Today (Jan. 31), Usher sat down with Shannon Sharpe for the “Club Shay Shay” podcast. During their conversation, he shared how he once babysat Beyoncé and his Mount Rushmore of R&B. The “Burn” hitmaker also revealed he was almost in a supergroup with JAY-Z, Pharrell, and Diddy.
“You gon’ hate me for this one. JAY-Z, Pharrell, Diddy, and me was supposed to be a group. Yeah, that’s crazy,” Usher explained. “I didn’t say, ‘No.’ I didn’t say, ‘Yeah.’ I think that we just got caught up. We all got caught up in the moment. We was talking about it and having secret meetings about it.”
He added, “We was talking about music and how we was gon’ flip it, and the business of it. Somehow, we just got distracted, and it never happened. That’s one that I actually wish would have happened.” Check out the clip below.
Notably, Pharrell produced Usher’s “U Don’t Have To Call,” “She Came to Give It to You,” and “Wifey.” Meanwhile, the R&B legend teamed up with Diddy on records like “I Need A Girl (Pt. 1)” and “Looking For Love.”
In 2019, JAY-Z was tapped as the NFL’s live music entertainment strategist to help produce the Super Bowl halftime performance. He picked Usher for this year’s event, which will see the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs going head-to-head.
“[JAY] said, ‘It’s time. It’s magic time. You know, it’s time for you to have that moment,’” Usher recalled during an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ He’s like, ‘The Super Bowl.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, you ready? Absolutely.’”
Usher’s COMING HOME is expected to hit streaming platforms next Friday (Feb. 9). The LP will contain “Good Good” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Risk It All” with H.E.R., and “Standing Next To You” with Jung Kook. Additional guest appearances include The-Dream, Latto, Burna Boy, and Pheelz.