Even among the many riches of the 1990s R&B boom – ripe with legendary male and female vocal groups, a wave of solo superstars and endless, now-classic crossover hits – Usher’s rise stands out as bringing forth one of the era’s most impactful careers. Shortly after his 1997 breakthrough, Usher had become a near-automatic hitmaker, culminating in a catalog that has led many critic and cultural commentators to position him as a frontrunner for the “King of R&B” title.
The hits, however, didn’t automatically flow. Usher’s self-titled debut, executive produced by Puff Daddy, arrived in 1994 when the singer was just aged 15, and though it sent two songs onto the Billboard Hot 100 – “Can U Get Wit It” and “Think of You” – neither cracked the top 50. For his sophomore effort, My Way, in 1997, the singer switched to another crew of proven hitmakers, collaborating mostly with Jermaine Dupri and Babyface, which started his path to the top of the charts. The album’s lead single, “You Make Me Wanna…” and title track both reached No. 2, while “Nice & Slow” went one further, becoming the first of Usher’s nine Hot 100 champs.
And they just kept coming. 2001’s 8701 sparked two more No. 1s – “U Remind Me” and “U Got It Bad,” and the blockbuster Confessions launched four leaders – “Yeah!,” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, “Burn,” “Confessions Part II” and “My Boo,” a duet with Alicia Keys – from its standard and deluxe editions in 2004. Usher continued to pump out more hits in the ensuing years, and proving his longevity, became the first artist to top the Hot 100 in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, thanks to “OMG,” featuring will.i.am, in 2010.
As the superstar prepares to headline the Super Bowl XLV halftime show and mark 30 years in the business, Billboard recaps Usher’s biggest Hot 100 hits. Like the multi-talented singer, actor and dancer himself, his top 30 hits illustrates his range, with uptempo dancefloor jams, searing ballads and guest spots on pop, dance and hip-hop hits all in the mix.
Usher’s biggest Hot 100 hits are based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 (through Feb. 3, 2024). Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
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“Love in This Club Part II” (feat. Beyoncé & Lil Wayne)
This remixed version of an Usher No. 1 hit featuring the two superstars peaked at No. 18 on the Hot 100 dated May 31, 2008.
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“No Limit” (feat. Young Thug)
The single, from Usher’s album Hard II Love, peaked at No. 32 on the Hot 100 dated Oct. 8, 2016.
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“Somebody to Love” (Justin Bieber feat. Usher)
The collaborative single between Usher and Justin Bieber, who was one of the Canadian megastar’s earliest industry mentors, peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 dated July 17, 2010.
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“Good Good” (feat. Summer Walker & 21 Savage)
This Usher track, which reunited him with prior collaborator Summer Walker and was his first single with 21 Savage, peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 4, 2023.
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“Same Girl” (with R. Kelly)
The two R&B stars teamed up for this release, which peaked at No. 20 on the Hot 100 dated Aug. 11, 2007.
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“Hot Tottie” (feat. Jay-Z)
One of R&B leading voices joined forces with the rap heavyweight for this tune, which samples Big Tymers’ 1998 track “Big Ballin” and appeared on Usher’s Versus EP. The single peaked at No. 20 on the Hot 100 dated Oct. 30, 2010.
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“New Flame” (Chris Brown feat. Usher & Rick Ross)
Originally a song by just Chris Brown and Rick Ross, “New Flame” added Usher for a remix that became the official single version in the summer of 2014. Featured on Brown’s X album, the song peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100 dated Oct. 4, 2014.
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“There Goes My Baby”
This Grammy-Award winning track, for best male R&B vocal performance, appears on Usher’s Raymond v. Raymond album and peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100 dated Aug. 14, 2010.
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“Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)” (feat. Plies)
Usher recruited Florida rapper Plies for “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home).” The single, from Usher’s Raymond v. Raymond album, peaked at No. 24 on the Hot 100 dated May 15, 2010.
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“Climax”
For this 2012 track, Usher notably enlisted help from Diplo, who co-wrote and co-produced the song. Another Grammy winner in Usher’s catalog, “Climax” peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 dated May 19, 2012.
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“More”
This bonus track from Usher’s Raymond v. Raymond album first featured in promotion ads for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. After its release as a single at the end of the year, it peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 dated March 5, 2011.
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“I Don’t Mind” (feat. Juicy J)
This stand-alone single linked the Atlanta R&B superstar with one of Memphis’ most-celebrated rappers and peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 dated March 21, 2015.
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“Scream”
Usher co-wrote “Scream” with Savan Kotecha, Max Martin and Shellback, who had previously collaborated with him on the 2010 hit “DJ Got Us Fallin in Love.” Their second effort, from Usher’s Looking 4 Myself, peaked at No. 9 on the Hot 100 dated Aug. 4, 2012.
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“Caught Up”
The fifth and final single from Usher’s blockbuster Confessions album (including standard and deluxe editions), “Caught Up” peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 dated March 26, 2005.
