Britney Spears in "Piece of Me"

We asked for your help, and you did not disappoint. You voted in record numbers, whittling the list of Moonman hopefuls for Best Male Video and Best Female Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards down to the final five, as the nominees were revealed Friday (July 25).

After thousands of votes on VMA.MTV.com (along with ballots from select industry insiders), two diverse battles are set. A pair of legendary pop icons will square off against two relative newcomers and one wily underdog in the fight for Best Female Video. Pop queen Britney Spears takes another step on the comeback trail as her "Piece of Me" grabs a nomination, while Mariah Carey will try to end her VMA dry spell with "Touch My Body." "American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks scores a nomination for her Chris Brown collaboration "No Air," and Rihanna is in the running as well with "Take a Bow." Quirky long shot Katy Perry rounds out the Best Female race with her cheeky summer anthem "I Kissed a Girl."

Meanwhile, hip-hop's hot streak continues in the Best Male Video category as two of the hottest MCs in the game face off against some of R&B's leading men. Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" exploded this year, so it's no surprise that he's in the running, along with T.I., whose "No Matter What" chronicles his struggles over the past year. Chris Brown and Usher made the list with "With You" and "Love in This Club" respectively, and Flo Rida is in the mix with "Low."

Of course, when one door closes, another opens, my friends — voting in two other categories is now officially open at VMA.MTV.com. Hundreds of hopefuls will now duke it out in the Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Pop Video categories! The nominees will be announced on next Friday's installment of "FNMTV." After that, two more rounds of voting remain to determine the nominees for Best Dancing in a Video, Best New Artist, Best Rock Video and the highly coveted Video of the Year.

The 25th VMAs will take place at the legendary Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood on September 7. The Jonas Brothers are confirmed to perform, and British funnyman and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" co-star Russell Brand was just announced as the show's host.

• You're In Control Of This Year's VMAs

• Britney Spears
• Mariah Carey
• Jordin Sparks
• Rihanna
• Katy Perry

Usher on the cover of <i>Essence</i>
Photo: Essence Magazine

When Usher cut the cord on his newborn baby, he also severed the connection to his former life. For a cover story featuring the first published photos of his son, the singer revealed to Essence that having a child has changed his whole life — even his music.

Since Usher wants to be the best role model possible for his son, Usher Raymond V, he's made "a deliberate choice to make music with substance." That means no more "music about being the celebrity, the player or having the car, the girl and the bling," he told the magazine. Though songs like that, "Love in This Club" for example, did appear on Here I Stand after his marriage to Tameka Foster last year, they were written before he formed his new family.

The birth of his son and his marriage are "linked," Usher added. "I can't have one without the other."

Usher still feels pained by criticism of his marriage, which he had previously addressed in an interview with Vibe. "The mass media has painted a wrong picture," Usher told Essence. "They think it was forced. I've heard a lot of comments like, 'Oh, she trapped him.' 'He got a baby by her, and then she's married and she's set for life.' No. She wasn't pregnant when I asked her to marry me."

There's no "huge conspiracy" about how he got married and had a child, Usher said. It's just that he "grew older. It's not until you grow older that you recognize, 'Wow, I got it all wrong,' " Usher said. "I'm here to honor God. Then to honor my wife, then my child and family."

Part of honoring his child, Usher decided, is to be the father that he never had. His own father died earlier this year, but he had been absent for much of the singer's life due to drug and alcohol abuse.

"I don't judge my father, because I forgave him anything he'd ever done to hurt me unintentionally," Usher told the magazine. "My father and I had a very short amount of time together throughout my entire life, but the most valuable time was during his final days. He asked me to forgive him for not being there."

Usher's song "Prayer for You" on Here I Stand stems from that conversation, and it's addressed to his son. "No matter what happened, my father always prayed for me," the singer said. "The only difference is, I'm gonna be there to be the father that my dad wished he was to me."

That means, first and foremost, being there. "Reading with your child, being supportive of your child's growth," Usher said. "That is making the choice to put your child before your own vanity." Usher also wants to make sure his son gets the acceptance and attention he missed. "Somebody to play with, somebody to talk to about male things," Usher said. "So what is the one thing that I would want my child to know if I could just tap him on his head? That I'm here. That I love him, and he matters more than anything. And I ain't going nowhere."

