Usher reveals the significant impact Diddy had early on in his career

Usher is featured on the latest episode of “REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly” and briefly discusses Diddy’s early influence on his career. Tune in!

“REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly” aired on Friday (July 22) to discuss the White Replacement Theory, its impact on minorities, and whether Black Americans are owed reparations.

REVOLT Special Correspondent Rochelle Ritchie hosted the episode, titled “White Replacement Theory And What Reparations Look Like In 2022.” She was joined by the Gen-Z historian Kahlil Greene, social media personality Blanch, political commentator Anthony Brian Logan and educator Conscious Lee. REVOLT Entertainment Correspondent Kennedy Rue McCullough also brought viewers the latest in celebrity news, during which Usher spoke on the influence Diddy has had on his career.

Ritchie opened the show by spotlighting the Great Replacement Theory, which has been touted in the past by Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former President Donald Trump. Ritchie informed viewers that the theory’s followers believe democrats are trying “to replace the political standing of white Americans with immigrants who will vote blue.”

In recent months, perpetrators of mass shootings targeting Jews and Black Americans have admitted to being inspired by the theory. Chad Dion Lassiter, professor of race relations at the University of Pennsylvania, told REVOLT, “We’ve always seen this type of white rage. We’re seeing it manifested in this era more so because Donald Trump has given rise to the white victimization.”

Ritchie held a roundtable discussion with Greene and Blanch to assess whether the Great Replacement Theory is a threat to the Black community. Greene asserted that the theory is designed to threaten minority lives. “When you look at events like what happened in Buffalo, New York, you see that the Great Replacement or the White Replacement Theory is a threat to Black lives through violence but also through policy,” he remarked. “The White Replacement Theory is often used as a way for racist people to target Black and other non-white groups.”

Switching gears, Ritchie turned her attention to the long-standing discussion around reparations. For years, politicians, celebrities and members of the working class have demanded financial restitution for the injustices Black people endured during slavery. In 2019, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) attended a House judiciary hearing and backed the need for reparations so that the U.S. could right its wrongs.

“We as a nation have not yet truly acknowledge and grappled with racism and white supremacy that has tainted this country’s founding and continues to persist in those deep racial disparities and inequalities today,” he declared. Actor Danny Glover attended the hearing and proclaimed, “This hearing is yet another important step in the long and heroic struggle of African-Americans to secure reparations for the damages inflicted by enslavement.”

Ritchie held a discussion with Lee and Logan to discuss whether African-Americans deserve reparations for slavery. Lee strongly believes Black people “most definitely deserve reparations.” “Not only for past trials and tribulations, but ongoing trials and tribulations,” he expressed. “We had the war on drugs. The crime bills. The ongoing things [that are happening]. I would say there’s political, social, economic, state-sanctioned violence that I have experienced that I think should be payable.”

However, Logan disagrees and argued members of the Black community do not deserve reparations and should not expect them. “Slavery ended in 1865, it’s now 2022. We’re still having the same conversation. It’s not gonna happen. It’s a carrot dangling in front of us that will never actually come to be,” he claimed. “I mean maybe our ancestors deserved it if you were actually a slave but now, almost 200 years later, I don’t think that word is appropriate.”

Later in the show, McCullough hosted her “Entertainment Remix” segment and showed viewers clips of her interview with Usher, who extended his residency in Las Vegas. Usher told McCullough that he credits a part of his success to Sean “Diddy” Combs. “Being in New York City with Diddy and being around the artists at that time — whether it was Jodeci or Al B. Sure! or even the hitmakers of that time … Faith Evans — it was a culture and I felt like they were ushering me in,” he revealed.

“Being able to see how artists did it and what was really intended for success, I learned that you gotta grind to get in this industry. I watched that man grind. So, every bit of recognition that he’s been getting and celebration for his career, I think it is well-deserved and he is an inspiration to me,” Usher continued.

Watch a quick clip from this week’s episode up top. Plus, be sure to catch the next installment of “REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly” on Friday, July 29, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET on REVOLT’s app.