Usher regrets 'smacking' Nicki Minaj's butt but defends sensual Alicia Keys performance at 2024 Super Bowl

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a recent interview with 'The Breakfast Club', Usher played down the outcry when he hugged Alicia Keys from behind during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, but he admitted that slapping Nicki Minaj's butt at the 2014 VMAs was certainly a step too far.

Usher, 45, consented to reflect on some of his most "unhinged" moments from the past, such as the MTV Video Music Awards in 2014 when he decided to slap the 'Pink Friday Girls' singer on the butt.

The eight-time Grammy winner, 45, said he regretted smacking the 'Anaconda' hitmaker's butt when reflecting on their time on stage together.

Usher regrets smacking Nicki Minaj's butt at their 2014 VMAs performance

Usher slapped 41-year-old Nicki Minaj's booty with his hand after bumping and grinding on it during their 2014 VMA performance.

Although it was disregarded at the time, it has just come to light again, with many accusing him of acting inappropriately and out of pocket, much like how he handled Keys at the 2024 Super Bowl.

Usher clarified to host Charlamagne Tha God that dances in Jamaican culture are known for making people get a little too physical, per The Complex.

He said, "By the way, that was Jamaican culture, you gotta go to Jamaica, you know what I'm saying?"

"That was just a moment that was fun, and by the way it was me playing my bass so I would have bumped my shoulder or my hand... But I had my bass in my hand so I was playing, so I just kind of bopped off her body a little bit," Usher added.

However, the 'Yeah!' singer admitted that he was a little too wild when he put his handprint on Minaj's buttocks, and he still seems to be upset about it in 2024.

He declared, "If you back and look at the video, you'll understand because I did it there the first time. That was a little bit of Jamaican culture. ... I think I was reaching a bit when I smacked her, though, I shouldn't have smacked her butt."

Recently, the event made a comeback on social media when Boosie Badazz responded to the video on Instagram Live, per Daily Mail.

"Did you see when he smacked Nicki Minaj on the a**?" the 41-year-old rapper questioned and added, "I gotta show you that. Nicki Minaj looked at him like, 'N**ga, is you crazy?'"

He pointed out that Minaj appeared to be "caught off guard," as if they had not prepared that act "in rehearsals."

Usher defended his sensual 2024 Super Bowl performance with Alicia Keys

Usher opted to justify his and Alicia Keys' sensuous Super Bowl performance during his interview on 'The Breakfast Club'.

"In no way is there anything that was done there that should have been viewed as bad or in any way perverted or anything like that," he justified.

Usher explained: "No, it was literally about having fun because of a song that me and Alicia made many years ago, and we celebrated it because of the legacy of it. No disrespect to anybody or anything like that."

His comments follow Keys' spouse Swizz Beatz's response to statements made by social media users implying that he must have been envious of Keys and Usher's onstage flirting.

Charlamagne questioned him about whether he had "shared a laugh" with Keys and her spouse, Swizz Beatz, over the uproar. He responded, "Absolutely we laughed about it. But it's all love."

Beatz posted on Instagram the day after the performance, joining a plethora of other social media users who were gushing about it.

He praised Usher, 45, and Keys, 43, for their 2004 hit song 'My Boo', calling it "a classic," and claimed in his post that there were no "negative vibes."

In any case, Beatz has downplayed the extreme reactions to the incident as well, and the couple recently posted a sweet picture of their Valentine's Day festivities.