Usher hopes to have more children "in time" and loves his three stepsons, ages 7, 9 and 11, as much as he does his baby boy, he said. "Pure love is priceless. You can't put a dollar amount on it."

• Usher

Lil Wayne and Kanye West onstage at the 2008 BET Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Are we really supposed to call them "T-Wayne"? Collaboration kings T-Pain and Lil Wayne — who have revealed plans to forge a supergroup together in the future — made a joint effort to move the crowd during last night's BET Awards in Los Angeles. Pain came out during Weezy F Baby's closing set and helped the New Orleans "Fireman" with his medley finale.

The pair started out with "Got Money" from last week's #1 album, Tha Carter III. In the midst of the mayhem, Pain showed off a T-shirt that read "T-Wayne." Weezy then went into "Lollipop," and the two shouted out the late co-star of the record, Static Major, who died in February. Pain and Wayne sent everyone home right after "A Milli," the most energetically performed number of the trio of cuts.

Of course, there were awards handed out as well. Kanye West got two big wins with Best Male Hip-Hop Artist and Best Collaboration. West brought T-Pain onstage with him for the latter, and Pain took his sweet time getting to the podium: He walked in slow motion all the way from his seat, ensuring that everyone could see his flamboyant circus-ringleader outfit, which was silver and black (with a matching top hat to boot) and had a litany of designs on it. UGK also won two awards (Best Group and Best Video, for "Int'l Players Anthem"), Lil Wayne took the Viewers Choice award, Alicia Keys nabbed Best R&B Female Artist and Chris Brown won Best R&B Male, Missy Elliott scored Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and The-Dream won Best New Artist. (Head here for a complete list of winners and nominees.) Actor/comedian D.L. Hughley was the host of the night, and Diddy and Keri Hilson hosted a live afterparty.

But as always, the highlights of the night — both good and less good — were the performances.

No doubt Usher is one of the top showmen in the game, but the famed pharaoh of performing seemed to lip-sync his way through "Love in This Club" as he opened the show. Ush did display some slick dance moves on a conveyer belt, at one point sliding through the legs of three female dancers.

Kanye West brought the audience to its feet when he joined Young Jeezy for "Put On." 'Ye went through a couple of false starts on his verse, beginning to rap "I feel like there's still n---as that still owe me checks/ I feel like there's still [women] that owe me sex" too early in the song. However, West did compensate for the errors with his undeniable presence.

Very sexy was the pairing of Chris Brown and Ciara during "Take You Down." Cici did gyrations that would make most professional strippers retire as she stood over Brown, who lay flat on the ground. The duo had the dance moves of the night when Ciara slowly fell backward from a standing position and Brown caught her with one of his feet. Only the best can do that!

Alicia Keys brought girl power — actually, grown woman power — to the stage during "Teenage Love Affair." Keys started with her hit, then transitioned into classics by top female R&B acts. SWV came out for "Weak"; En Vogue — all four members, y'all — stepped onstage for "Hold On"; and TLC came out for "Waterfalls." It's always emotional to see Chilli and T-Boz sing without Left Eye. No matter how excited you might be to see the two, there's always a sigh in the heart because the spunkiest part of the group is no longer with us.

Ne-Yo shut things down with "Closer," which was the sleeper highlight moment of the night. Ne-Yo showed off his dancing skills with a very versatile repertoire, which include frat stepping, smooth spins and some foot-gliding.

Earlier in the evening, Al Green had everyone singing "Let's Stay Together," and Keyshia Cole, Lil' Kim, Nelly, Fergie and T-Pain and friends also performed.

• Chris Brown, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, More At 2008 BET Awards

• Fergie
• Keri Hilson
• Missy Elliott
• Lil' Kim
• Diddy

Young Jeezy, Usher and Kanye West backstage Saturday night at the Birthday Bash
Photo: Moses Robinson

Yeah, Jeezy stood beside John McCain on "Saturday Night Live," but the Snowman says he's definitely not supporting the candidate's run for president. Jeezy is for Barack Obama and talks about it on his new LP, The Recession.

