Super Bowl LVI’s halftime show delivered everything it promised on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Englewood, USA. The 12-minute performance was a celebration of the career of rapper and producer Dr. Dre, with a lineup of hit songs from Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and a surprise concert of 50 Cent.
Kendrick Lamar (confidential), Eminem, Dr.
The show began with the song “The Next Episode” written by Dre and Snoop. On a stage that mimics the neighborhood of neighboring Compton, where Dr. Dre grew up, the producer appeared behind his own recording table, as he was raised to stage level. The crowd became furious when Snoop got into the microphone singing “Lalala, it’s the one and only DO-double-G”, the first line of the song.
The tune of “Nuthin But A G-Thang,” another song for the duo, rang out subtly to the beat before giving way to “California Love,” which was a hit with 2Pac Shakur.
Surprisingly, 50 Cent appeared singing his first Dre production song, “In Da Club,” hanging from the ceiling as at the beginning of the song’s music video. He passed the ball to Mary J. Blige, who came on singing “Family Affair,” another track produced by Dre. “Queen of Soul Hip Hop” followed her with another hit song from her back catalog, “No More Drama”, and she threw herself on stage at the end of the song.
50 Cent appears upside down performing “In Da Club” on Super Bowl LVI’s halftime show – Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
The youngest artist in the lineup, Kendrick Lamar, followed him surrounded by men with a track written “Dre Day.” After a quick quote from his eponymous album “maad City”, he moved on to “Okay”, his critically acclaimed hit song in 2015.
Lamar handed it to Eminem, who appeared in the elevator singing the “Forgot About Dre” chorus. It was just a Detroit rapper’s performance to enter “Lose Yourself,” the theme song from “8 Mile” that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Dr. Dre plays the piano with Eminem kneeling beside him at the LVI Super Bowl halftime show – Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
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Next, a scene appeared in the recording studio behind Dre, who sat at the piano and played the distinctive opening music of the hit song “Still DRE” alongside Snoop Dogg. Once again, the audience cheered. His old partner returned to the stage and was soon joined by the other stars of the show, as the dancers performed signature dance moves for California hip-hop.
Snoop Dogg performs at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show – Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
Mary J. Blige performs at the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI – Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
