Dr. Dre Leads Energetic Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, Combining Poignant Moments With Classic Hip-Hop

It was Dr. Dre’s day during the highly anticipated halftime show of NBC’s 2022 Super Bowl broadcast, with the notable moments including Eminem taking a knee onstage.

The hit-laden concert, which featured performances from Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, provided musical entertainment at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, during the matchup Sunday between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Dre and Snoop kicked things off with a performance of “The Next Episode” in a facsimile of various interiors. After that, the pair made their way to the roof for “California Love,” updating some of the lyrics of Tupac Shakur’s hit song for 2022.

Next in the medley, surprise guest 50 Cent appeared upside down for the Dre-produced “In Da Club,” which mirrored a key scene from the song’s music video.

Wow. @50cent #PepsiHalftime pic.twitter.com/8UlJW57gEX

— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022

Mary J. Blige then took to the rooftop for “Family Affair” and “No More Drama.”

Kendrick Lamar followed that up by performing in front of the structure for “Alright,” with background dancers in boxes that read “DRE DAY.”

The hits kept coming, as Eminem appeared atop the roof for a brief refrain from “Forgot About Dre” before segueing into his Oscar-winning anthem “Lose Yourself.” Anderson.Paak played the drums for Eminem.

Eminem’s performance ended with him taking a lengthy knee after concluding the song, an apparent reference to Colin Kaepernick previously taking a knee ahead of NFL games to comment on racial injustice.

In light of speculation in media reports and on social media that the NFL did not approve of Eminem’s plan to take a knee, a league representative dismissed that notion in a message sent to The Hollywood Reporter following the halftime show. “We watched all elements of the show during numerous rehearsals this week,” the NFL rep stated.

After that, Dre took to a piano to perform the lick from “Still D.R.E.” before he rejoined Snoop for a rooftop performance of the lead single from 1999’s The Chronic 2001.

MARY. J. BLIGE. 👑 #PepsiHalftime pic.twitter.com/jRKg9F1ELV

— NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022

During a press conference held Thursday, Dr. Dre said the performance was a long time coming, given the decades-long impact that he and his compatriots have had on music and pop culture.

“This should’ve happened a long time ago,” the six-time Grammy winner said. “Hip-hop is the biggest genre of music on the planet right now, so it’s crazy that it took all of this time for us to be recognized. I think we’re going to go on and do a fantastic show, and we’re going to do it so big that they can’t deny us anymore in the future.”

Eminem taking a knee for Kaepernick? pic.twitter.com/T4p3vOHBUC

— The Recount (@therecount) February 14, 2022