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Carol Lee Rose / Contributor via Getty Images and Matt Winkelmeyer / Staff via Getty Images
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Naviyd Ely Raymond and Beyonce
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Key Takeaways
- Naviyd Raymond went viral for singing Beyoncé’s “Love Drought” in a classroom while in China.
- Social media praised his vocals and humor, with fans calling it the “Beyoncé experience.”
- This is not his first viral moment — Raymond has also linked up with GloRilla, Doechii and PinkPantheress.
Talent runs deep in Usher’s family. On Tuesday (May 27), the R&B icon’s second-eldest son, Naviyd Raymond, went viral after sharing a clip of himself showing off his vocals in a classroom, in China, of all places.
“I told them I sung and ended up here,” Raymond humorously captioned the video in which he took on Beyoncé’s “Love Drought.” Doing his best to croon along, he sang, “And all the loving I’ve been giving goes unnoticed / It’s just floating in the air, lookie there / Are you aware?”
The video’s overlay read, “Y’all, I cannot make [this s**t] up” with a crying face emoji. Of course, social media had a ball in the comments section, especially considering that he chose a Beyoncé song instead of one from his father’s extensive catalog.
“[Does] Usher know how funny his child is?” one TikTok user asked. Another joked, “Usher has produced the funniest child, dawg. He plays too much.” Someone else said, “Had to give ‘em the Beyoncé experience,” which is especially funny since Bey’s “Cowboy Carter Tour” isn’t scheduled to do any shows in Asia.
The one thing most people seem to agree on: Raymond is hilarious. And this definitely isn’t his first viral moment. Last year, he danced alongside GloRilla to her verse on Big Boogie’s “BOP.” Shortly after that, he linked up with Doechii to lip-sync a soundbite from “DENIAL IS A RIVER.”
We’d be remiss not to bring up Raymond sliding into PinkPantheress’ DMs from Usher’s own Instagram. “I thought it was Usher, but it was actually Usher’s son. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’” the “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2” artist recalled during Complex’s “What’s In Your Phone?”
She added, “His son being like, ‘Oh my God,’ then Usher, two minutes later, being like, ‘I’m so sorry. My son is a superfan.’ That was pretty wild.” As fans might remember, Raymond eventually got to see her perform live shortly after that amusing incident.
From TikTok covers to surprise DMs, Raymond is building a digital presence that is equal parts funny and talented. Whether he is singing Beyoncé or linking up with GloRilla, Usher’s son is clearly carving out his own lane — and the internet is watching.
