Rihanna and Usher exchange praise over Super Bowl shows: "Real recognize real"

Los Angeles, California - Usher has received the seal of approval from Super Bowl halftime show royalty: Rihanna.

Rihanna (r) praised Usher ahead of his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in February.
Rihanna (r) praised Usher ahead of his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show in February.  © Collage: Ethan Miller & Frazer Harrison / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

This year's halftime show performer had no notes when asked recently if she had any advice for the Burn singer as he prepares to take the stage at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on February 11.

"I can't give Usher no advice," the Super Bowl LVII performer told E! News.

"Usher is a natural; he's a legend; he's been doing this since he's a teenager. He's made for that show. I get excited about entertainers who do this, who are built for it, and he just proved it in Vegas that he's not going anywhere."

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Usher, who recently wrapped his Sin City residency at Park MGM, re-posted the Umbrella singer's statements on X and responded by writing, "Real recognize real Thank U Queen @rihanna."

In September, it was announced that the Caught Up artist would headline the sporting event's high-profile music portion, bringing one of the Strip's most talked-about live acts to the biggest stage in pop music.

"It's an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list," Usher said in a September statement about being awarded the highly coveted role. "I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before."

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Last year, Usher launched a residency at Las Vegas' Park MGM that quickly went viral because of his intimate interactions with famous fans, including Taraji P. Henson, Issa Rae, Saweetie, and Keke Palmer. He extended his stay in Sin City through December due to "popular demand" in August.

Earlier this year, Rihanna's show-stealing performance highlighted the We Found Love singer's musical and visual creativity while also providing a shocking pregnancy reveal from the pop star.

But the two halftime shows are bound in more ways than just mutual admiration from its performers.

Usher's Super Bowl performance will be the fifth halftime show overseen by Jay Z's entertainment company, Roc Nation, following February's appearance by Rihanna, last year's hip-hop extravaganza with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd's socially distant halftime show in 2021 and the co-headlining outing featuring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in 2020.

Cover photo: Collage: Ethan Miller & Frazer Harrison / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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