Power star Omari Hardwick recently set the internet and the "Beyhive" abuzz with the hug seen 'round the world. It all went down during the NAACP Awards at the tail end of March, where Beyonce was honored with "Entertainer Of The Year." It didn't take long for Hardwick to offer up a congratulatory embrace, which included not one, but two unsolicited smooches. Now, it's difficult to discern malicious intent on Hardwick's behalf; perhaps he simply channeled "Lose Yourself" and seized a moment, perhaps he simply forgot about the first kiss in an excited haze. Either way, the Beyhive went at him with the fury of a thousand buzzing bees, hellbent on doling out the stings.
Now, Hardwick has once again opened up about the infamous incident, speaking with Ebro and the Hot 97 crew. As he tells it, the whole thing was blown out of proportion, which he attributes to the fervent nature of social media. He also jokes that he might have caught hands from Jay, had he opted to snub Beyonce out of a congratulatory embrace. "Jay would have slapped me upside the head, like damn n**a, you seen B? Go give her a hug," he says. "That's a woman that reached out to me at one in the morning, said I'm doing a surprise birthday for Jay, you gotta be there. That's a friend."
Check out his explanation, which occasionally veers into cryptic territory, below. Be sure to check out the full interview for more from Hardwick, including information on the upcoming final season of Power.