Last weekend’s epic producer battle between crunk overlords Lil Jon and T-Pain gave us much more than just nostalgia; it also presented the perfect opportunity to premiere new music in front of a global audience.
But when Lil Jon dug in the vaults and unleashed an unreleased track featuring himself, Usher and Ludacris—the holy trinity that dominated dance floors and airwaves alike with “Yeah!” and “Lovers and Friends”—I don’t think he was prepared for the frenzy that would ensue.
Thankfully, Usher caved to the craze—it’s hard to ignore thousands of tweets when you’re trapped in the house—and decided to pull the trigger on officially releasing “SexBeat” on Friday.
The sultry single, which also features contributions by So So Def CEO Jermaine Dupri, is the first collaboration between the three Grammy Award-winning artists in 16 years. It’s also dope as hell and the perfect song for you and your quarantine bae to “social distance” to.
Prior to the song’s release, Usher joined Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to provide some insight into its creation.
“This was the beginning, or actually the continuation of the process of introducing music for my project. It may turn into something more. You got to stay tuned,” he said. “But I will tell you this. It’s undeniable. That’s the one thing you can say about it. When Usher, Jon, and Luda come together it’s always amazing. It allows us to stay connected to our core like us three together.”
He continued, “No matter what Jon is doing, no matter where Ludacris is, no matter who I am, or where I’m going, or what type of music I’m introducing, when we come together, we go back to the center, like the orbit of who we all are as artists at our best. Usher, Jon, and Luda had to do it again, you know? It’s time.”
Check it out below.