8701 is the third
studio album by American
R&B recording artist
Usher; it was first released on August 7, 2001, by
Arista Records. Recording was handled by several producers including
The Neptunes,
Jermaine Dupri,
Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs,
Mike City,
Bryan Michael Cox,
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. It was intended for an October 31, 2000 release under the title
All About U, the album was delayed numerous times, following the leak of several tracks onto the online music store
Napster. Usher subsequently recorded new tracks and released the album under the new title,
8701, which is derived from Usher singing for the first time in his local church in 1987 and the album's release date of 2001.