People were expecting it to the one of the best… did it hold up to expectations?
By Rena Spangler
If you’re a football fan, you know one of the biggest days of the year is the Super Bowl. The game, the hype, the food, and of course, the halftime show. Well, the halftime show this year was one of the most anticipated performances in Super Bowl history. On September 30th 2021, the performers for the 56th Super Bowl were announced, and the world went berserk. The lineup was Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. This was also the first Super Bowl halftime show that was completely made up of all rap and hip-hop artists. Everyone of all ages were beyond excited, as the performers’ music had music that has been beloved by multiple generations.
The Performance
As soon as the Bengals and Rams made their way to the locker rooms after the second quarter ended, the setup for halftime started and the stadium (and living rooms everywhere) were abuzz with excitement. The performance started with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, who kicked it off with a bang with “The Next Episode” and “California Love”, which were huge hits in the late 90s and early 2000s. The set for halftime were white buildings and rooms set on a city street-like set up. The excitement was boosted even higher when surprise guest 50 Cent appeared upside down to perform his hit song “In Da Club”, which was a smash hit in the early 2000s. After 50 Cent came Mary J. Blige with her signature voice and songs “Family Affair” and “No More Drama”. Kendrick Lamar followed her with his hit songs “m.A.A.d city” and “Alright”, performing alongside dancers with sashes saying “DRE DAY” on them. Finally, bringing all the performers together came Eminem, with his Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself” with Anderson. Paak making a surprise appearance on the drums. The impressive performance came to a close with Dr. Dre briefly paying tribute to Tupac by playing the late rapper’s song “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” on the piano, which he followed by playing “Still D.R.E” with Snoop Dogg returning to the set with him. All of the remaining performers came together with Snoop and Dre atop the city street set to finish out the performance.
Well… was it one of the best?
After the performance, millions of fans took to social media to express their emotions. People were saying how it was the best halftime performance in years, if not ever. The performers, backup dancers, set, and songs were praised and loved by almost everyone, although some people expressed that they didn’t like the rap music at all. Some people expressed their distaste for Eminem’s controversial decision to ignore the NFL’s rule to leave politics out of the performance by taking a knee next to Dr. Dre for one minute. Others proceeded to say that he was paying tribute to Tupac with Dr. Dre, but a statement hasn’t been made to say which one is true. All in all, this was a memorable halftime performance, and one that will be remembered for years to come.