Another sign that Justin Bieber will join Usher at the Super Bowl halftime show is the twosome’s longtime affiliation and super tight relationship. Usher is the person to thank for bringing Bieber Fever to the masses, as he was instrumental in launching J-Bizzle’s career at the tender age of 12.
Über manager Scooter Braun first discovered the pre-teen Biebs on YouTube, thanks to his young daughter. Braun snapped him up and flew him to Atlanta to meet Usher, who immediately signed JB to his label, Def Jam Recordings. Usher was a teen star himself, having won “Star Search” at the age of 13, so he recognized an up-and-coming superstar when he saw one. “It was truly his talent, his ability to, on the spot, produce that magic,” Usher told “Good Morning America Weekend” in 2009. “I took him to [record executive] L.A. Reid, and I said, ‘Man, you are not going to believe the talent that I have come across. This kid is really like one in a lifetime glimpse at a prodigy or something incredible.'”
And the rest is history. J-Bizzle and Usher have collaborated on tracks a multitude of times over the years, including the songs “First Dance,” “Somebody to Love Remix,” and “Peaches Remix.” They’ve also frequently shared the stage. Usher and Bieber performed together, along with Jaden Smith, at the 2011 Grammys, and Usher joined Biebs onstage in 2018 to sing “Somebody to Love.”
