On Feb. 13, 2022, the nation’s biggest sporting event might be upstaged by the world’s biggest music event. The NFL, Pepsi, and music icon Jay-Z’s Roc Nation announced a Super Bowl halftime show that will include five of the biggest names in the music industry.
Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg will be on stage together for this marquee event, the centerpiece of the league’s championship game. Rumors suggest special surprise artists will also make an appearance.
News Highlights
- Five hip-hop superstars headline the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show.
- Jay-Z’s Roc Nation will produce the show.
- The event will be NFL’s salute to the hip hop music scene.
Hip Hop Takes Center Stage at Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show
The line-up of stars accounts for 43 Grammy awards and 22 No. 1 Billboard albums. Dr. Dre is the founder of Death Row Records, which brought us Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
Eminem is one of the best-selling rappers of all time. Kendrick Lamar is considered one of the most influential artists of the decade.
Mary J. Blige was recently nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the top female R&B and hip-hop artists of all time. Snoop is one of the originals from the West Coast scene. That’s a big deal because he, Dre, and Lamar are native Los Angelenos, and the city is hosting the big game.
First Reactions to The Superbowl Halftime Show
Since the announcement, the typical laudits have splashed over the airwaves and social media. Jay-Z called it “history in the making.” Dr. Dre chimed in by describing an “unforgettable cultural moment.” And PepsiCo media boss Adam Harter promises that the “superstar line-up is sure to deliver a mind-blowing performance.”
The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career.
Dr.Dre
But who, if any, will make a surprise appearance? What will the ratings be? And how long will the show run? These and other questions will be everyone’s guessing game and rumor mill during the months of buildup.
NFL Pays Tribute to Hip Hop Culture
The buildup to this announcement itself has a history that dates back to 2016 when the San Francisco 49ers Quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, first took a knee during a game’s National Anthem to protest social injustice. The reaction to that and other racial awareness issues, such as objections to concussion payout inequities, left the NFL with a public relations problem.
The league has since sought to correct the problem by making gestures in good faith to representatives of the black community. This halftime show pays tribute to hip-hop culture as sort of a culmination of that effort.
Jay-Z’s Role in Artist Line-Up
Jay-Z’s part in all this essentially began two years ago when the NFL entered an agreement with Roc Nation allowing the company to have a significant role in selecting artists for big NFL events like the SB halftime. Roc Nation helped produce the Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performance of 2020 and last year’s show featuring The Weeknd.
This, of course, is not Jay-Z’s first foray into sports-related things. The one-time owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets has represented several black athletes, including Kaepernick, and has recently laid out plans for an online sportsbook.
All Eyes on the Super Bowl LVI Halftime
Since the 1990s, when New Kids on The Block and Michael Jackson hit the halftime stage, the Super Bowl has earned a reputation for blockbuster shows. But one thing is for sure; this one will go down as an all-time great. It will be interesting to see how the whole thing comes off.
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