Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Review

2.14.21

Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Mary J Blige, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg

The Super Bowl Halftime Show went down last night, and it was everything we could have wanted. Dr. Dre came through with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar, along with a few special guests and tricks up his sleeve. Many agree with Lebron James, whom was watching in attendance saying, this was the greatest halftime performance of all time.

Dr. Dre represented his roots of Compton with the entire stage set up. The graphics introduction to the performance showed brief clips of the area, with the map outlined of Compton on Dre’s palm. The stage set up had similar lines and structure to depict the city, and even had a Tam’s Burgers sign, burger shop home to Compton. The set was an all white strip of store fronts, where the different artists would perform on the roof, or inside of what their building looked like. It was really cool and super Compton, but not ideal for those whom were at the game on the wrong side.

The visuals from the television were insane. As Dr. Dre sat at his producer desk and rose to the top of the performance building structure, it looked unreal. My first time watching, I was unsure if it was still the graphical preview or real life. That was, until Dre stood up, raised his hands, and hollered “Snoop Dogg!”

Snoop Dogg then popped up, a few store fronts down, decked out in his blue and yellow. We all very much knew that being in LA with the Rams in the Super Bowl, Snoop had his team to win. It was even in a ton of betting pools if Snoop would show up in Rams gear or not. I would say count it. Snoop and Dre together started off the show with The Next Episode, followed by California Love. By California Love, there were dozens of dancers performing on the grounds, as if the entire city of Compton was hanging out listening to their music and enjoying themselves.

Next up, we had a somewhat of a surprise showing from 50 Cent. There had been rumors of 50 Cent showing up to perform at the halftime show, since he discussed the possibilities and what it would take in a recent interview. He sure did show up, so Dre must have heard him loud and clear. For a surprise act coming in the way he did, re-enacting his upside-down pull-ups scene from the In Da Club music video from 2003, it blew my mind. 50 wore a white tank and a sweatband around his head, just as he did back in the day. His In Da Club performance included a room full of dancers with him, and introduced a new group on one of the store fronts about. They wore matching silver crystal jumpsuits, and yes, transitioned into Mary J Blige’s turn.

Mary J Blige looked stunning, wearing a bodysuit with crystals shaped like animal print, and matching thigh-high boots. Of course she had to start with the fan favorite, Family Affair, and followed it up with No More Drama. For No More Drama, the city dancers came back into play. This song has probably felt like some sort of relationship problems for many points in time, but tonight, it sure did feel like so much more. You could feel the pain in her voice, and the desperation for peace of mind. It felt very much like, we know everything that is going on in the world, and that performance was to give us all just that: peace of mind. Mary showed us she still can move, and ended her performance falling backwards to the floor. It was incredible, radiant, and powerful.

Speaking of powerful, the transition to Kendrick Lamar was like none other, as you already hear his harsh breathing adlibs as it enters his turn. There are dozens of boxes set up, with “Dre Day” written on each of them. Inside, are military men with sashes reading the same. They are Kendrick’s dancers, with aggressive, quick movements, as if they are military personal meets drum line band dancers. Kendrick plays with some different adlibs for a bit, as he gets into the opening of M.a.a.D City, but ultimately performs Alright as his hero song of choice. Kenrick wore a black jacket with some chains and embellishments, black gloves and black glasses. He looked mysterious, but proper. Scary but elegant. All the things he brings to the table with his lyrics, he did with his performance as well. What was most goosebumps gathering from the performance, was his ending prior to the next transition. He was in a stomping circle, and repeated the words, in the beat to Forgot About Dre:

“35 Summers in the making, stop acting like you forgot about Dre, 35 Summers in the making, I’m talking N.W.A”

Could this mean there is a new album in the near future? I certainly think it is possible. As for the N.W.A part, with Snoop Dogg now as head of Death Row Records, and all the music we know Dre has been working on, there is really no ceiling to what could happen next.

As if this was not enough, Eminem is the next transition. He is lifted through the ceiling of one of the last store fronts in the stage set up, and quite literally smashes through the glass ceiling. He is wearing his classic go-to look, monochrome t-shirt and hoodie, with the hoodie pulled up over his hat. Sneakerheads will notice his custom Jordan 3s, that include the backwards E on one tongue, and a “Hi My Name is Slim Shady” tag on the heel. Inside one of the tongues, is the Shady Records logo, and the other, the classic Slim Shady ski mask.

Eminem bursted through the ceiling with his Forgot About Dre chorus, then went on to perform the ultimate Lose Yourself performance. During his performance, we also spotted Anderson.Paak playing the drums, looking as happy as ever just to be included to some extent in this moment. The end of the performance, because most powerful, as Eminem took a knee on the stage, and bowed his head, in solidarity to Colin Kapernick and all social injustice experiences that the world has known all too well, over the past few years especially. According to a recent interview Eminem did prior to the performance, he had told the NFL he had planned to kneel, in which they specifically told him he could not do. They also had some sensory comments about the lyrics, which Dre and team did listen to, however, Eminem went against the wishes in order to share his message.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg came together one more time to close out the night with Still D.R.E. Many claim this to be the best halftime show of all time, and I would have to agree. Some are also saying that Kanye West should be the performer next year. That one, I am not so sure the league would agree with. But, is sure to be another legendary moment.

Below is the full track list of the performance throughout the night.

1. "The Next Episode" - Snoop Dogg
2. "California Love" - Dr. Dre
3. "In Da Club" - 50 Cent
4. "Family Affair" - Mary J. Blige
5. "No More Drama" - Mary J. Blige
6. "M.a.a.D City" - Kendrick Lamar
7. "Alright" - Kendrick Lamar

8. “Forgot About Dre”- Eminem
9. "Lose Yourself" - Eminem
10. "Still D.R.E." - Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg