Usher regrets smacking Nicki Minaj on the bum at 2014 VMAs: “I shouldn’t have smacked her”

Usher has expressed his regret at having smacked Nicki Minaj on the bum at the 2014 VMAs.

The R&B star performed his new song ‘She Came II Give It II You’ featuring Minaj live at the music awards show a decade ago, when he bumped against the rapper’s behind while playing bass guitar before smacking her bum.

Speaking in a new interview with Charlamagne Tha God and Jess Hilarious that aired on Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM on Monday (February 19), Usher was asked about the moment in their performance.

“Have you seen some of your old moments, like when you were on stage with Nicki Minaj and you were headbutting her ass? Why was you so unhinged?” host Charlamagne asked.

At first, the ‘Yeah!’ artist tried to laugh off the memory, replying: “That was Jamaican culture. So you gotta go to Jamaica. That was just a moment that was fun.”

He added: “By the way, it was me playing my bass, so I probably would’ve bumped my shoulder or my hand, but I had my bass in my hand and I was playing, so I kind of bopped off her body a little bit. If you go back and look at the video, you’ll understand because I did it there for the first time. That was a little bit of Jamaican culture.”

“Oh no it was on beat and everything!” Charlamagne added. “It was on beat, and I was like, ‘damn!’”

“I think I was reaching a bit when I smacked her, though,” Usher continued. “I shouldn’t have smacked her butt. I shouldn’t have did that.”

Usher recently performed at the Super Bowl Halftime show, where he brought out Alicia Keys and welcomed a host of other special guests including H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon and Ludacris.

His new album ‘Coming Home’ was released to coincide with the show, and features collaborations with Summer Walker, 21 Savage, H.E.R., BTS’s Jungkook, Burna Boy, Latto and more.

Later this year, Usher will be heading on his US ‘Past Present Future’ tour, before hitting the UK and Europe next year.