Ebony men on the move

Ebony, Feb, 1998

Aside from his professional duties, Ricky and his, wife, Gail Shaw-Clemons (an art teacher/artist at the United Nations International School), are the parents of two sons, Jason, 14, and Perry, 11. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading, traveling and biking, but baseball is never far from his mind.

During the past six years, with Clemons' input, baseball has moved into some previously unexplored areas, and he hopes that trend will continue in the future. "My hope is to expose more minorities to the game, both on and off the playing field," the former small business owner says. "I would like to help baseball regain its place in the hearts of fans, especially minority fans. When I think about what Jackie Robinson accomplished in baseball in 1947, the social impact tells you something about the true fabric of the sport. Jackie broke barriers in 1947, and my goal is to break down other barriers that exist within [baseballs] boundaries."

Usher

At 16, your typical teenager is working a minimum-wage job and worrying about passing the driving exam. Usher, however, is not your typical teenager. When he was 16, he spent eight months learning about the music industry as the personal houseguest of producer and recording artist Sean (Puffy) Combs.

"It was real cool," Usher says of the experience. "He taught me a lot about the business side of the music business." As the two worked on Usher's debut album, Puffy "adopted" Usher, referring to him as his "little brother." They dissolved their musk partnership on Usher's current album, My Way, but there are no hard feelings. Last fall, Usher joined Puff Daddy and the Family on tour.

Running on the enormous popularity of his first single, "You Make Me Wanna...," the performer is keeping a schedule that would exhaust an older man: He just returned from filming a music video in Pan's for Nice 'N Slow; he's back on tour with Puffy; and he's promoting Ids second single along the way.

Nothing is raining on Usher's parade, not even his unenviable position on tour as the opening act. It doesn't phase him that half the crowd hasn't even arrived when he hits the stage. "I feel that it's a great position that I have because it's my job to get people hyped up for the rest of the show."

When Usher was 9, he started singing in a church choir in Chattanooga. His mother, the choir's youth director, encouraged his talent. When the family relocated to Atlanta, Usher entered the Atlanta Talent Search contest and won repeatedly. He caught the eye of Bryant Reid, brother of producer L.A. Reid, and gave an impromptu performance in the offices of LaFace Records. After performing and winning on Star Search, Usher recorded a song for the Poetic Justice soundtrack.

Usher's second album is a departure from his heavily produced debut. This time around, he had help from songwriter Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds, producer Jermaine Dupri and vocalists Shanice Wilson and Monica. For the most part, Usher maintained creative control of the project.

"The difference is definitely that I'm older, I'm a lot more mature and responsible," says Usher. "Getting involved in writing and producing was a reflection of that change."