Usher Raymond’s recent tour stop at London’s O2 Arena, the R&B icon once again demonstrated why he’s an expert at transforming a slow jam into a viral event. But despite all the headlines and the online panic, no vows were broken in the process. In the moment that social media was clutching its pearls and fanning itself, Usher serenaded one of his fans in classic Usher style, smooth, charming, and just shy of being dangerous to the spirit. With eyes locked and cherries offered, the fan went along, gazing back in a way most often found in steamy romance novels. Needless to say, the Internet lost its mind.

Word soon circulated that the fan’s husband, supposedly 45, and not so thrilled with the public showing, had filed for divorce, even alleging that she had never kissed him in public. Cue the collective gasp, a flood of memes and relationship therapists descend on comment sections. However, an unnamed source claiming to have spoken with AllHipHop might have salvaged that spicy tale. No divorce papers. No scorned spouse. It is just an irresistible Usher moment blown up by the Internet’s association with drama. And to be honest, we can’t fault fans for believing that.

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Sadly, unless the couple steps forward to clear the air, we may never truly know what happened behind closed doors. But that’s why Usher concocts a fantasy so enveloping that the crowd forgets to distinguish between showtime and real time. You feel like you are being serenaded under the spotlight for a few moments. And while this story turned out to be more fiction than fallout, it speaks to the power Usher still has more than 20 years after he kicked off his career. He’s toying with hearts, headlines, and the Internet’s imagination. In this case, the fourth wall was the only thing that was broken.

With “Luther,” it seems Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s joint collaborations would prove to be the soundtrack of a moment. They make it clear yet again that when these two link up, it’s a movement. The pair’s smash collaboration, “Luther,” is not only an undeniable bop, but it just sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for its seventh straight week, giving both artists one of the all-time runs and yet another certified fan favorite that won’t loosen its grip. This marks Kendrick’s sixth No. 1 single and SZA’s third, though “Luther” is now the song with the longest run at the top of the Hot 100 for both of them.

This kind of staying power arrived months after the track first dropped, a rare feat in today’s fast-turnover streaming era. This kind of momentum is earned. With artists like Drake rebounding up the charts to No. 3 with “NOKIA,” the timing couldn’t be better for hip-hop believers eager to stoke in-progress debates. K.Dot and Drizzy’s long-brewing rivalry was just doused with another log. Kendrick prefers to let the numbers do the talking, and at the moment, those numbers are yelling. On the other hand, “Luther” is a linchpin of Kendrick’s GNX album, which has since been certified over 2 million album-equivalent units sold in the U.S., meaning that it has to qualify for double platinum status.

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You can bet “Luther” was a major reason for that success, but the album’s also loaded with other long-living bangers like “hey now,” “squabble up” and “peekaboo,” which were racking up streams, too, with little sign of wilting. And for SZA, her chemistry with Kendrick has yet to be matched. Fans knew what kind of magic the two create together ever since their “All The Stars” collab. “Luther” is evidence that lightning can indeed strike twice. Seven weeks in and counting, “Luther” isn’t simply parked at No. 1, it’s prospering there. Kendrick and SZA released a cultural moment. And it seems to be here to stay.