Usher Covers ‘Nylon Guys’ Magazine, Talks New Music & Reacts to Justin Bieber’s Mistakes: ‘I gave him every bit of advice

In the mag he dishes on his new music, his upcoming role as Sugar Ray Leonard in ‘Hands of Stone’ and mentorship — more specifically his take on his mentee Justin Bieber’s recent string of troubles.

On his mentorship in music industry, starting from age 15 when he moved to NYC to work with Sean “Diddy Combs”:

“Artist development made me who I am. Somebody took the time to help me find what it is that works for me as an entertainer and who I am as a music maker.”

 On his upcoming role opposite Robert De Niro and Edgar Ramirez in the Sugar Ray Leonard biopic “Hands of Stone”:

“I wanted to show a different side of who I am, not just throw my acting chops toward a romantic comedy. When I played Sugar Ray, everything was Sugar Ray. Every day I trained like a boxer. I ate like a boxer. I moved like a boxer.” …”We spent some time at his (Leonard’s) house. I spent time training with him here and out in Los Angeles, just to get the nuances of how to move and to understand his approach.”

On his fans reaction to his musical output:
“In all honesty, I give one shit. I do hear them–that’s why I say one shit. I do give a shit, but not two shits. Two shits is a lot. I care enough to make sure they understand that I’m making it for them, but I’ve got to be true to where I am.”

On Justin Bieber’s troubles:
“I gave every bit of advice and always told him it was up to him if he really wanted this. Now that he has it, as an adult, it’s his to manage. Do I turn my head in shame based off of what I see, what I know? Nah, I don’t because it’s all part of life’s process. Am I in it with him? Yeah.”

“It’s unfortunate. I hate some of the things I hear. Is it all true? I don’t know. But I will tell you this: Success comes with a price. Every person that has grown up, grows up with something. It ain’t just perfect from the beginning.”

Get into more photos from Usher’s spread below.