pink flower pinned to his lapel and paired the tuxedo with shiny black snakeskin shoes.
Usher — full name: Usher Raymond IV — added an extra touch of class with a slim rectangular-faced wristwatch on a black leather strap, and stood out thanks to small rectangular sapphire earrings.
LL Cool J was set to be honored with the eClarence Avant Trailblazer Award.
In addition to honoring stars, BMAC also issues a report that grades music organizations (which include record labels, publishers and streaming services, as well as touring and live entertainment companies and the Recording Academy) on how they help Black employees rise through the ranks.
It also notes whether those organizations have made donations to charities aimed at improving racial justice.
Usher received his award in the wake of the indictment and arrest of his former mentor Sean “Diddy” Combs earlier this week on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution.
The rapper-turned-mogul has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He suffered a setback before his trial when a judge denied his request for bail, despite his offer to put up his and his mother’s home as $50 million collateral.
The three-count indictment laid out disturbing details of the rapper’s marathon sex parties, including that Combs would fly in sex workers from around the world for what often turned into days-long, drug-fueled orgies.
He allegedly organized and directed the sex parties, while masturbating throughout the performance and supplying the women with drugs such as ecstasy, ketamine and BHB to keep them energized, federal prosecutors said.
The document added: “After the nervous breakdowns, Combs and the victims were usually given intravenous fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use.”
According to BMAC’s website, the organization was created in 2020 to “create a unified force of action for racial equity and justice within the music industry and to use the power of our collective voice to uplift communities and drive systemic change.”
In August it was announced that Usher would be honored with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the ceremony.
His exit came after a 2016 Howard Stern interview (pictured) resurfaced which showed him talking about seeing “some very curious things” while living with Diddy for a year aged just 13.
Prosecutors said the music mogul’s employees covertly booked hotel rooms for the “weirdos” while supplying them with baby oil, lubricant and extra sheets.
Authorities allegedly discovered more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant in their homes while searching them earlier this year.
Usher previously spoke about his time living with Diddy for a year when he was just 13 years old during an interview with Howard Stern in 2016.
The matter received renewed attention earlier this year when Homeland Security agents raided Diddy’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles.
At the time, Usher claimed he was exposed to some “pretty wild” stuff while living in Diddy’s New York mansion.
The Yeah! hitmaker claimed it was LA Reid’s idea to invite him to live with the R&B singer in Scarsdale to “see his lifestyle.”
When asked by Stern if Diddy’s place was full of girls and non-stop orgies, Usher replied, “Not really… I got a chance to see some stuff… I don’t know if I could enjoy or even understand what I was seeing.”
“It was pretty wild. It was crazy. There were some really weird things happening and I didn’t really understand them,” he said enigmatically.
When asked by Stern if Diddy’s place was full of girls and non-stop orgies, Usher replied, “Not really… I got a chance to see some stuff… I don’t know if I could enjoy or even understand what I was seeing.” Photographed in 2002.
During his appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the Yeah! hitmaker claimed that it was LA Reid’s idea to take him to see the R&B singer in Scarsdale to “see his lifestyle” (seen in 2013)
“It was pretty wild. It was crazy. There were some really weird things happening and I didn’t really understand them,” he said enigmatically.
He was more blunt when asked if he would ever send his children to ‘Puffy Flavor Camp’. Usher replied with a resounding: ‘No way!’; photographed in 2002
He was more definitive when asked if he would ever send his children to ‘Puffy Flavor Camp’.
Usher responded with a resounding: “No way!”
In 2004, Usher told Rolling Stone that Diddy introduced her to “a whole different set of things: sex, specifically.”
“Sex is very popular in the industry, man,” he continued. “There were always girls around. You’d open a door and see someone doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy. You never knew what was going to happen.”
(tags to translate)dailymail
