Usher And Diddy's Relationship, Explained
When people learned details about the lawsuit against Diddy that led to his criminal investigation, there were murmurs that Usher was involved. In a suit filed by Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, there were allegations against Diddy and claims that he had sexual relationships with male performers — including one who "performed at the Super Bowl and had a successful Vegas residency," per court documents published by Complex. This led to speculation online that the Bad Boy honcho had an inappropriate relationship with the singer from a young age, as Diddy was his one-time mentor.
An interview with Usher from 2016 resurfaced after the lawsuit became public. In the footage, the "U Remind Me" singer spoke about moving to New York City to live with Diddy when he was 13 years old as part of the "Puffy Flavor Camp" where he was mentored by the producer. "I got a chance to see some things," Usher said appearing on "The Howard Stern Show." "I don't know if I could indulge and understand what I was even looking at. It was pretty wild," he added.
Around the same time, another interview with Usher went viral on X, formerly Twitter. In the footage, Kevin Hart interviewed Diddy about his relationship with the "Confessions" artist. "Back in the days when he was like 10 ... we used to fight over the Frosted Flakes," Diddy said while standing with Usher. In the light of the allegations it led some to believe there was untold truth about Diddy, but Usher had nothing but praise for his former mentor.
How Diddy influenced Usher early on
Eyebrows were raised after footage of old Usher interviews revealed that he lived with Diddy as a teenager, but just before the allegations against the "I Need a Girl" artist came to light, Usher spoke about the early days of their relationship. "I got a tutor, went to New York City, and he began to show me the ropes," Usher told People in February when speaking about being mentored by Diddy in 1994. "Some of the most valuable lessons I could ever learn as an entrepreneur were picked up when I spent that time in New York with him," the R&B singer added. A month earlier, Usher spoke about how foundational that time at the "Puffy Camp" was for his development. "I wouldn't be the artist I am without going to New York," he said appearing on "Club Shay Shay" in January.
Those sentiments of praise had been shared on multiple occasions by Usher through the years. In September 2017 he spoke about Diddy's influence. "I don't sleep to this day. I got it from him," Usher told Oprah's OWN network. Speaking to Revolt in July 2022, the "U Got It Bad" singer spoke about how staying with Diddy exposed him to a litany of artists in the R&B and hip hop community. "It was a culture and I felt like they were ushering me in," he said.
Eventually, Usher repaid the mentorship favor and found a teenage protege of his own in Justin Bieber.
Usher mentored Justin Bieber thanks to Diddy
Living with Diddy at a young age had a direct impact on Usher's future relationship with Justin Bieber. In 2008, the "My Way" artist took Bieber under his wing before the youngster's career had taken off. In 2011, Usher explained how working with Diddy at a young age led to him working with Bieber. "It's helped me understand the importance of having a mentor when I'm working with Justin," Usher told the Daily Mail at the time. You have to make music relevant for now," he said about their collaborations.
A few years after that interview, Bieber found himself making headlines for his multiple run-ins with the law, and it appeared the "Boyfriend" singer was going down a bad path. Usher was asked about his protege's troubles, and mentioned the guidance he received from Diddy. "Artist development made me who I am," he told Nylon magazine in 2014 (via ABC News). "Somebody took the time to help me find what it is that works for me as an entertainer and who I am as a music maker," Usher said.
Besides a working relationship with Diddy that included collaborating on tracks such as "I Need a Girl (Part One)," the friendship between Usher and his former mentor stood the test of time. When Diddy turned 50 years old in 2019, the "Nice & Slow" singer attended the birthday party. At the time, Usher was newly romantically linked to Jenn Goicoechea, and the pair were spotted getting cozy at Diddy's soiree, per the Daily Mail.