June 23. 2009

Usher and Tameka

Sony Music singer Usher has been in the entertainment industry since his early teens, recording for his first album. He made his debut in his mid-teens, with his first album becoming a hit. With each new release, Usher became more popular and racked up millions in sales and dollars.

He toured extensively and went into acting, which generated additional revenue. He bought mansions in Atlanta, sports cars and expensive jewelry. He invested in a few businesses as well. The money was flowing and his career was going well for quite sometime, which is often not the norm in music. He never experienced a flop during his 15-year career, until he married Tameka Foster, against everyone's advice.

Tameka whispers to Usher: I'm gonna stalk you for the rest of your life (joking)

Usher's failed 2008 CD "Here I Stand" helped to deteriorate his marriage. When one goes from selling 10,000,000 copies of an album, to struggling to reach platinum, which is 1,000,000 sold, it can be a distressing event for some. For a career driven artist such as Usher, it was a big blow. He took his career and audience for granted, assuming that success would always be there. He wasn't used to it any other way.

Tameka Foster

However, Tameka gave him very bad advice, such as encouraging him to tell off his fans in her defense, firing his mom as his manager and dumping his proven PR team. She was trying to isolate him from everyone in his circle of friends, including business associates, in an attempt to control every aspect of his life. Considering she does not know about music and management, this was a bad idea. Now his assets are in jeopardy, due to a marriage that didn't even last two years.