Usher

Usher and his bride Tameka Foster grace the new November cover of Essence magazine and speak candidly about the roller-coaster ride that carried them toward the altar and, soon, parenthood. "Ours is not a typical love story, but it is a true one," Usher tells People. "Tameka and I have been fortunate enough to go through the thick of it in the beginning. We've had that opportunity to huddle up as a team, to make sure that we're clear and speak as one voice." Usher and Tameka, who are expecting a baby boy in the coming months, say they were stunned that the announcement was met with such negative press. "It was like, wow," says Usher. "[Getting married] and having a child is something that everyone should celebrate. What's happened to us as a culture and a people?" Foster, 37, said she was even hated on by folks closer to home. "Thank God I didn't listen to my girlfriends," she says. "Usher was my road dawg. I'd seen him love, and I'd watched him date women who were not worthy of him. He was so sweet, going out of his way to cater to their every need. And I'd see them not even be grateful." She adds that their love is based on complete openness – something she hasn't experienced in her romantic life before. "I feel totally uninhibited with Usher," Foster says. "I've never been in a situation with anyone, even as far back as high school, where there were no secrets. I know I can tell him anything and he's not going to judge me. I can finally share my dreams. And because of that, I know that man loves me." Source: People