It’s tough to earn the title of one of the most embarrassing boyfriends on the planet, what with so many viable contenders running rampant across the globe, but Keke Palmer’s boyfriend managed to edge out the competition when his stupid tweet criticizing the mother of his child’s outfit at an Usher concert had the domino effect of unearthing even more absolutely unsavory tweets in July. Palmer took the unfortunate event in stride, released “I’m a Motha” merch reclaiming her boyfriend’s phrase meant to make her feel bad about having fun when she has a kid, and now, she’s starring in Usher’s new music video inspired by the headlines. “Boyfriend,” out August 16, has an “it’s Usher, baby”–inflected EDM sound, and it capitalizes on the insecure-boyfriend narrative. “You tryna be on your best behavior, loving me on the low,” Usher sings. “Somebody said that yo boyfriend’s looking for me, that’s cool.”
In the music video, Palmer fictionalizes that fateful girls’ trip to Vegas to see Usher’s residency at Park MGM. She parties with her friends and sings along to the 2001 hit “U Remind Me” in the elevator. She even dresses like Usher — fresh Ones, white tee, aviator glasses — and does some choreo with the singer at a casino. The morning after, she answers her boyfriend’s call and pretends like she didn’t just have the night of her life. “I’m a mother, after all,” she tells him. It’s seven o’clock on the dot and Usher’s calling.
