L.A. Reid and Babyface presented the award to Usher. “We couldn’t be more proud of the icon you’ve become, but more importantly the man you’ve become,” Babyface said.
People in the audience screamed, “we love you” as Usher took the stage. During Usher’s speech, where the audio continually cut out during the broadcast, he thanked those who performed his songs during the all-star tribute that preceded his award. Prior to his acceptance speech, the show featured a star-studded tribute featuring artists singing his songs, including Keke Palmer, Coco Jones, Tinashe, Victoria Monét, Latto, Chlöe Bailey, and Teyana Taylor.
During his acceptance speech, he also thanked those who helped his career, including Reid and Babyface, who were on stage presenting him the award. “Getting here has definitely not been easy, but it has been worth it,” he said. While the feed cut in-and-out during his speech, Usher wondered whether after his 30-year career that is being celebrated, “is it too early for me to receive it?” he said. “Because I’m still running and gunning and I still love this shit like I did when I was eight years old.”
Reflecting on his career, he said, “Those moments that become legacy are all about expression and just having fun and finding the connection and really the spark.”
Usher also addressed his estranged relationship with his father, which he said “probably hurt and helped me at the same time.” He added, “They say success needs a hundred fathers” and referred to the men who stood with him on stage as “my village” that kept him motivated. He also mentioned that he felt this was “the year of the father,” where “all the fathers got to stand up for their sons, their daughters, and be the man that they need to be for them.”
While the feed continued to cut out, the end of his speech came through. “We got to be willing to forgive y’all. He who knows no sin cast the first stone,” he said. “You got to be willing to forgive. You got to be willing to be open. I’m telling you, standing before a man who had to forgive, a man who never showed up ever, and look what I made with it,” he said. “Look what I was able to usher in . But that’s what’s real, and that’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us men and women. I thank y’all.”
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