R&B icon Usher addressed the controversial hug he shared with Alicia Keys at the Super Bowl and also commented on the viral moment of him slapping his head off Nicki Minaj’s butt.
In an appearance on The Breakfast Club on Monday, February 19, Usher pointed out that the hug was meant as a lighthearted moment.
Usher and Alicia Keys’ steamy moment at Super Bowl halftime show
Usher had a splendid show at the Super Bowl with an epic performance on Sunday, February 11, 2024, which has been highly acclaimed in the media.
During the performance of My Boo, he hugged Alicia Keys tightly from behind, leading to criticisms. Many critics including Boosie Badazz and Cam’ron felt it was wrong due to Keys being married.
So massive were the criticisms that Alicia Keys’s husband, Swizz Beatz, had to share his thoughts on the moment.
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Usher’s take on the Super Bowl hug with Alicia and Nicki Minaj butt slap
Setting the record straight, Usher clarified that the hug was only to celebrate and commemorate the legacy of their collaboration. He assured that no disrespect was intended towards anyone involved.
When Charlamagne Tha God questioned whether Usher, Keys, and Swizz Beatz had discussed the reaction to the hug, Usher responded affirmatively, stating that they had indeed laughed about it.
He added that the situation highlighted the importance of presentation and that overall.
“Absolutely we laughed about it. It’s crazy how people [focused on] that. It’s all about how you present things, man. But it’s all love.”
Regarding the moment of slapping his head off Nicki Minaj’s behind when they performed together at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards, which went viral again after his Super Bowl performance.
“That was Jamaican culture. You gotta go to Jamaica, you know what I’m saying? That was just a moment that was fun. And by the way, that was me playing my bass so I would have probably bumped my shoulder or my hand, but I had my bass in my hand so I just bopped off her body a little bit,” he said.
Singer marries Jennifer Goicoechea
Meanwhile, the singer married his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea in a private Las Vegas ceremony. The wedding happened right after the singer’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Their ceremony, which took place at a drive-thru chapel in Las Vegas after Usher wowed audiences with his hits, surprised many fans.
Even though he and Goicoechea, a music executive, have been together since 2019 and have two children, not many expected a wedding like that.