The album has a song called "My President's Black," and Jeezy feels so great about it that he's already made and passed out thousands of T-shirts throughout Atlanta.

"My president's black/ My Lambo's blue," he said, reciting lines from the record Saturday night at Atlanta's Philips Arena. "I made that song. It's on The Recession. I motivate the thugs. I'm really proud of Barack Obama. It's crazy 'cause for the first time, we got hope. A lot of times you be out here and do what you do. You see the presidents come in and go out. They really don't help the people, they help themselves and their partners."

Jeezy describes his album, due in August, as full of anthems. Over the weekend, he released his latest mixtape, The Prime Minister, and launched his social-networking Web site, USDA2Day.com. The Snowman was one of the stars of radio station Hot 107.9's annual monster concert, the Birthday Bash. He brought out a myriad of surprises, stealing the show.

"I gave you a show," he said backstage. "[At the] Birthday Bash two years ago, I brought out Jay-Z. Shout-outs to Hov. It's about topping it. Making people step their game up. Relationships is everything. When you really know people, you tell them, 'Come through, we got Birthday Bash. Be there,' and they there? To me, that means everything. This year I called out Dream, Kanye, Usher, Blood Raw. ... I'm from Atlanta, so they pretty much see you every day. They know you gonna come out, but when you bring those special people out, it just gives it that extra umph. Me, personally, I take pride in Birthday Bash. Birthday Bash 13 was mine, by the way."

(Check out pictures of T.I., Young Jeezy and more onstage at the Birthday Bash.)

Kanye and Usher specifically went out of their way to make it to Atlanta for the show. Usher flew in from a promo tour in Japan, while Kanye came to town, performed and flew right back out to make his concert at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee.

"Shout-out to Kanye, he flew all the way in," Jeezy said. "I had to throw him a private jet courtesy of Young."

• T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• Young Jeezy
• Usher
• Kanye West

Young Jeezy and Usher at Saturday's Birthday Bash
Photo: MTV News

ATLANTA — Local radio station Hot 107.9 did exactly what it should have when putting together the biggest ATL concert of the year: make sure that almost all the big names from the city were onstage performing. T.I., Ludacris, Usher, Young Jeezy, DJ Drama, Gucci Mane and newer favorites Soulja Boy Tell'em, Shawty Lo, Gorilla Zoe and Rocko were all paraded out in the Philips Arena on Saturday for the station's annual Birthday Bash concert.

The Bash is in its 13th year and was originally devised to celebrate the birth of the station. What started out as a small party in the park is now one of the city's most anticipated events, and with fans turning out in the tens of thousands every year, the concert needed a big venue: Birthday Bash is to Atlanta what Summer Jam is to the New York area.

In addition to the hometown performers, out-of-town reps such as Game, Kanye West, Akon, Plies, Trina, Lil Boosie and Webbie, DJ Khaled and his artist Ace Hood appeared on the bill as well.

(Check out pictures of T.I., Young Jeezy and more onstage at the Birthday Bash.)

The biggest moments of the show came courtesy of ATL's newly dubbed Prime Minister (according to his new mixtape, anyway), Young Jeezy. The Snowman has been promising a huge show for weeks, and he lived up to his word. Concertgoers in the floor seats were greeted with Snowman T-shirts that read "My President Is Black" on the front, with the American flag in black and white instead of red, white and blue. On the back, the shirts advertised Jeezy's upcoming LP, The Recession. Jeezy's set commenced with a video of police chasing him through the streets in his two-seater until he arrived at the arena.

	Whose side are you on in the T.I. vs. Shawty Lo battle? Comment below, or upload your response video at fnmtv.com. We'll put the best comments and videos on TV!

Finally, Jizzle jumped onstage, inciting the crowd with street bangers such as "Get Ya Mind Right" and "Bottom of the Map." The-Dream was Jeezy's first surprise guest, joining the MC for the "I Luv Your Girl" remix. Jeezy — who, along with his entire crew, was dressed all in black — doled out his trump cards gradually with anthems such as "I Luv It," "And Then What" and "Soul Survivor." Then uncontrolled uproar ensued when Usher came out for "Love in This Club."

