ATLANTA — If you didn't know it already, this Sunday, a football game will be interrupted by an Usher concert in Las Vegas (no disrespect to the Chiefs and the 'Niners).
During halftime of this Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta's own Usher will light up the stage, probably as bright as the Vegas Strip.
He's no stranger to Las Vegas, though. The singer has made Sin City his unofficial home for the better part of the last two years, due to his über-successful residency there. Now, coming off the heels of his long-running show -- plus a three-decade-long career with a tour on the way -- the "Superstar" is finally getting his moment on one of the world's biggest stages.
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The only question is: will he share the spotlight as many other Super Bowl halftime performers have done in the past?
With the number of collabs with other artists -- from rappers to fellow R&B crooners to dubstep DJs and pop stars -- the stage is set for it to (maybe) happen. We're not saying he will. But if he did. Here's our list of who we'd like to see make a guest appearance on the Super Bowl stage (and before you @ us for leaving someone off, this is not a definitive list):
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys, "You will always be my" pick for a surprise performance with Usher.
The pair dueted the song "My Boo" back in 2004 for Usher's "Confessions" album, which stayed at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks that year, ahead of other hits like Snoooooooooop's "Drop It Like It's Hot," "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child and fellow Atlantan Ciara's "Goodies." (What an era for music, amiright?)
Name a song that conjures up more nostalgia for your first crush than this song... we'll wait.
will.i.am
While it wouldn't be a full "OMG" moment if the Black Eyed Peas alum came out on stage -- the song feels perfect for a Super Bowl audience -- it'd still be appreciated.
The track, produced by will.i.am, is off Usher’s sixth studio album "Raymond v. Raymond," and helped the Atlanta singer to notch his ninth No. 1 Billboard hit.
In 2022, will.i.am revealed to one hip-hop outlet that he sampled crowd chants from the end a Black Eyed Peas performance of "I've Got a Feeling" to layer into "OMG" -- an effect that makes you feel like you've been transported to the dance floor in the middle of the club every time you hear it.
Jadakiss
One comment on YouTube described the collab between Usher and Jadakiss on the track "Throwback" as "one of the overlooked songs that made Confessions an all-time classic in music history." They're not wrong.
This song, which features a sample from Dionne Warrick's "You're Gonna Miss Me," just oozes R&B. But, it might be too deep a cut to make the cut to include in a Super Bowl halftime setlist, so we'll settle for a re-listen on YouTube instead. We can dream, though.
Pitbull
Also off the "Raymond vs. Raymond" album, the 2010 song "DJ Got Us Falling In Love" feels like the quintessential dance club hit, describing the moment two strangers lock eyes and then dance the night away.
And, given Pitbull is a hit-maker on his own and has Super Bowl experience (he kicked off the NFL's Tailgate during 2020's Super Bowl LIV in Miami, his hometown), it wouldn't be unheard of for Mr. 305 to share the stage with Usher. And we wouldn't be mad at it.
Jeezy
Fellow Atlantan Jeezy hopped on the track for 2008's "Love In This Club" and it became an instant classic. The synths and that piano solo at the end, along with the "Ayees!" -- if the DJ didn't have you falling in love with the the last track, this one definitely will.
The song spent a respectable three weeks in the top spot on the Billboard charts, but is a forever banger. An Atlanta singer + Atlanta rapper? C'mon, Usher! Do it #ForTheA!
Justin Bieber
Admittedly, this would probably be the most unlikely guest appearance, given the fact that the popstar had to postpone his own "Justice" tour after being diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which left him with facial paralysis. But, given Usher is credited with helping craft Bieber's early career, and was featured on "My World 2.0" hit "Somebody to Love," it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. Add in the fact that some outlets are reporting Bieber is hinting at a return to performing -- could it be at the Super Bowl?
Ludacris and Lil Jon
Okay. Being from The A, we would DEFINITELY want to see Ursher, Jon and Luda do it again.
The pair of hits from the collaborators -- all from Atlanta -- are iconic: 2004's "Lovers and Friends," which was actually a Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz track, and "Yeah!" pretty much dominated the radio waves that year, the latter of the two spending a whopping 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
And, with a new Insta post featuring Ludacris, Lil Jon and Taraji P. Henson asking "Where's Usher?" throughout the Sin City streets, you can't help but wonder if the trio might reunite on one of the world's biggest stages for a reprise. Would 10/10 love that for us.
Tell us: Who would you like to see for the #UsherBowl?
Photos: Usher collaborators through the years
