For the first time hip-hop headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, starring Dr Dre and protégés Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige and Eminem, who invoked a racial justice protest by taking a knee on music’s biggest stage. Buzz had been building for weeks over the ’90s lovefest that also included Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent onstage midway through Sunday’s game, which had the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Cincinnati Bengals.
The show saw the field transformed into a giant map of Los Angeles, which is hosting the National Football League championship for the first time in nearly three decades.
Dre and Snoop opened the ode to gangsta rap with their hit “The Next Episode,” before paying tribute to Tupac Shakur with “California Love.” East Coast made a cameo as 50 Cent dropped down from the ceiling while launching into the early 2000s favourite “In Da Club,” before Blige kicked the show up a notch with her superhit “Family Affair.” Donning all white and sequins, R&B star Blige then sang “No More Drama,” ahead of Lamar’s performance of “Alright” in front of the stage, surrounded by men donning all black complete with “Dre Day” sashes.
Detroit rapper Eminem emerged with his Grammy and Oscar-winning smash “Lose Yourself” – before taking a knee, a move that invoked the social justice protest by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and set social media alight.