Usher reached out to an unknown number of heavy hitters in music for his Super Bowl halftime show, but Chris Brown was not one of those artists.
The relationship between the two men has been unclear since they were pitted against each other in May 2023, following multiple reports that a heated argument led to a brief physical altercation.
On Feb. 16, Usher confirmed to “The Breakfast Club” in a video call that he asked his protégé Justin Bieber to join him on stage but was turned down. He noted that there was “no love lost,” but when asked if he extended an invitation to Brown, he said, “No, I did not reach out to Chris Brown.”
Co-host Charlamagne Tha God then sought a comment about the crooner and the “Sensational” artist coming to blows last year.
As reported by TMZ, the R&B superstars were at Brown’s 34th birthday party at a skating rink in Las Vegas. At some point in the night, Brown allegedly became enraged when his attempts to speak with Teyana Taylor were ignored. The two singers were rumored to be beefing, as he blamed her for his American Music Awards show performance being scrapped at the last minute.
Usher is said to have intervened, which led him to become the target of his “little brother’s” rage. After exiting the venue, it is believed that the eight-time Grammy Award winner was struck by a member of Brown’s crew, leaving him with a bloodied nose.
Regardless of the alleged scuffle, both men appeared bruise-free when they performed at the Lovers and Friends festival. Neither party involved in the alleged matter has addressed public speculation until now.
“No, it’s all good, man. It’s actually always going to be something that you gon’ hear, but ain’t no issues between me and that man,” said Usher. Though he did not perform their 2014 song, “New Flame,” during halftime, he did do his viral ticking dance to his record “You Got It Bad.”
“Went from ‘Lil Bro’ to ‘That Man’.. Yep. Issa Prollems, but Usher kept it Kuute,” commented one person on Instagram. Someone else noted, “He didn’t say it didn’t happen. Sounds like they cleared it up and Usher just wants to bury it. I get it. This is your hour don’t taint it with bs!”
Usher has been a longtime supporter of his younger industry peer, even toying with the idea of them going round for round in a “Verzuz”; though nothing of the sort has come to fruition.
“Me and Chris would kill the world if we ever did something together like that. I’m not saying it’s ‘Verzuz,’ but I’mma just say this: If that ever happens, it’ll be one of the biggest things that anybody has ever experienced in entertainment in celebration of two people who love each other,” the “Confessions’ singer told Big Boy TV last April.
@bigboy #usher shows love to #chrisbrown ❤️ #glu #myboo #bbn #bigboytv #bigboysneighborhood #bigboy #real923la #iheartradio #fypシ #fyp #fypage #xyz ♬ original sound – bigboy
“’Cause I love Chris. I don’t like him, I don’t like his music; I love his music, I love him. He’s my little brother, and he’s always been there for me, and I’ve always been there for him through hard ups and down times—I’ve been there with him,” he added.
Though Brown was not on stage, nor was he at Allegiant Stadium for the big game, he still managed to show love to Usher. In his Feb. 11 Instagram Story, he posted a fire emoji and tagged Usher after his halftime performance.