Ush had been in Japan but flew in especially to hold Jeezy down. Later, when the MC was doing his sing-songy delivery — "I put onnnn. I put on for my city! On, on for my city!" — the crowd erupted again when Kanye West came out to perform his part in "Put On."

"You got that big fame, homie, and you just changed, homie/ You can ask big homie, man, the top so lonely," Kanye rapped. The fans responded by shouting out Kanye's ad libs: "So lonely, I, I, I, I-I-I-I-I-I-I!"

"I put on for my city. Tell them catch up!" Jeezy yelled after West's verse. Jeezy then let Kanye give the people a taste of "Can't Tell Me Nothing."

"Two years ago I brought out Jay-Z — this year I brought out Usher and Kanye," Jeezy boasted. "Catch up, n---as! I put on for my city!"

T.I. closed out the Bash. Recently, Shawty Lo had said he wanted to take their rivalry up a notch with a competition at the ballyhooed concert: L.O. said he wanted to issue a challenge to see who had the best performance. During his set, Lo incorporated theatrics such as a video and being lowered onto the stage from about 50 feet in the air along with his highly touted 'hood hits "Foolish," "Dunn Dunn" and "Dey Know" (Ludacris came out for his verse on the remix). After his set, a sign that said "A new King has been born" was seen on the video screens alongside his photo.

Tip, however, was too polished and established to battle. The King of the South started with "Help Is Coming" and transitioned to "Beat Down Low." With just 30 minutes to do his thing, Tip could only give samples of most of his records, but he had plenty of material in his arsenal.

"Do these people in the house know this is my Birthday Bash?" he asked. "I own this sh--! I been doing this sh-- since I had a song called ..." On cue, the music for "Rubber Band Man" came on.

"All the haters in the house: You better watch your muthaf---in' mouth, man!" That was a segue to "Watch What You Say."

Tip's only guests were people down with his Grand Hustle label: He introduced the legendary 8Ball and MJG, who are his newest recruits, along with Young L.A. and B.O.B.

"N--- a, it's the muthaf---in' King and the hustle ain't over!" Tip said triumphantly. After "No Matter What," confetti dropped from the air as he closed with "What You Know."

Earlier in the show, Trina gave the fans an eyefull of her ... er, beauty. "The Baddest Chick"'s blue dress started flying up, Marilyn Monroe-style, as she walked across the stage. The unplanned wardrobe malfunction caused her to blush, but she soldiered on with records such as "I Got a Thing for You" and "Single Again."

In Atlanta, Gucci Mane's songs are as big as nationwide #1 hits: Underground records such as "Trap House" and "Bird Flu" were — as they say in hip-hop — ringing off. The whole audience was reciting them line for line, cadence for cadence.

The primetime playas began hitting the stage at around 8 p.m. America's number-one goon, Plies, showed why he may be the number-one hip-hop superstar the mainstream hasn't got a strong grasp on just yet: Most of his harder-edged catalog hasn't quite hit the radar of the masses, but they are familiar with his hit singles. Plies' set had the fans on their feet from beginning to end.

"N---a owe me some money he ain't gotta pay me," Plies rapped, performing a record from his recently released Definition of Real. "Got something for you f--- n---as, who playa hatin'/ N---a claiming he don't like me, but it's all gravy/ Keep playing with me and I'mma [play with] your ol' lady."

Later, he played to the ladies.

"You don't know what I'm finin' to do," the shirtless Florida native said directly after telling the of-age women in attendance to get their cameras ready. "I might get muthaf---in' naked." He then warned all the underage females to turn their heads; this ended with him doing a suggestive gesture that garnered screams. Just so the thugs wouldn't get too restless, he gave them "Goons Lurkin," a cinematic revenge narrative. "Bust It Baby Part 2" ended Plies' set.

The Game, however, got the best audience participation of the night: He brought up several elementary school-age children and one took the mic, rapping "Game's Pain" in its entirety. "Put your dubs up!" the youngster yelled. "L.A.! L.A.! Compton! Where you from? Get money! Compton!"

