Custody Battle Between Usher and Tameka Heats Up, Tameka Speaks Out

It has been about three years since Usher filed for a divorce from Tameka Raymond, and the custody battle over the children has turned ugly. Tameka Raymond has accused her ex-husband of swaying the media in his favor. The personal stylist is fed up with the nonsense and took to Twitter to air her grievances.

The couple had two sons together during their marriage, Usher V and Naviyd, and Tameka claims that their father has turned into a liar. “I despise lies,” Tameka tweeted as she went on a Twitter rant about Usher’s actions throughout the custody hearings. Mrs. Raymond claimed that Usher has been manipulating the media and doing it in order to make her look bad. During their hearing on Tuesday a photo was snapped of Tameka smiling as she reached into a carton of Crystal Light. The photo makes it appear as if Tameka was amused with Usher breaking down during the hearing, but she claimed that was not true.

“I hope u know that was during a break & him sneaking a text on his cell,” Tameka shared with her followers. During the hearings both parties are supposed to have their cell phones turned off and Tameka is furious that the courts seem to be turning the other cheek to the leaked photo. “The machine is real… He’s playing a mass media game, hence the TV appearances that lead to favorable coverage,” another tweet from Tameka read.

Eventually the mother’s language grew a bit foul, but many of her followers didn’t blame her. The public seemed to agree with Tameka that the sudden array of “pap” pictures all over his Facebook seem a bit coincidental. The hair stylist went on to say that the truth isn’t being sought after in this case because people are too focused on Usher’s star power. The R&B singer’s popularity wasn’t enough to get him out of an intense cross examination in court.

TMZ captured video of Usher’s rather unimpressive defense when he was bombarded with questions about having an affair with one of Tameka’s bridesmaids, Maya Fox Davis. The “Climax” singer seemed to have forgotten the story he originally told the defense and at other times showcased bewildered facial expressions when the defense read back statements from Tameka about how the situation unfolded.

After a few more tweets about the leaked photo Tameka excused herself from the internet, saying, “Signing off for a minute… the lies are annoying me & yall know I don’t hold my tongue much.” The custody hearing will be in recess until July.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top