The falsettos have been coming out to play as they’ve attempted to give their renditions of Usher‘s 2012 single “Climax.” In a recent interview with Variety, The Weeknd sparked controversy after he mentioned the R&B icon. “I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f—, that’s a Weeknd song,'” he told the publication. “It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.”

Diplo, who helped craft “Climax,” later tweeted that he wanted to bring “dark edges” to R&B, much like The Weeknd did with House of Balloons in 2011. The Weeknd replied that the media blew things out of proportion. “Usher is a King and always an inspiration so it was flattering to hear what him and Diplo did on climax. XO.”

Later, singer Brian McKnight’s son, Brian McKnight Jr., added his two cents to the controversy. He shared a video of himself showing off his singing skills and wrote that truly, “Climax” leans more to his father’s sound. “I always thought it sounded more like a Brian McKnight hook, personally, which is really just a Prince Rip off, at the end of the day,” Brian Jr. wrote in the caption. “But that’s only if you ask me. ??❤️. What do y’all think?”

He then tagged Usher, The Weeknd, and Eric Bellinger before tossing in a few hastags including “#TheBestArtistsSteal.” Check it out below.

Fans were curious as to whether or not Usher would issue a response to The Weeknd‘s recent remarks. The After Hours hitmaker is the cover star for Variety‘s latest issue. Inside, The Weeknd talked about his latest album and the rise of his career that began after he made waves with his 2011 mixtape, House of Balloons. One year later, Usher shared his single “Climax,” a track that The Weeknd says mirrored his talents.

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“I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f—, that’s a Weeknd song‘” he told the publication. “It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.” That was a bold statement to make about the R&B veteran and fans were divided while discussing The Weeknd’s comments.

Instead of clapping back, Usher decided to kick off a “#ClimaxChallenge.” The singer took to his Instagram Story to share a video of himself singing his track while also highlighting other vocalists who wanted to give their take on his sexy single. Not everyone could hit those high notes like the R&B icon, but they did their best. Check out a clip of Usher along with the music video for “Climax” below. Let us know if you think Usher was a tad influenced by The Weeknd for this one.

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The Weeknd is well aware of the impact he had on pop and R&B music with his debut mixtape, House of Balloons, but he wasn’t always happy about it. The singer dropped his highly-anticipated album, After Hours, just under three weeks ago, marking his fourth studio album and his first in four years since 2016’s Starboy. Although his sound has evolved a fair amount since he catapulted onto the scene in 2011 with House of Balloons, The Weeknd’s initial debut was unlike anything we’d ever heard at the time.

“House of Balloons literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes,” he told Variety in his cover story for the publication’s latest issue. However, despite how exciting it was that his sound was impacting the landscape of the music scene, he didn’t always appreciate that other artists seemed to be emulating him.

“I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f*ck, that’s a Weeknd song,'” he recalled. Although “it was very flattering,” that, according to The Weeknd, the R&B heavyweight had seemingly taken inspiration from his own sound, he “also got angry.” However, he recognized that it also meant that “I was doing something right,” and, “the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.” Do you think “Climax” sounds like a Weeknd song?

Earlier today (Feb. 29), audio of The Weeknd‘s demo version of Drake‘s hit single “Practice” popped up on Soundcloud. Now, the leaked version of the song has rekindled the conversation about how much the “Blinding Lights” singer might have actually contributed to Drake’s sophomore musical offering, Take Care (2011). Fans of both artists have fought in the past about how impactful The Weeknd’s contributions were on the album and now, it looks like we’re going to get another round of Abel vs. Aubrey: The Take Care Saga.   Ollie Millington/WireImage/Getty Images

According to The Weeknd, he gave up a total of four songs that were supposed to be used for his iconic House of Balloons (2011) mixtape. Those songs included “Crew Love,” “Shot For Me,” and “The Ride” for Drizzy’s 2011 effort. Years later during Take Care‘s six-year anniversary a fan commented on a Complex Instagram post claiming The Weeknd wrote the album to which the Toronto rapper swiftly replied:

“Abel CO WROTE on Shot For Me and Practice, obviously was featured on Crew Love and The Ride and that’s it…there’s 20 songs on that album…don’t try me.”

Now, with the arrival of The Weeknd’s reference track for “Practice” where he harmonizes “you been waiting for me” and “Practice” a couple of times make the actual final version, we’ve all heard and have become accustomed to today. The Weeknd and Drake have one of those complex business and personal relationships that the general public will probably never get the opportunity to truly understand. Regardless, both artists are immensely talented and created some timeless records together. 

Listen to The Weeknd’s demo track of “Practice” in the streaming link provided below and check out all of Drake and The Weeknd’s collabs, here.