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. And send your own concert pics, videos and reviews to MTV News You R Here!

• Behind The Scenes At Atlanta's Birthday Bash

• T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• T.I.
• Shawty Lo
• The Game
• Young Jeezy
• Usher

Usher on the July cover of <i>Vibe</i> magazine
Photo: Vibe Media Group, Inc.

In the July issue of Vibe, which hits newsstands nationwide next week, Usher expanded on some comments he made during his heated appearance on "TRL" late last month.

Usher's mom and former manager, Jonnetta Patton, figures heavily in the article: The singer addresses the circumstances under which she ceased to be his manager, scoffing at suggestions that he fired the woman he describes as "the total package" and "my everything."

"I love my mother — she's the only one I have," he said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I decided to not fire, not get rid of, but to give [my mother] the ultimate compliment — to retire her to be a full-time grandmother. My mother and I decided to change her situation, together. There was a conversation. I didn't write her a letter or pink-slip her."

For her part, Patton noted in the article that she's still a very active executive. "I'm managing Natasha, an artist on Jive Records, a guy group called Kwiet Storm, and a solo artist, Dante," she said. "I started my own record label — JPat Records. I also manage [my younger son], producer JLack — he's signed to Usher's production company."

Of course, the public family battles surrounding Usher's marriage to his former stylist Tameka Foster last year — which took many by surprise when he announced his engagement almost offhandedly to MTV News in March, followed by a head-spinning on/off status before finally tying the knot early in August — also came up during the conversation. His mother apparently opposed the marriage.

"I hurt more than anything over these last two years when I felt my mother didn't really embrace my situation," he told Vibe. "That really hurt me."

"My mother is an aggressive person," he said. "She makes hard decisions, and she caused me to make a hard decision as well."

In the months since the wedding was first announced, gossip spiraled that Usher is being overly influenced by Foster. The rumors led him to send an open letter to People in which he said he was "happy, excited, completely clear and independent on [his] direction, feelings, decisions, and ... NOT BEING LED."

Usher said he now feels the letter may not have been the best move. "If for some reason, I [wasn't] dealing with a situation properly, it's not because I'm not applying the knowledge that you assume I have. It's because I'm just learning. The one thing [my mother] taught me to do is keep my mouth shut. I probably should've just never [wrote the open letter]. It was never intended to be retaliatory, I just felt like I needed to say something. If I could go back, [I'd] just weather the storm."

As he did on "TRL," Usher took the opportunity to sound off on skeptics commenting on his marriage.

"Am I so much of a bad guy because I decided to get married? Am I so much of a bad guy [because once I got in the situation], I decided to stand for something, build a foundation, and think about my future?" he asked. "As a man, you would respect me for not turning my back on it. ... It can never be bad to have a foundation as a man — a black man — in a time when women are dying for men. Women have started to become lovers of each other as a result of not having enough men. Are you not studying the stories? Wake up! Black love is a good thing."

He also said he values the realness his wife brings to his life. "[Foster] will tell me. If something doesn't look right or she feels like it could look better, she'll say something.

"The swagger I possess now definitely comes from my wife," he continued. "And my son completes me. He changes my perspective on what life is, and what matters."

Usher also addressed married life in "Best Thing," a song he performed with fellow newlywed Jay-Z on his new LP, Here I Stand, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart earlier this month.

The Vibe article concludes with Usher addressing the challenge of being both a superstar and a new father. "It's not easy for anyone to create hit after hit," he said. "It gets harder because I don't want to be [in the studio]. I want to be in the house. These are the days of my son's life, these first three years. I want to be there.

"The challenge is having it all."

• Usher

Disturbed
Photo: Reprise

At this point, it's been well established that Chicago's Disturbed are one of the biggest hard-rock outfits in all the land. They've sold millions of records, sold out hundreds of shows and been tapped to headline one of this summer's heaviest tours.

So, naturally, no one batted an eyelash when the boys decided to dub their fourth studio LP Indestructible. And with close to 253,000 copies sold during the album's first week on record-store shelves, Disturbed truly live up to the title; Indestructible is the band's third record to debut at #1 on the Billboard albums sales chart.

