Turns out Usher’s still a mama’s boy.
The R&B hitmaker has dumped Hollywood power broker Benny Medina and rehired mom Jonnetta Patton as his manager, E! News has exclusively learned.
Sources say the Medina split is a direct result of poor management and disappointing record sales for the team’s first and only collaboration, Here I Stand.
“He’s leaving Benny. The record is pretty stiff, and nowhere nearly as successful as Confessions,” an insider says of the singer’s 2004 blockbuster album.
Confessions was a worldwide sensation, selling 19 million copies under the supervision of Patton. After debuting at No. 1 in June, Here I Stand, Usher’s fifth studio album, has chalked up a relatively paltry 2 million in sales worldwide. This, despite the radio success of the single “Love in This Club (Part II).”
There was no immediate comment from Usher, Patton or Medina.
Usher dumped the momager for Medina last year—amid reports of tension between wife Tameka Foster and Patton—and considering his previous remarks, it might be tough going home again.
“This is great for me because it means I now get to have my mother strictly as my mother with no added pressure,” the one-named wonder, whose last name is Raymond, told the Associated Press in 2007, when he and Patton parted ways.
And just last month the 29-year-old entertainer was quoted in Vibe magazine calling his mom an “aggressive person” who made his decision to part ways difficult.
“I hurt more than anything over these last two years when I felt my mother didn’t really embrace my situation,” Usher told Vibe.
News of the switcheroo also comes after Usher’s rep shot down rumors that he and Foster were having marital issues.
While it remains to be seen whether Patton still has the multiplatinum touch when it comes to guiding her son’s career, Medina’s probably not hurting too much.
His current stable includes Nicole Richie, Mariah Carey and Rupert Everett. He has also previously helped call the shots for the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Tyra Banks and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
