Ahead of his highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show performance, Usher paid a visit to Shannon Sharpe for the latest episode of “Club Shay Shay,” which premiered on Wednesday (Jan. 31). During the hourlong conversation, the Atlanta icon dived into his illustrious career, his personal history with others in the entertainment industry, and much more.
At one point, Usher was asked about collaborations that he turned down in the past, to which he replied with a bombshell. “You’re gonna hate me for this one. JAY-Z, Pharrell, Diddy, and me were supposed to be a group,” he revealed, eliciting a shocked response from Sharpe. “That’s crazy. Yeah, you’re gonna hate me for that one, I know.”
When asked why he would decline such an opportunity, Usher explained, “I didn’t say ‘No.’ I didn’t say ‘Yeah.’ I think that we just got caught up. I think we all got caught up in a moment. We’re talking about and having secret meetings about it. We were talking about music and how we’re gonna flip it, and the business of it. Somehow, man, we just got distracted, you know what I’m sayin’? And it never happened.”
Usher also admitted to turning down a big movie role. “David Geffen reached out to me to be in Dreamgirls,” he said. “It just didn’t happen. I think everybody hit me about this joint, too. Eddie Murphy hit me. Brandy hit me… I didn’t do it.” Released in 2006, Dreamgirls was a musical drama that starred Murphy, Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, and Danny Glover as part of an ensemble cast. Later that year, the film — inspired by Motown Records and The Supremes — would earn eight Academy Award nominations. In 2007, Dreamgirls won two Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Hudson) and Best Sound Mixing. Check out Usher’s full sit-down with Sharpe below.