According to the most recent Nielsen SoundScan tallies, Disturbed's latest joins 2005's Ten Thousand Fists and 2002's Believe, opening on top during what was a strong week, overall, for the music industry. While the new album bests the scan total put forth by Ten Thousand Fists (which sold 238,500 during week one), it couldn't outperform the 283,600 in sales generated by Believe.

Disturbed's Indestructible may lead the pack, but it was one of five albums on the chart to generate six-digit sales totals — something that, in the age of the download, does not happen often. In addition, the record was one of 20 new releases that will be appear on next week's top 200 — but one of those albums wasn't supposed to enter the chart until a week later.

Rapper Lil Wayne's long-awaited Tha Carter III wasn't officially released until June 10, but the record still managed to enter next week's chart at #167 with 3,900 copies sold nationwide. Clearly, some legitimate record stores began selling the disc before its actual release date — perhaps as soon as copies arrived from distributors. It remains to be seen how these premature sales might affect the LP's standing on the following week's chart; Wayne is poised to claim the #1 spot, with early indicators suggesting he could sell more than 800,000 units, making it the year's best performer by far.

Along with Disturbed's LP, next week's top 10 will include five other newcomers, including the 28th installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series, which enters at #2 with 185,000 sold. The disc features tracks from Leona Lewis, Britney Spears, Jordin Sparks, OneRepublic and Daughtry, among others. Finishing at #4, with 126,000 scans, is Weezer's latest, the self-titled red album, followed at #5 by Journey's Revelation, with 105,000 sold. Ashanti's comeback album, Declaration, bows at #6, selling 86,300 copies, while Jewel's Perfectly Clear enters at #8 with sales reported at 47,7000.

The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by Usher's Here I Stand at #3 (with 144,600 sold), the "Sex and the City" soundtrack at #7 (60,000), 3 Doors Down's self-titled latest at #9 (45,000) and Chris Brown's Exclusive at #10 (36,200).

Elsewhere on the chart, Swedish melodic death-metallers Opeth's Watershed opens at #23, having sold close to 20,000 units, while Radiohead's The Best Of debuts at #26 with 18,300 scans. Former Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale's Wanderlust follows at #32 with 15,400 in first-week scans, while the 2008 Warped Tour compilation claims the chart's #34 position with 14,500 sold. Bret Michaels' Rock My World opens at #39 with 13,400 sold.

R&B artist Lalah Hathaway's Self Portrait opens at #62, thanks to 9,400 scans, while Aimee Mann's @#%&*! Smilers takes the chart's #80 slot with 8,100 sold. Seattle rockers Fleet Foxes' self-titled opus follows at #83, selling 8,000 copies, while Alesana's Where Myth Fades to Legend enters at #97, having sold 7,200 units.

• Disturbed
• Usher
• Lil Wayne
• Ashanti
• Chris Brown

Plies
Photo: MTV News

There was a version of the remix of Usher's "Love in This Club" on tap that was almost completely different than the one actually released. We almost heard Usher trying to have sex in the nightspot with Mariah Carey instead of Beyoncé.

"At the time, it was conveyed to me that it was supposed to be Usher, Mariah Carey and me," Plies told us about how he laid two verses for a remix to the hit single. "Obviously, that was a no-brainer as far as putting down what I had to do. ... I sent two verses to them. Then I get a call from a friend of mine at a radio station that they was getting ready to go with the record, but the version they had didn't have me on it."

Of course, the version that went to radio featured Usher, Beyoncé and Lil Wayne.

"For me, I never allow myself to ever take anything personal in this business," he explained record. "I know a lot of times [there's] so much political stuff tied into a decision. It was good [for] me, because I got a call from Usher, and he let me know he was clear about the situation. He loved the verse, he loved the record, but on their end, they ended up going with the version they went with. For Usher to even consider me to be a part of the situation, that was good enough for me."

