‘The Voice’ Alum Usher Clears the Confusion Surrounding Controversial ‘Ush Bucks’ Ahead of Las Vegas Residency

Singer Usher had people yelling “no” instead of “Yeah!” recently when it was alleged that he was tipping Las Vegas strippers with his own fake currency called “Ush Bucks.” The former The Voice coach has cleared up any misconceptions about it, noting that he and his team spread the fake money throughout the Vegas Strip to help promote his Las Vegas residency. The “Climax” singer will be performing at The Colosseum at Caesars in July and August.

The “Ush Bucks” situation started when a Las Vegas stripper took to Instagram to reveal that Usher gave her three “Ush Bucks” in different denominations. “Ladies, what would you do if you danced all night for Usher and he threw this??” the woman asked. “The money does not have a trade-in value whatsoever! LMA Don’t y’all think he should be blasted on social media for this s—.”

Quite a few people agreed with the dancer, but a representative for the club Sapphire told TMZ that Usher and his entourage did tip the strippers with real money the night they visited. They spent “thousands” on dancers and drinks, which Usher and his team paid for with real money. Sources told TMZ that someone from Usher’s group left the fake “Ush Bucks” as a joke on the stage.

In a new interview with Billboard, Usher explained that the idea behind “Ush Bucks” was simply promotional. The idea was to help spread the word for the residency by putting Usher’s face on bills, replacing a president’s face with his own. “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,” Usher explained. “Stay tuned. We’ve been working on the merchandise for the night and that was the start of it.”

It’s not like Usher really needed a fake currency to spread the word about his residency. Ticket demand has been so much that Usher added six dates in August. The first 12 dates, which start on July 16, have almost sold old. Tickets for the new dates will go on sale on April 29.

“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,” Usher told Billboard. He will be backed by a full band with new choreography. His setlists will be a mix of new and old tracks. “It’s about celebrating the years, about celebrating the records, and celebrating the ones that brought us all together,” Usher said. “And also, to introduce new ones.”