In two days Usher will be performing at the halftime show. The world famous R&B singer has had quite the career and worked with plenty of amazing artists in that time. It’s expected that the ‘DJ got us falling In Love’ singer will be bringing out one of his past collaborators on Sunday as a surprise guest, of course, that could be anyone, his list of previous collaborators is quite lengthy.
Lil Jon and Ludacris
Let’s start with the obvious; one of Usher’s most well known songs, “Yeah!” featured both Lil Wayne and Ludacris — both artists were, and still are, a pretty big deal, and the song would not be nearly as iconic without their vocals. Fun fact: Usher would work with both men again on another song, “Lovers and Friends,” from Lil Jon’s album Crunk Juice. Also, the trio are clearly still close, because they made a Hangover spoof to promote Usher’s halftime performance.
Alicia Keys
Another great track from Usher’s 2004 album, Confessions, “My Boo” is a song so romantic that fans at the time were convinced (and some still are) that the two singers were dating. The song peaked at number one back in 2004, and stayed there for six weeks.
P Diddy
Usher and P Diddy collaborated on a couple of songs together back in 2001. The singer was featured on Usher’s song, “I Don’t Know” from the 8701 album, whilst Usher featured in one of P Diddy’s songs, “I Need A Girl (Part One)” from the album We Invented The Remix. Both songs did pretty well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time. Usher was signed to LaFace records at 14, and after moving to New York, he began working with P Diddy, who was sort of a mentor to him.
Will.I.Am
“OMG” was a pretty big hit back in 2010, peaking at no. 2 in the U.S. charts. Although it may not be his best song, it’s a personal fave of mine. At the time, the Black Eyed Peas were one of the biggest groups out there, so Will.I.Am and Usher working together was a pretty big deal. Both artists also worked together on a song from Usher’s previous album (Here I Stand) in 2008 titled “What’s Your Name?”
Justin Bieber
Speaking of artists that were massive in 2010, we have a collab with none other than Justin Bieber, who had only recently shot to fame. Usher featured on Justin’s song “Somebody to Love,” which comes from his first album My World 2.0. Words can’t even begin to describe the chokehold Bieber had on the music industry at this time, and whilst most people remember “Baby,” his collab with Usher is pretty solid. Usher was a mentor to the budding star at the time, so of course they had to make a song together.
Nicki Minaj
Usher and Nicki have collaborated on a number of songs together, starting way back in 2010 with the single “Lil Freak,” and then again in 2014 with “She Came To Give It To You,” which also featured vocals from Pharrell Williams.
Beyoncé
Of course we can’t forget the fact that Usher teamed up with one of the greatest musical artists of this generation. Beyoncé and Usher worked together on the song “Love In This Club Pt 2.” The pair have also performed some of Usher’s classic songs live together, including “Bad Girl.” Interestingly, Usher was also a “nanny” for Beyoncé when she was a young girl — well, technically not a nanny, the singer has clarified that he had to watch over Beyoncé and her bandmates for a while when he was a teen. As if working with Beyoncé wasn’t enough, Usher’s even gone and done a song with her husband, Jay-Z. The track “Best Thing” from Here I Stand is another classic, and it made it into the top 40 in 2008.
Other Collabs
As we’ve said already, Usher has a long list of past collaborators. The likes of DJ Khaled, Drake, Jeezy, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, all from the same song, “Fed Up.” Getting that many industry giants in one room, let alone to work and produce a song together is insane. We haven’t even gotten to talk about the collabs off of his latest album, Coming Home, featuring the likes of 21 Savage and H.E.R. But wait, there’s more, here’s a concise list of other prominent Usher collaborators.
- Jadakiss
- Pitbull
- Burna Boy
- Summer Walker
- Monica
- David Guetta
- Shyne
- Twista
- Kanye West
- Jermaine Dupri
- Benny Blanco
- Bun B
- Luke Steele
- A$AP Rocky
- Young Thug
- Future
- Rubén Blades
- Zaytove
- Gunna
- The Dream
- Pheelz
- Jung Kook
Even this list is likely incomplete, with there no doubt being more artists out there Usher has worked with. Say what you want about him, but there’s no doubt that the man’s a team player, and he’s worked with some of the greatest.