And there are a handful of other singers who didn't miss a chance to work with the Fort Myers, Florida, native. Janet Jackson recently lent her vocals to his hit "Bust It Baby Part 2" without Plies even knowing (by the way, a "Bust It Baby," he says, is a woman who gives him his best sexual experience). Jamie Foxx, The-Dream, Trey Songz, Keyshia Cole and J. Holiday also appear on his Tuesday release, Definition of Real. His debut, The Real Testament, came out less than a year ago.

Plies describes his working with Ne-Yo as "another blessing."

"To have the dude that has forced his will on this game, whether it's from the songwriting side or singing his own #1 records ... for me, he's a person I always wanted to work with," he said of Ne-Yo. "He's just a person I didn't think I would get a chance to work with this early in my career."

Plies recalled when he and Ne-Yo met by chance — and the two turned out to be part of a mutual-admiration society.

"He approached me and told me he loved what I was doing musically," Plies said. "It was weird for me, because I probably told him nine of his records I was a true fan of. We agreed that at some point we wanted to work together. To have the opportunity to work with somebody I respected from a distance, see his journey to where he's currently at, not only was it a great feeling, it's something that was a part of my life that ...," he trailed off, taking time to get his thoughts together. "I thanked him so much for helping me provide for my family. I know he gets tired of me texting him. I appreciate it. I think it's important for me to remain as humble as possible and let the good things and bad things help mold me."

The worst thing Plies has experienced since being in the music industry is his big brother's incarceration. Big Gates, ne Ronnell Lawrence Layatte, was arrested in 2006 for his involvement in a shooting at a Gainesville, Florida, nightclub shortly after a Plies performance. Plies' brother, who also helps guide his career, still has at least one more year in prison before he can come home.

Plies' song "Die Together" addresses his sibling, whom he has no problem declaring he looks up to. "It's basically saying, 'This is our bond,' " he explained. "We know we gotta die one day, but when it is our turn, you can take us together."

Plies said his brother has only heard a portion of the song during their phone calls, because it's too emotional. "He made me stop playing it," Plies said. "I played it for him over the phone. Soon as I recorded it, that night, he called. I said, 'Bruh, I gotta let you hear this. It's the best record I ever did.' He said, 'Man, you always tell me that.' Probably halfway through the first verse, he said, 'Man, cut it off. Bruh, I can't tell you the last time I cried, but I can feel [tears coming on]. Just play it for me when I get home.' I feel I succeeded with everything I was trying to get across."

"Somebody (Loves You)," which samples Patti LaBelle's classic of the same name, also talks about losing loved ones to the prison system. "[It says,] 'I wish I could hug all my homies who lost trial.' It's important for me to make that kind of music," Plies said.

His next single is another record dedicated to sexy women — "Please Excuse My Hands," featuring Jamie Foxx and The-Dream. Plies already has his next album, titled The Realest, slotted for a December 16 release.

• Plies Doesn't Feel Snubbed By Usher

• Plies
• Usher
• Ne-Yo
• Janet Jackson
• Jamie Foxx

Usher's <i>Here I Stand</i>
Photo: LaFace

When you think of debonair R&B star Usher, you think hits — tracks like "U Remind Me," "My Boo" and "Yeah!" You think about the fact that the dude has sold more than 30 million records worldwide. You think about the legions of fans that make each of his live gigs sell-out events, and words like "icon" start popping into your head. So it should surprise you that, over the course of more than a decade, Usher has had just one album open at #1 on Billboard's albums sales chart.

That is until last week, when the soulful crooner issued his latest studio effort, Here I Stand. According to the latest Nielsen SoundScan totals, after selling more than 442,900 copies, Usher's latest knocks 3 Doors Down's self-titled album from the peak position of next week's chart. His previous release, 2004's Confessions, also bowed on top, but with significantly stronger sales: 1.1 million, to be exact.

But that stark difference in sales shouldn't taint Usher's latest victory one bit. In a market where albums are more often pilfered than purchased, 442,900 scans is no small potatoes. Besides, Usher basically crushed the rest of the field this week. His closest competitor, the "Sex and the City" soundtrack (featuring contributions from Fergie, Jennifer Hudson and Nina Simone), enters the chart at #2, with just 65,900 sold. The nation's third best-seller, 3 Doors Down, sold a mere 63,200 units.

