The Super Bowl halftime show was stacked with hip-hop icons last weekend. PHOTO CREDIT: sportingnews.com
Hip hop finally had its moment at the Super Bowl LVI Sunday night when legends Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Eminem took to the stage for an electrifying halftime show at the So-Fi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The spectacular, high-energy performance was a powerful celebration of hip hop and its evolution over the last three decades centering on the legacy of Dr. Dre, a pioneer of West Coast rap. All four of the other artists have collaborated with Dre, with three of the performers all showing up on Dre’s album “2001.” It was also a fitting shoutout to the host city of Inglewood and the Los Angeles area.
The performance marked the first time the halftime show lineup consisted entirely of hip hop artists. A few other special guests made appearances as well, such as 50 Cent and Anderson.Paak. 50 Cent performed upside down, a callback to his classic “In Da Club” music video and Paak performed on the drums and later in the act alongside Eminem.
On Twitter, athletes such as LeBron James, James Harden and many others shared that this was the best halftime show they have ever seen, honing in on the spectacular performances, creative sets and nostalgic lineup. And they were all correct! Forty-four Grammys, twenty-two No. 1 Billboard albums, and a Pulitzer prize-winning album were all represented on the stage.
Now, about the performance itself.
All eyes were on Snoop as he kicked off things with a PG-rated version of his classic hit, “The Next Episode.” Next, he was joined by Dr. Dre on the DJ board for a rendition of “California Love”, set on a series of five soundstages designed to look like houses in central L.A. which were then surrounded by satellite imagery of the city. The show was filled with references to California culture of the early 1990s with lowrider cars, artfully slung khaki pants and a bit of synchronized crip-walking led by Snoop.
50 Cent followed with a surprise appearance and performed his 2003 hip hop anthem “In Da Club” in what appeared to be a club with a nostalgic atmosphere.
Mary J. Blige came next to sing her 2001 hit “Family Affair,” produced by Dr. Dre. The R&B singer then followed that up with an emotional performance of “No More Drama”, performed on top of one of the white house-like stages.
Kendrick Lamar then graced the field and delivered a fantastic performance of his songs “m.A.A.d. City” and “Alright” while surrounded by dancers.
Dr. Dre came back to introduce Eminem who rapped the chorus to “Forgot About Dre” before performing his Oscar-winning track “Lose Yourself” from the movie “8 Mile” with Paak backing him up on drums, also performing on top of the white house. He ended his set by taking a knee on stage in honor of Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who began kneeling in 2016 as a sign of protest to bring attention to the police brutality and racial inequality that Black men and women face in their daily lives. Eminem stayed on one knee as Dr. Dre sat at the piano and played the melody of “I Ain’t Mad at Cha”. Finally, Dre and Snoop finished their halftime performance with a rousing performance of “Still D.R.E.”
The show left fans and audience members in tears of joy as many were brought back to their childhoods and happy days via this thrilling performance. Finally, there was a hip-hop halftime show. We can be hopeful this functions as a building block for more daring lineups to come.