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Usher Recalls How He Won a 'Bidding War' with Justin Timberlake to Sign Justin Bieber (Exclusive)

Usher recalls how he and Justin Timberlake got into what he described as a 'bidding war' in 2008 to sign a then-unknown Justin Bieber to his and Scooter Braun's joint record label, Raymond Braun Media Group, in this week's PEOPLE cover story.

"When you are at the top of your game, some of the greatest things will be presented to you, and it was, I think, right after [my album] Confessions that I was introduced to Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun," Usher says. "We built a friendship, but this would obviously create a partnership that would span us forever, and it was a bit of a bidding war between me and Justin Timberlake," Usher adds. "I honor and recognize that my brother, you know, he — I think that it might’ve been the fact that he’s just wanting to tell a different story right now, and I understand that," the Grammy-winning artist told the radio show.

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