Today (Feb. 8), Apple Music unveiled their new short film, Where’s Usher? Pulling inspiration from The Hangover series, the seven-minute clip shows several big names on a search to find the R&B legend in Las Vegas. Taraji P. Henson, Ludacris, and Lil Jon are the main stars on the hunt with hilarious appearances from Wesley Snipes, Anderson .Paak, J Balvin, and more.
The comedic short was created to promote Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show performance, which takes place this Sunday (Feb. 11). As REVOLT previously reported, the Atlanta star said that he pulled from his Barbadian predecessor as a reference.
“Rihanna’s [show] was fire because of the choreography and the way they did something that felt like a concert,” he explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It actually was a great deal of inspiration [for] how I began to think of my show. If you ever came to my residency, it was all about being immersed — being immersed in an experience that is all of these things that wouldn’t necessarily go together.”
Ultimately, Usher feels that the 15-minute display will go down as “one of the greatest celebrations ever.” “I would hope that people would feel excited — whether they knew my music or they just got to meet me for the first time — and that I’m all passion, man,” he added. “And that this 8-year-old who now is a 45-year-old feels just as free as the first time that I thought any of this could be possible.”
Taking advantage of the hype and attention, Usher will also be releasing his ninth studio LP, Coming Home, this Friday (Feb. 9). The project will contain 20 songs and collaborations alongside the likes of Burna Boy, Latto, The-Dream, H.E.R., and Jung Kook. Coming Home‘s lead single, the 21 Savage and Summer Walker-assisted “Good Good,” peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.