Usher Smokes Cigars, Enjoys Cuban Coffee in Havana with Rapper Ludacris

The member of the popular U.S. television program “The Voice” announced his presence in the Cuban capital with a photo showing him drinking coffee with the caption “I deserve it.”

Also appearing in the photo is a 1950s automobile in front of a wall on which the word “Cuba” appears.

Usher, who was born in 1978 and whose real name is Usher Terrence Raymond IV, visited the factories of H.Upmann and Partagas, where the Cuban cigar brands Cohiba and Montecristo are produced, and he said on Facebook and Instagram that this was his first time smoking his very own Havana “puro.”

In the photos, his friend Ludacris – born Christopher Brian Bridges, and famous for his appearances in the “Fast and Furious” film franchise – is also seen trying out various brands of Cuban cigars.

Other images document Usher’s Havana trip and show a typical street in the Old City, along with a view of the capital probably taken from the Fortaleza San Carlos de La Cabaña, along with a picture of Cuban paper money on which the face of guerrilla Ernesto “Che” Guevara, a revolutionary icon, can be seen.

Two videos on the singer’s social networking sites also show a performance by Habana Compas Dance, a mostly female percussion group.

Usher and Ludacris have not confirmed if they are in Havana just to visit or if they are filming a videoclip or participating in a photo shoot, like pop diva Rihanna did last May.

Since the rapprochement between Havana and Washington was announced in December 2014, several celebrities – including Paris Hilton and model Naomi Campbell – have visited the communist island.

Before that, in April 2013, U.S. pop singer Beyonce and her husband, rapper and music producer Jay-Z, traveled to Havana on a private visit to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.