Marckell Williams
Last night as the Los Angeles Rams took a 13-10 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals into the locker room, the event many fans were waiting for kicked off at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium: black excellence on the world stage and The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.
Biggest SuperBowl Moments For The Culture
The biggest names in hip-hop were recruited for this year’s show, including five revolutionary headliners: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. Black history was definitely made and solidified last night.
The Star-Spangled Banner
The star-studded night began with a beautiful rendition of the star-spangled banner. It was sung by Mickey Guyton, a black country singer.
Lift Every Voice And Sing
Next up, the classic black gospel duo Mary Mary performed as well. Their powerful voices were a perfect match for the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
America The Beautiful
Jhene Aiko’s angelic voice almost lulled the Super Bowl stadium to sleep after her performance of “America The Beautiful”. She was accompanied by a harpist that complimented her voice beautifully.
The Half-Time Show
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg opened the show with “The Next Episode,” closely followed by “California Love”. There were rumors of a Tupac hologram to be shown but that did not happen. The pair danced on a huge row of white boxed platforms that looked like a cityscape with several classic white convertibles parked in front of them. Snoop Dogg then crip walked on the Super Bowl Halftime stage. Iconic to say the least.
50 Cent Takes A Break From Power
50 Cent made a surprise appearance with “In Da Club.” He came in on stage hanging upside down as a reference to his “In Da Club” music video from back in 2003.
You Don’t Want No Drama
Mary J. Blige came through wearing silver sparkles and surrounded by backup dancers. She sang a medley of her hits including “Family Affair” and “No More Drama.” She also killed her dance breaks as expected and didn’t disappoint with her energy or stage presence.
Eminem Takes A Knee
Next Kendrick had an electrifying performance of “We Gon Be Alright” that had the stadium going wild. Eminem came out to perform his hit song “Lose Yourself” and at the end of the track Eminem kneeled down for about 45 seconds, holding his hand down in one hand to pay respects to the movement.
Anderson.Pakk Shows Up
Anderson Paak also made a surprise cameo. While playing drums for Eminem during the song the camera panned over to him.
Still D.R.E.
The show culminated in Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.,”. All five headliners appeared together in a fading shot in an epic moment to close out the show.
“THE GREATEST HALFTIME SHOW IVE EVER SEEN!!!” LeBron James tweeted only minutes after the show was over.
JAY-Z Catches A Vibe
From the crowd, Jay-Z rapped alongside the song he wrote for Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg. To see him vibing along in the crowd and now to see the song be performed on such a stage is legendary to say the least.
Superbowl LVI Wrap-Up
Overall the Super Bowl halftime show was entertaining but not revolutionary. Eminem kneeled for 45 seconds which the NFL was aware of and approved, no one else in the show acknowledged any social issues being dealt with today. Kendrick Lamar performing “We Gon Be Alright” was the most revolutionary thing we saw as the song is a direct response to police brutality suffered in the black community.
RocNation, the powerhouse behind the half-time spectacle, put together a Super Bowl LVI Live Visual Album for fans to relive their favorite moments from the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime show. Check out the visual album now on TIDAL or Youtube.
