Usher Boldly Placed on “Musical Mount Rushmore” After Super Bowl Performance, Likened to James Brown, Michael Jackson, & Marvin Gaye

Usher performed an iconic Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday (February 11), and everyone has been talking about it since it happened. Everyone including the Emmy-winning producer of the Halftime Show himself, Jesse Collins, who said Usher “belongs on that musical Mount Rushmore.”

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Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter following Usher’s performance, Collins said, “He’s one of the elites.” He also shared what he told Usher before the performance. “I was like, ‘You got the spirit of Marvin [Gaye] and Michael [Jackson] and James Brown all inside, and all that comes together.’”

[Get Tickets to See Usher Perform Live]

Indeed, it did all come together into a great show that fans were absolutely loving (when they weren’t complaining about sound issues). All that aside, Usher put on a great show that highlighted some of his biggest hits like “Yeah!,” “My Boo,” “Love In This Club,” and “U Don’t Have To Call.” He also brought out some amazing guests like Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris and Lil Jon, and will.i.am.

Collins continued, “[You’re] watching someone that truly seeks perfection … you get this incredible performer that can sing and dance and captivate an audience, and I think he did all that tonight.”

[RELATED: Usher Discusses Process of Reworking Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” for New Album ‘Coming Home’]

How Usher Got That Extra 2 Minutes at the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Usually, the Halftime Show clocks in around 13 minutes and no more. However, Usher scored an extra two minutes and performed for a total of 15. This is the first time in Halftime Show history that anyone has every gone over 13 minutes, so how did Usher manage to snag those extra two?

Collins admitted that he pulled some strings. “No, listen, it’s just telling people to look the other way and [that] Usher made a track that was just so great that everybody was able to make it work,” he revealed. However he really did it, fans everywhere are grateful for that extra time.

Before it was revealed that the show included an extra two minutes, Usher said to Vogue, “The hardest part is trying to figure out how to squeeze it all in when you actually have a large catalog, or a lot of records people celebrate and love.” Jesse Collins came through on that one—much like the outcome of the actual Super Bowl, Usher took it to overtime and delivered.

Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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