Confessions is the fourth studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on March 23, 2004, by Arista Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003 to 2004, with its production handled by his longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Lil Jon, among others. Primarily an R&B album, Confessions showcases Usher as a crooner through a mixture of ballads and up-tempos, incorporating musical genres of dance-pop, hip hop and crunk. The album's themes generated controversy about Usher's personal relationships; however, the album's primary producer Jermaine Dupri claimed the album reflects Dupri's own personal story.
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, record executive. Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. He discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross in 1991. Dupri wrote and produced their breakout 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label, So So Def Recordings in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.
8701 is the third studio album by American singer Usher, released in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2001, and in the United States on August 7, 2001, by Arista Records. Recording was handled by several producers including The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Mike City, Bryan Michael Cox, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Although intended for an October 31, 2000, release under the title All About U, the album was delayed numerous times, following the leak of several tracks onto the online music store Napster. Usher subsequently recorded new tracks and released the album under the new title, 8701, which is derived from Usher singing for the first time in his local church in 1987 and the album's US release date of August 7, 2001. The single "Can U Help Me" was supplied with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and later Windows versions to showcase Windows Media Player 11 and higher WMP versions.
"It's Like That" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri, and Seal, the song borrows the hook "It's Like That Y'all" from the Run–D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go (Live)". Several other tracks were contenders for the album's lead single. However, plans were changed when Island Def Jam Music head L.A. Reid suggested to Carey she record a few more strong songs to ensure the album's success, thus "It's Like That" was written and chosen as the album's lead single, being released on January 25, 2005.
"Burn" is a song by American R&B singer Usher, which he wrote with American songwriters Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. The song was produced by Dupri and Cox for Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions (2004). A downtempo track about the breakup of a relationship, it was originally planned as the album's lead single, but "Burn" was pushed back after favorable responses for the song "Yeah!". "Burn" was eventually released as the second single from the album on March 21, 2004. "Burn" is considered to be one of Usher's signature hits.
"Confessions Part II" is a song by R&B singer Usher, produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox for Usher's fourth album Confessions. Written by Usher, Dupri and Cox, the song is a confession of a man to his woman about his impregnated mistress. This is a continuation of "Confessions Part I" which relates to a man's infidelity. Its personal content evoked rumors and early responses from the public even before its release, believing that Usher was asserting the truth; however, Dupri divulged that the story behind the album is about himself.
"Get Your Number" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by the former two and LRoc. It was released on October 3, 2005 by Island Records, as the third international and fourth overall single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The song is built around a sample of "Just an Illusion" (1982) by British band Imagination. Due to the inclusion of the sample, several other writers are credited as songwriters. Lyrically, the song features the protagonist persistently asking for the phone number of an individual at a club.
"U Don't Have to Call" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Pharrell Williams and produced by Williams and Chad Hugo under their production moniker The Neptunes for Usher's third studio album, 8701 (2001). The song was released as the third US single from the album and the fifth international single. In the US, it was first serviced to radio on January 18, 2002, and it was issued as a commercial single in Europe and Australia later that year.
"U Got It Bad" is a song by American singer Usher. It was released through Arista Records as the second official single from his third studio album 8701 (2001). It was written by Usher, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by Dupri, with Cox credited as co-producer. Released in the United States on August 21, 2001, "U Got It Bad" is an R&B ballad that, according to MTV, incorporates "digi-coustic" guitars, a "slow-burning bass line" and "sex funk" drums. The lyrics notably contain some quick direct allusions to other soul music ballads, mainly Maxwell's "Fortunate" and Prince's "Adore".
"U Remind Me" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement and Anita McCloud and produced by Clement along with duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for Usher's third studio album 8701 (2001). A mid-tempo R&B track, the song is about a man who meets a woman who seems like a nice catch, but he decides not to enter a relationship with her because she looks too much like an ex-girlfriend with whom he had a bad breakup.
"Pop Ya Collar" is a single by American recording artist Usher, released to US radio on October 17, 2000. It was written by himself, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and Kandi Burruss. The song was produced for his cancelled third studio album All About U. The project was abandoned following the leak of the song and several other tracks onto online music store Napster, several months prior to its release of October 31, 2000. The song was instead later included on non-US editions of his official third studio album, 8701.
"My Way" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's 1997 album of the same name. It features an uncredited rap and background vocals from Jermaine Dupri.
"You Make Me Wanna..." is a song by American recording artist Usher. It was released on August 5, 1997, by LaFace Records and Arista Records as the lead single from Usher's second studio album, My Way (1997). "You Make Me Wanna..." was written by Usher along with Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, who both produced the tune. An R&B, soul and pop song in C minor, it makes use of acoustic guitar, hi-hat and bell instrumentation. The song focuses on a love triangle relationship, with the protagonist wishing to leave his girlfriend for his erstwhile best friend, with a hook in which Usher states, "You make me wanna leave the one I'm with and start a new relationship with you". The record won a Billboard Music Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and a WQHT Hip Hop Award, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
"Hunter" is a song by British singer Dido from her debut album, No Angel (1999). The song was released as the third single from the album in the United States on 18 June 2001. "Hunter" reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top 50 in Australia, France, Greece, Ireland, and New Zealand. In the US, it entered the top 20 on two Billboard charts.
"Girlfriend" is a song by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her debut studio album Songs in A Minor (2001). It was written by Keys, Jermaine Dupri, and Joshua Thompson, while production was helmed by Dupri and Keys. The song is built around an interpolation from Ol' Dirty Bastard's 1995 song "Brooklyn Zoo". Due to the inclusion of the sample, Robert Diggs and Russell Jones are also credited as songwriters. "Girlfriend" was released as the fourth and final single from Songs in A Minor outside the United States on November 25, 2002, by J Records.
American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 33 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one "You Make Me Wanna..." and first US Hot 100 number-one song "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001 with his third studio album 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles—"U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
"One Step Too Far" is a song by British electronic music group Faithless. The track features member Rollo Armstrong's sister Dido on vocals and was remixed for single release. "One Step Too Far" was released on 8 April 2002 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, Outrospective (2001). The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the US Dance Club Play chart, and number 21 on the Australian Singles Chart.
"Adrienne" is the second single from American rock band the Calling's debut album, Camino Palmero (2001). When Aaron Kamin and Alex Band wrote the song, they both had girls in mind, but according to the band, they changed the name in the song to "Adrienne" because they did not want to get sued. Released on April 15, 2002, "Adrienne" reached number 16 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and was a minor hit in Europe and Australia.
"I Need a Girl (Part One)" is a single by American rapper P. Diddy featuring Usher and Loon from the album We Invented the Remix. In 2004, the song was featured on the Bad Boys compilation R&B Hits. Along with "I Need a Girl (Part Two)", P. Diddy achieved a rare occurrence by having two parts of a song become chart hits. Part one peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart. It also charted on the UK Singles Chart at number four. The song was ranked number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart in 2002. The song contains a chord progression played on a Roland JV-1080 sound module, using a patch named "Flying Waltz".
"Wish I Didn't Miss You" is a song by American recording artist Angie Stone. It was written by Ivan Matias and Andrea Martin for Stone's second studio album, Mahogany Soul (2001), while production was helmed by Matias, Martin and Swizz Beatz. The song features a sampled composition of the O'Jays's 1972 record "Back Stabbers" as written by Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, and John Whitehead. It was the last song played at Space nightclub in Ibiza before its initial closing, on October 3, 2016. It was played by Carl Cox.
