Usher: 14 of the R&B singer's most famous collaborations
Who knew he had collaborated with so many stars?
Usher is one of the world's biggest R&B and Hip-Hop artists of all time, and performed at the 2024 Super Bowl Half-Time show on rollerboots, while also getting married on the same day! Just days before his Super Bowl performance he also released his first album since 2016 called 'Coming Home'.
Now, the singer has announced a massive 10 nights in the UK in 2025, and his concert film Usher: Rendezvous in Paris arrived in cinemas around the world in September.
In the eyes of his fans, the Grammy award winner can do no wrong. His collaborations are insanely good, pairing up with some of the biggest artists of our time, such as P. Diddy, Alicia Keys and Nicki Minaj.
Check out Usher's biggest collabs to date:
'I Don't Know' with P. Diddy
The 2001 hit 'I Don't Know' featuring P. Diddy was a single from Usher's '8701' album. Written by Pharrell, the track managed to push Usher to the forefront of the music industry, leading to many more lucrative collaborations.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'I Need a Girl' with P. Diddy
'I Need a Girl' was another single released in 2001 with P. Diddy, which well and truly stormed the charts. It reached Number 1 in the US and Number 4 in the UK.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'My Boo' with Alicia Keys
'My Boo' was released in 2004 on Usher's fourth studio album, 'Confessions.' Alicia Keys featured on the track, which stayed at Number 1 in the US for six consecutive weeks. It peaked at Number 5 in the UK.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Throwback' with Jadakiss
'Throwback' merges Hip-Hop and jazz music and interestingly, it samples Dionne Warwick's song 'You're Gonna Need Me.' Produced back in 2004, the song featuring Jadakiss reached Number 35 in the US. The song was first written for Dr Dre.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Yeah' with Ludacris and Lil John
'Yeah' was Usher's first collaboration with Ludacris and Lil Jon in 2004. It was released as the lead single for his fourth studio album, 'Confessions', and it ended up staying at Number 1 in the US for 12 consecutive weeks, as well as reaching the top spot in the UK.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Lovers and Friends' with Lil Jon and Ludacris
'Lovers and Friends' was released in 2004 and was Usher's second collaboration with Lil Jon and Ludacris. The single stormed the US charts, peaking at Number 3 and Number 10 in the US and UK respectively.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Best Thing' with Jay-Z
If you're going to do a collab, you may as well do it with the top dogs, might you? Well Usher certainly took that motto on board, and in 2008, teamed up with Jay-Z to produce the iconic single, 'Best Thing.' It reached the Top 40 in the US.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'OMG' with will.i.am
Released in 2010, Usher collaborated with The Black Eyed Peas front-man will.i.am on the up-tempo dance track, 'OMG.' It peaked at Number 1 in the UK and Number 2 in the US.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Somebody To Love' with Justin Bieber
And who can forget when Usher teamed up with teen heartthrob Justin Bieber back in 2010?! The pair collaborated on Justin's catchy track 'Somebody To Love', and it's fair to say it's a certified banger!
'Lil Freak' with Nicki Minaj
'Lil Freak', featuring US rapper Nicki Minaj, was the next single to be released after 'OMG.' However, it wasn't as successful as Usher's previous release, peaking at Number 40 in the US and only reaching 109 in the UK charts.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Fed Up' with DJ Khaled, Drake, Lil Wayne, Usher, Rick Ross and Jeezy
2010 was a good year for Usher, right? The singer teamed up with DJ Khaled, Drake, Lil Wayne, Usher, Rick Ross and Jeezy, to produce 'Fed Up.' The song peaked at Number 45.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Without You' with David Guetta
Released in 2011, Usher collaborated with David Guetta to produce 'Without You', which became one of the biggest tracks of the year. It reached Number 2 in the UK and Number 4 in the US. The duo have since performed the song across the globe at huge music events, including Coachella in 2012.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'I Don't Mind' with Juicy J
'I Don't Mind' became Usher's 13th Number 1 single in the US, tying him with the legends Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye for sixth place among artists with the most Number 1's on the US charts. The single, which features Juicy J, charted at Number 3 in the UK in 2014.
Watch the music video on YouTube.
'Good Good' with 21 Savage and Summer Walker
Usher released 'Good Good' with 21 Savage and Summer Walker on 4th August 2023. The track is the lead single from Usher's upcoming ninth studio album 'Coming Home'.
Usher's new album
Usher has released his latest album called 'Coming Home'. The album will be his first since 2016, when he released 'Hard II Love', which featured 'Good Kisser' and 'She Came to Give It to You' featuring Nicki Minaj.
The first song to be released from the album was 'Good Good'. In February 2024, he also released 'Ruin' and 'Kissing Strangers' from the album.
When did Usher first meet Beyoncé?
Usher revealed in an interview with People that he actually knew Beyoncé from a very young age. He explained how he used it 'babysit' the star when she was just 11 or 12-years-old.
"Fun fact, I knew Beyoncé when she was 12-years-old, 11-years-old. She used to be in a group by the name of The Dolls. I don’t know if I could consider myself their babysitter, but I had a time where I had to watch The Dolls."
He continued: "I was at Daryl Simmons’ house. (Daryl) was working with (The Dolls) at the time, and I just happened to be over there and they were working on a session. I kind of found my way into being their like, I don’t know, chaperone, nanny, or something like that — the oldest person in the room."
Hear Usher's biggest hits on MFR 🎶
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