U Don't Have to Call

"U Don't Have To Call" finds Usher in full playa mode. He's done ruminating over the girl who left him and ready to move on to one of the many young ladies out there that won't say no. It's OK if his ex doesn't call - he'll be just fine tonight.

This song was written by Pharrell Williams, who produced it with his Neptunes partner Chad Hugo. It's got that distinctive Neptunes bumpin' beat that's all over the debut album by their act N.E.R.D., In Search of..., also released in 2001. The Neptunes also produced another track on Usher's 8701 album: "I Don't Know."

The music video is a follow-up to Usher's "U Got It Bad," which finds him in thrall with Chilli from TLC - his real-life girlfriend at the time. In "U Don't Have To Call" he wakes up to a video call (futuristic in 2001!) from Puff Daddy, who tells him to get himself together because they're going out. Usher finds his groove, assembles his posse, and dances all the way to the club. Both videos were helmed by Director X. Puff Daddy was an early mentor to Usher and worked on his debut album. The day after the shoot, Usher returned the favor by shooting scenes for Puff's "I Need a Girl" video.