Usher

A couple weeks ago, Usher went viral after it was alleged that he paid a stripper with fake money that had his face on it. It was later reported that he didn’t actually do that, but rather, he and his team were just leaving the phony bills around town to promote his upcoming Las Vegas residency. Now, in a new interview with Billboard, Usher has discussed the now-infamous “Usher Bucks.”

Usher spoke about how the fake money is part of his broader promotional campaign, saying:

“The idea behind Usher Bucks was really as a way of promoting the residency. And since then, there has been more conversations, thus proving roads lead to Las Vegas. Stay tuned. We’ve been working on the merchandise for the night and that was the start of it. […] I have a really great team, behind the scenes and on the stage putting together the show promoting the show, coming up with ideas of how to promote the show and market the merchandising. A lot of great detail and thought has gone into the experience. From the moment you walk into the Coliseum to the moment you leave the Coliseum we’re going to definitely make it an environment to enjoy, experience, and celebrate.”

He also spoke about his residency, saying it will feature a live band and fresh choreography. He added, “The anticipation is beautiful. I want you to guess. I want to keep you bubbling with anticipation until I have dropped the first record and you hear the first moment. When the lights go down and you feel the energy. I promise the classics and also new stuff. It’s about celebrating the years about celebrating the records, and celebrating the ones that brought us all together. And also to introduce new ones.”

Read the full interview here.

Usher went viral yesterday after it was reported that he paid strippers with fake dollar bills that had his own face on it, in lieu of actual money. Now, TMZ reports that things are not as they seem.

Citing “sources close to Usher,” the publication reports that somebody in Usher’s crew, but not Usher himself, left some of the fake Usher-branded “money” behind “as a bit of a gag,” both as a joke and to promote Usher’s Las Vegas residency. A representative of the Sapphire club where this happened told TMZ that Usher did not give strippers his fake money and that he tipped the staff overall “quite generously” (with real money). Usher apparently spent thousands on dancers and paid for bottle service. Sapphire also told TMZ they’d be happy to host Usher again.

This story began when a stripper shared photos of the phony Usher money, printed in various denominations and designed to look like real money, and asked her followers, “Ladies what would you do if you danced all night for usher and he threw this??” She also noted, “& the money does not have a trade in value what so ever! Lmao don’t y’all think he should be blasted on social media for this sh*t?”