Usher and Justin Bieber's bond remains strong despite recent rumors
A friend of Usher's has denied reports that he is feuding with former protege Justin Bieber.
Rumours began circulating that the pair reportedly got into an altercation while attending Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Oscars after-party earlier this month.
According to TMZ, there was an incident in which Usher reportedly approached Bieber with "energy and anger", leading to a "heated exchange" that some even suggested resulted in a fist fight between the two artists.
TMZ were clear that no authorities were involved and there has been no confirmation from either artist's camp about an altercation.
Usher remains yet to respond to the rumours, but his friend Da Brat recently appeared on The Rickey Smiley Show and addressed the story herself.
"I spoke to Usher, and he said this is an exaggeration of conversation," she said. "He's been nothing but supportive of plenty of issues that Justin Bieber has had throughout the years, and y'all can actually check the records for all that he has done. Justin is on his own journey, dealing with his own reality that he's created. Usher wishes him nothing but the best, and they have no hostility towards each other.
"They definitely love each other. People just take things out of context when they see something, and they run with it. And I'm just here to say that is not the issue. They are definitely cool with each other, and they have love, and they support each other..."
Usher and Bieber's relationship goes back a long way - with the 'Yeah!' star entering into a partnership with Scooter Braun in 2008 to sign Bieber to their joint label Raymond Braun Media Group.
They later collaborated on tracks like 'First Dance' and the 'Somebody To Love' remix, with Usher continuing to serve as a mentor.
Bieber reportedly declined an offer to appear during Usher's 2024 Super Bowl halftime show and he unfollowed Usher on social media the following year, suggesting that there had been a divergence between the two.
