Tameka Raymond is ready to set the record straight and tell her side of the story on a variety of matters.
Raymond, who was with Usher for four years, released a book on July 27 titled Here I Stand… In a Beautiful State. It talks about her life and clears up any misconceptions about her.
A press release about Raymond’s book stated the following:
“After several years of contemplating writing about her life, [Tameka] decided to write a book after having a conversation with three women on a beach in Bali. As they spoke, they learned who Raymond’s ex-husband was and they were insistent there was no way she could be who she said she was because his wife had died.”
“They were referring to her near-death experience in Brazil, which has been grossly misreported in the media. After that hilarious and memorable conversation on the beach, Raymond knew she had to write a book. It was time to clear up all the rumors and outright lies about her fashion career, her marriage, and her parenting.”
In 2009, Raymond had a near-death experience in São Paulo, Brazil when she had a cardiac arrest. Following the incident, she was placed in a medically-induced coma for a short period.
In addition to her talking about that experience, Raymond also speaks about her former marriage to Usher and the death of her son.
The pair started dating in 2005 when she was his stylist. They tied the knot in 2007 and divorced in 2009, four months after her near-death experience.
Their marriage birthed two children, Usher Raymond V and Naviyd Ely Raymond. She already had three children from past relationships.
In 2012, her 12-year-old son was declared brain dead following an accident that happend in Georgia’s Lake Lanier. He was later removed from life support.
Raymond told WENN, that her book is not all about sadness.
“Here I stand after going through all the media crap, the divorce, the loss, the grief. It’s not all about crying. Readers are going to laugh. Even though there are chapters about death and divorce, this is not a depressing book.”