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“I Need A Girl (Part One)” (P. Diddy feat. Usher & Loon)
Nearly eight years after Usher released his 1994 debut album, executive produced by Puff Daddy, the hitmaker reunited with the mogul – now known as P. Diddy for this single from the rapper and producer’s We Invented the Remix album. The track peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 dated May 25, 2002.
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“U Don’t Have to Call”
If The Neptunes, the production team of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, had their way, “U Don’t Have to Call” would have ended up with Michael Jackson. But when the King of Pop passed, Usher recorded the tune instead, which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 dated May 4, 2002.
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“Without You” (David Guetta feat. Usher)
Usher was one of the many big names that DJ/producer David Guetta assembled for his Nothing But the Beat album, alongside the likes of Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Sia. His contribution, “Without You” peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 26, 2011.
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“Lovers and Friends” (Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Usher & Ludacris)
Less than a year after Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris conquered charts around the world with the iconic hit, “Yeah!,” the trio was back for a follow-up hit. “We had to do it again,” Ludacris says in the opener to “Lovers and Friends,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 dated Jan. 25, 2005.
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“Confessions Part II”
“Confessions Part II” was the third single from Usher’s Confessions album, and its third No. 1 hit. The song’s two-week reign atop the Hot 100 began on the chart dated July 24, 2004, and replaced his own “Burn” in the top spot.
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“Nice & Slow”
After Usher’s previous single, “You Make Me Wanna…” peaked at No. 2, this follow-up track completed the mission and became the first of Usher’s nine Hot 100 champs. The classic slow-jam reached the Hot 100’s top slot on Feb. 14, 1998 and topped the chart for two weeks.
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“My Way”
The title track from Usher’s 1997 sophomore LP, “My Way” peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 dated Aug. 15, 1998, and was the album’s third consecutive top-two hit.
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“DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” (feat. Pitbull)
For this Europop track, Usher linked up with legendary producer Max Martin, who co-wrote and co-produced the single with Shellback, Savan Kotecha and Armando Pérez. It peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 dated Oct. 9, 2010.
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“U Remind Me”
Usher achieved his second Hot 100 No. 1 hit with this single, which ruled the chart for four weeks beginning July 7, 2001. Exactly one month later, the track’s parent album, 8701, arrived in stores and spun off more major hits. “U Remind Me” also won Usher his first Grammy Award, in the category of best male R&B vocal performance.
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“Love in This Club” (feat. Young Jeezy)
“Love in This Club” was the first official taste of Here I Stand, the hotly anticipated follow-up album to Usher’s megahit Confessions. The single became a near-instant smash, ruling the Hot 100 for three weeks starting March 15, 2008.
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“OMG” (feat. will.i.am)
In a career full of historic feats, “OMG” has a unique place in Usher’s collection: When it topped the Hot 100, it made the superstar the first act to have No. 1s in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. The track, solely written and produced by will.i.am., spent four weeks atop the Hot 100, beginning May 15, 2010.
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“My Boo” (with Alicia Keys)
After three consecutive No. 1s from the Confessions album, Usher brought in Alicia Keys – herself on a hitmaking tear – for the deluxe edition’s first single. Uniting the moment’s king and queen of R&B effectively assured the song’s coronation, which occurred on the Hot 100 dated Oct. 30, 2004, when “My Boo” crowned the chart for the first of six weeks in charge.
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“Burn”
Although “Burn” was intended to be the first single from Confessions before “Yeah!,” came along and shuffled plans, the heartbreak ballad was soon second to none. “Burn,” as the album’s second single, knocked “Yeah!” from the Hot 100’s top spot and enjoyed its own eight-week stand at the summit, beginning May 22, 2004.
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“U Got It Bad”
For “U Got It Bad,” Usher penned the track with two of his main collaborators, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri, with the latter also handling production. The ballad was the second straight No. 1 hit from the 8701 album and commanded the Hot 100 for six weeks, beginning Dec. 15, 2001.
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“You Make Me Wanna…”
The lead single from Usher’s 1997 My Way album, “You Make Me Wanna…” was the singer’s big mainstream breakthrough and became his first top 40 hit on the Hot 100. It did much, much, better than just that, though, soaring all the way to No. 2, where it parked for eight weeks beginning Oct. 25, 1997.
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“Yeah!” (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris)
With a “Peace up, A-town down,” five words kickstarted not only one the biggest hits of all time, but one of the most dominant years for any act in pop music history. Usher, flanked by hip-hop stars and fellow Atlantians Lil Jon and Ludacris, released “Yeah!” in January 2004. By the end of February, the song raced to No. 1 on the Hot 100, crowning the list dated Feb. 28, 2004, and held the rank through all of March. And April. And half of May. When “Yeah” finally wrapped its 12-week domination, it only ceded the throne for another Usher song, “Burn.”
In addition to topping Usher’s Hot 100 hits recap, “Yeah!” emerged as one of the biggest hits of its era. The smash finished 2004 as the Hot 100’s No. 1 year-end song and No. 2 on the chart’s top hits of the 2000-2009 decade.
