L.A Reid, the music mogul who sent Usher to live with P. Diddy made a shocking confession that he feared that he was “irresponsible” to “turn him over to the wildest party guy in the country.”
According to Daily Mail, former X Factor Judge L.A Reid signed Usher to his label LaFace Records in 1993 when the star was 14 years old, and quickly released his first single Call Me a Mack.
In his 2016 memoir, Reid recalled how he couldn’t find another song “compelling enough to release” after Usher’s debut, and wanted him to be “edgy,” so he turned to his friend P. Diddy, who he refers to as Puffy, for help.
As per the publication, he recalled asking the hip hop star, “Will you take this kid and teach him your swagger? Can you just give him some of your flavor?”
In regards to this, Reid, who is himself being sued for sexual assault and harassment by a former colleague, which he denies, sent the teenage Usher off to New York for what he refers to as “Puffy Flavor Camp.”
Moreover, Usher has since admitted that he was exposed to “pretty wild” stuff that he “didn’t necessarily understand,” while living with Diddy, and said that he would not allow the same thing to happen to his own children, as per the outlet.
It is worth mentioning that Diddy has now been charged with a host of sex trafficking and racketeering offenses with upwards of 120 victims already coming forward, with the rapper’s relationships with Usher coming under renewed scrutiny in the wake of the allegations.