Diddy sparked a spirited debate when he proclaimed R&B is “dead” in a recent Instagram Live — and now, Usher has responded. During an interview with the SiriusXM show Bevelations, the R&B star scoffed at the notion the genre was anything but alive and well.

“When I do hear people, even like Puff saying, you know R&B is dead, he sounds nuts to me,” he said. “It sounds, it sounds, it sounds crazy. You know, especially knowing he was a pioneer in understanding and beneficiary of it.

“You know, the source that is R&B created the breath of life that was breathed into Hip Hop. It wouldn’t be. There would be no Hip Hop if there were not R&B, so it’s blasphemous to hear me say, to hear people say anything, especially Hip Hop cats, to say anything about R&B.”

On August 17, Diddy posed the question: “Who killed R&B?” From there, he hopped on IG Live with Timbaland and proceeded to go in about just how dismal he believes the R&B scene is.

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“R&B is muthafuckin’ dead as of right now,” he shouted. “The R&B I made my babies to? R&B gotta be judged to a certain thing — it’s the feeling though, doggy. No, no, no. It’s a feeling. You gotta be able to sing for R&B and then you gotta tell the truth. R&B is not a hustle. This shit is about feeling your vulnerability.

“You gotta muthafuckin make a n-gga dick hard or a woman’s vagina wet. You gotta cry. You gotta be able to get your girl back. I don’t wanna hear all this bullshit […] It’s our fault for accepting anything less for anybody getting on a mic. I feel like there was a death of R&B singing, and I’m a part of bringing that shit back! I ain’t feelin’ no emotions.”

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Clearly, Usher — who has sold over 65 million albums worldwide — begs to differ and is also coming for his crown.

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“King, whatever you wanna call it,” he said. “Yeah, I’ve been working to the point where I do own that, and I do deserve that. And I ain’t gonna ask for it no more. You’re gonna give it. Because I did work for it.”

Chris Brown also disputed Diddy’s claim via his Instagram Stories on Friday (August 19).

“When’s the last time you heard a slow song on the radio???” Breezy wrote. “N-ggas are saying R&B is dead… Respectfully, shut up! People nowadays want fast food instead of a real meal… DON’T BLAME THE REAL SINGERS OUT HERE [BECAUSE] WHAT CHANNELS DO PEOPLE HAVE TO SEE MUSIC VIDEOS?

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“BET damn sure don’t, neither does MTV. And then the industry be forcing shit on people when the real music lovers know that shit is garbage … R&B ain’t dead… Y’ALL N-GGAS JUST UGLY.”