By Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In the latest development in the controversy spawned by The Weeknd’s comment to Variety that Usher’s 2012 hit “Climax” is “a Weeknd song,” co-producer Diplo has acknowledged the influence, and Weeknd has called Usher a “king” and said he appreciates the acknowledgement. “The production on ‘Climax’ lends itself to ‘House of Balloons’ era @theweeknd,” Diplo tweeted Thursday afternoon. “When I heard those early [Weeknd] records they blew my mind — soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet.
The idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher.” Weeknd replied soon after: “Of course media blows things out of proportion and takes things out of context.
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