More than two decades after it ruled radio, Usher and Alicia Keys’ classic duet, “My Boo,” still feels untouchable. But according to songwriter Adonis Shropshire, the record almost never saw daylight.
In a new interview with Men’s Journal, published February 14, 2026, by Terrell Smith, Shropshire revisited the late-night studio session that birthed the 2004 smash, eventually performed at Super Bowl LVIII. What fans now consider a cornerstone of mid-2000s R&B began with a midnight phone call and a skeptical superstar.
“I got a call at midnight. Jermaine Dupri’s like, ‘yo, come to the studio.’ He got this beat. And he’s like ‘write to this one.’ It’s all he had,” Shropshire recalled. Dupri had crafted the melody for the opening line—“There’s always that…”—but the lyrics were unfinished. Shropshire stepped in to help shape the emotional narrative.
Was Beyoncé Suppose To Be On Usher & Alicia Keys’ “My Boo”? Songwriter Adonis Shropshire Reveals
Then came the curveball. Shropshire spilled the tea behind, making the classic, and how certain parts of the song almost never came to be. For instance, Usher originally did not like the record.
“Usher comes in the studio. It’s like 4 AM in the morning. We played ‘My Boo.’ He hates it. Hates it. He told us, whatever y’all do, don’t ever play that for me again.”
The dismissal was blunt. Still, the night was far from over. “So at 4:30 in the morning, Usher gets in the booth. I’m like, I’ve never seen nothing like this in my life. I’m thinking, do it tomorrow. He did it right then.”
That 4:30 a.m. vocal session became the backbone of a song that would dominate the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and cement Usher’s hitmaking streak.
Shropshire also revealed a major what-if moment. Beyoncé was originally slated to sing the female hook. “Beyoncé was supposed to do the girl part originally, but she was on tour. So she didn’t have the time to do the vocals.”
Her absence opened the door for Alicia Keys, whose vocal chemistry with Usher transformed “My Boo” into a generational anthem. What began in doubt ended in R&B history.