Britney Spears‘ best-selling memoir The Woman in Me featured the stories behind a number of iconic and difficult moments from the “Toxic” singer’s life and career. But one that really struck a chord with so many fans — thanks to actress Michelle Williams’ unforgettable reading of it in the audiobook version — was a scene in which Brit described an alleged run-in with R&B singer Ginuwine in which then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake flexed his rizz for the “Pony” star.
According to Spears, JT’s affinity for Black artists during his *NSYNC days manifested when the “Cry Me a River” singer got excited upon spotting Ginuwine on the street. “They were white boys, but they loved hip-hop… *NSYNC hung out with black artists. Sometimes I thought they tried too hard to fit in,” Spears wrote in the book.
“One day J and I were in New York, going to parts of town I’d never been to before. Walking our way was a guy with a huge, blinged-out medallion,” Spears said of the person who was flanked by “two giant security guards.” According to Spears, that prompted Justin to get “all excited and said so loud, ‘Oh yeah, fo shiz, fo shiz! Ginuwiiiiine! What’s up, homie?”
Here’s the thing, though. When Billboard caught up with Ginuwine this week after his elimination from The Masked Singer, the 53-year-old crooner born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin had no recollection whatsoever of that iconic moment.
“Nah, I don’t remember that,” Ginuwine laughed when asked if the Spears account jibed with his memory. “I would have probably looked at him very weird if he did that like she said,” he added. “I just don’t remember that, but I remember him [Timberlake] being a cool dude and me kicking it down there in Florida with [*NSYNC’s] producer at one time.”
But, sorry, Ginuwine just “fo shiz” did not remember any of it.