Here I Stand and the "Sex and the City" set were among 16 new releases making their impact on next week's Top 200. Al Green's Lay It Down opened at #9 with 33,800 copies snatched up. But Green's was the only other newcomer to crack the top 10, which is rounded out by Bun B's II Trill at #4 (selling another 40,200 copies), Leona Lewis' Spirit at #5 (38,700), Frank Sinatra's Nothing but the Best at #6 (with 36,900 sold), Duffy's Rockferry at #7 (35,900), Mariah Carey's E=MC² at #8 (35,600) and Death Cab for Cutie's Narrow Stairs at #10 (with another 33,400 scanned).

Elsewhere on the chart, Fergie's Dutchess LP, which was re-issued last week with four bonus tracks, enjoyed a 131 percent spike in sales, ending the week with 14,800 and climbing from #104 to #28 on the chart. Down in the #46 spot, selling 11,400 copies, is Fergie's Dutchess EP. Meanwhile, Cyndi Lauper returns to the chart at #41, with her Bring Ya to the Brink, which generated 12,000 first-week scans. Underoath's Survive Kaleidoscope opens at #81 with 8,000 copies sold, and Charlotte Sometimes' Waves & the Both of Us enters at #145, with sales reported at 4,300.

36 Crazyfists' Tide and Its Takers bows at #155, selling 4,200 copies. Spiritualized's Songs in A&E claims the #157 spot with 4,100 sold. Lastly, debuting at #199 with 3,100 sold, is KT Tunstall's Live From Soho.

• Usher
• Fergie
• Jennifer Hudson
• Nina Simone
• 3 Doors Down

Usher appears on "TRL" Tuesday
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images

When Usher showed up on Tuesday's "TRL," he wasn't just there to promote his just-released new album, Here I Stand. He was there to actually take a stand.

During a segment of Tuesday's show, Usher launched into an impromptu rant that found him dismissing reports that he and his wife were separating, defending his marriage from naysayers and calling gossip about his personal life "trash." Members of the studio audience gasped and shouted their approval.

"I love my wife very, very much," he said. "There was a little rumor earlier this week about us separating. It ain't true. We in love. Get outta there," he said, raising his left hand and showing off his wedding band. "Matter of fact, I'm tired of people continuing to talk so much trash about me, know what I'm saying? And my relationship.

"My wife is not 40 years old. I love her to death and I'm a black, strong man in America standing up for my people — as a man to my wife, to my son, to my family," he continued, removing his sunglasses and talking directly into the camera. "I'm making a stand that a lot of us should make. I coulda been like any other man who has a child and live with that woman and continue to just play the game. ... I'm trying to do it the right way. This is the way your supposed to do it! Pay attention, fellas."

Usher then turned his back to the camera, while the studio audience applauded wildly. "TRL" host Damien Fahey then attempted to continue with the segment, only to be interrupted as Ush began part two of his verbal assault.

"And my wife had nothing to do with me firing my mother — nothing like that, that's trash," he said, referring to his mother, Jonetta Patton, ceasing to be his manager last year. "I hear y'all talking crazy out there, she's a beautiful black woman. Stop. Stop talking. And I love her. Stop it."

With that, Fahey threw to Usher's "Love in this Club" video, all while the crooner insisted, "I'm not done ... can I say something else?"

However, his broadside may not have had the intended effect. Within hours, many of the sites Usher targeted were already comparing his tantrum to Mariah Carey's infamous 2001 "TRL" meltdown, in which she bum-rushed the show, handed out frozen treats from an ice cream cart and performed and impromptu striptease, all while then-host Carson Daly looked on in befuddlement.

Still others — primarily fansites like UsherForever.com — called the tirade another example of Ush's wife Tameka having him under her thumb.

"What a damn fool. If he is a grown-a-- man like he say he is then he needs to shut the f--- up," one commenter wrote.

"Ursh STOP defending ur wife, it's getting old," another added. "The more you talk bout haterz the more your album will be collecting dust on the shelves. But this is the man you've become or should i say the man ur wife has made you into. You'll end up eating all your words soon than later."

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