*The Weeknd has sparked debate on social media about who is the best R&B star between himself and Usher.
According to The Weeknd, the “Confessions” singer copied his musical style on at least one record.
“‘House of Balloons’ literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes,” the Canadian singer/songwriter told Variety of his debut 2011 mixtape. “I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f–k, that’s a Weeknd song.’”
Usher’s “Climax” track is from his 2012 album “Looking 4 Myself.” The track won a Grammy in 2013 for Best R&B Performance.
“It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right,” The Weeknd continued, “but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.”
Check out the music video for Usher’s “Climax” single above.
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Usher fans have taken to social media to call out the “After Hours” singer, with one writing, “I swear I never see The Weeknd doing interviews and you’re telling me he took time out of his day to say that Usher stole his whole vibe with Climax ?? Almost a decade after it came out ?!”
Another Usher fan added, “OMG! Just heard @theweeknd say @Usher’s “Climax” is a Weeknd song, like Usher was inspired by him. No, it’s an Usher song. Where were you in 2001 when Usher sang “Can U Help Me” and other songs like that? You @theweeknd were INSPIRED by Usher’s sound. #TheDISrespect!”
Meanwhile, Usher didn’t mention The Weeknd specifically when he clapped back with the launch of his “#ClimaxChallenge.”
The singer took to his Instagram Story to share a video of himself singing his track while also highlighting other vocalists.
Check out a clip of Usher singing “Climax” via the Instagram video embed above.
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