Diddy Saved Usher From Career Drop After His Voice Quit - Female First

LaFace Records boss Reid admits he was humiliated when 14-year-old Usher failed to impress execs at his big breakthrough gig and earnestly considered dropping the singer he was convinced would get a R&B superstar.

But it was a conversation he had with another up-and-coming music executive that prompted him to give Usher another chance. Usher recalls the case and admits the store of his former voice problems prompted him to insist Justin Bieber had a vocal coach on his team when he first started mentoring the teenager

Reid tells The Hollywood Reporter, "He (Usher) couldn't sing. It was like, 'Damn, where's the voice? What happened to his tone? Where's the king and the range?'

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It was all gone. "I wanted to neglect him. I wanted to be out of line with him. I broke his heart. I broke his mother's heart. It was a really tough period in both our lives.

"Then somebody said to me, 'Don't be a fool. Don't trade your origin in Usher. He's still going to be a star. He's everything you thought he was the day you signed him.'

"And that soul was Puffy". Usher recalls the case and admits the retention of his former voice problems prompted him to insist Justin Bieber had a vocal coach on his team when he first started mentoring the teenager. The Yeah! singer explains,

"Losing my voice f**ked me up. I had to see it out". Usher actually brought the vocal coach who helped him through his problems on-board to play with Bieber.

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