Photos from concreteloop.com

Once upon a time, Usher was the quintessential male R&B artist. His albums were great from start to finish, his performances were awesome, and his style was impeccable. He, along with Kanye West and others, really pioneered the more polished and tailored look prevalent in hip-hop today. He used to be a trendsetter, someone that I looked to not only for great music, but for style as well. That was, until he completely fell off in 2008 with the release of Here I Stand, his less-than-stellar return to music after the 2004 blockbuster Confessions. Lately, it seems like Usher has been attempting to regain his place atop the R&B throne, but if he continues to rock outfits like the above atrocity he wore during his performance at the All-Star game this past Sunday, I’m not so sure he’ll be able to come back full force. The leather capri pants and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle vest are too over-the-top. It looks like Ush was attempting a Michael Jackson-esque look. But costumes like that didn’t really work for Mike, and they definitely look out of place on Usher.

Here’s to hoping Usher can get back to his platinum status.