When you’ve been in the music game as long as Usher has,????? ???? ????? you make a lot of friends. For 30 years, the R&B star has collected collaborators like Pokémon cards, and on Feb. 11, as he headlines the Super Bowl Halftime Show, it'll be time for him to shuffle the deck.
Here are the music icons we think are most likely to make an appearance during the 13-minute performance.
Lil Jon and Ludacris
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest / EA SPORTS BOWL Usher's "Yeah" is the anthem of nightclubs, frat parties, and middle school dances everywhere. There's no question that Usher will perform it and, to do it, he'll need a little help from Lil Jon and Ludacris. While Usher's vocals are a crucial element of the track, some of "Yeah's" most recognizable elements come courtesy of his collaborators. From Lil Jon's signature growl to Ludacris' NSFW rap, "Yeah" is a team effort.
Alicia Keys
Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images In recent years, Usher has focused more on crafting expansive dance tracks and club bangers but his roots are in R&B. At the Super Bowl, he is almost guaranteed to throw it back to his early years, and Alicia Keys could help him do it. Their duet, "My Boo," is an early-aughts classic and a definite crowd-pleaser.
Justin Bieber
Credit: Kevin Mazur/MG21/Getty Images For The Met Museum/Vogue If Bieber is game, a performance of "Somebody To Love Remix" could be stand-out moment from Usher's Halftime show. Bieber rarely makes official public appearances (most photos you see of him online are posted by pernicious paps), so a Super Bowl cameo would be major.
Bieber was already an icon by the time the dropped the "Somebody To Love Remix," but Usher's feature on the track turned the cross-generational collab into a pop culture powerhouse.
Pitbull
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images Pitbull is one of the music industry's most prolific performers of the last 20 years, but he's never made a Super Bowl Halftime show appearance. His collaboration with Usher, "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love," could earn him the honor. The song is Usher's biggest hit after "Yeah" and we can't imagine a set list without it or an appearance by Mr. Worldwide himself.
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