NFL Hosts Star-Studded Halftime Show at Super Bowl LVI

Valencia+Voice+Logo

Robert Maldonado Rodriguez

Valencia Voice Logo

Justin Martinez, Reporter

The 2022 Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show was one for the ages providing viewers with iconic performances from five superstars and one surprise guest. All of which encompassed hip hop and rap icons.

The show opened with legendary rapper and record producer, a Los Angeles native from Compton, Andre Romello “Dr. Dre” Young on top of his set, which he presented to display house parties along a block of houses that he performed on top of with his MC set.

Lifelong friend for Dr.Dre, Calvin Cordozar “Snoop Dogg” Broadus Jr. was the first performer who accompanied Dre. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performed their collaboration “The Next Episode” followed up with another hit single of Dre’s “California Love”, all from on top of the house sets. At the same time, the backup dancers had a house party within the sets to create the nostalgia of an era.

Next, a guest that no one was expecting appeared on stage, Curtis “50 Cent” James Jackson appeared hanging upside down within the set performing one of his songs, “In Da Club,” produced by Dre. In contrast, the house part continued around the stars.

The next iconic star to join the show was none other than the queen of hip-hop soul herself, Mary J. Blige. Blige performed two of her most well-known hits, “Family Affair,” and wowed the crowd with her vocals in “No More Drama” on top of the house set next to Dre, accompanied by two backup dancers.

Kendrick Lamar was the next hip-hop star to bless the stage. He performed alongside house party sets, accompanied by more than a dozen backup dancers dressed similarly to his all-black suit. Lamar hasn’t dropped any new music since his critically acclaimed fourth studio album “DAMN.” He performed his hit single “Alright” from that album, accompanied by visually appealing choreography from his backup dancers in synchronization.

Finally, the one and only Marshall “Eminem” Mathers, Mr. Slim Shady himself, joined Dr. Dre on his set. Joined by a band with another celebrity surprise was Anderson Paak from the duo “Silk Sonic” performing on the drums to help Eminem’s performance. Eminem performed “Lose Yourself” for the final song of the show where he even took a knee during his performance, even though many reports from the NFL claim he was asked not to do so.

The show ended with a spectacular party. The show commenced at the bottom of the set stage with every backup dancer and the stars themselves enjoying themselves to beats created by Dr. Dre. Some fans were disappointed that although many Tupac “2Pac” Shakur beats and songs were referenced throughout the show, there was no hologram of him as rumors speculated. Since Dr. Dre and the late 2Pac were so close, fans were hoping for that surprise.

The Halftime show did not disappoint to be the first one with an all-hip hop and rap line-up with the most performers taking the stage ever. You can stream all the songs from every artist on all streaming platforms, as well as Mary J. Blige’s new album that was just released today titled “Good Morning Gorgeous”.