Super Bowl Halftime Show a Fresh Throwback

By Meghan Davis

Live Wire Staff Writer

The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show was one for the books, to say the least. I enjoyed watching my childhood favorites perform, as they captured the audience with their signature throwback hits. 

With a 90s and 2000s hip-hop lineup featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and special guest 50 Cent, all of these hip-hop and rap legends came together to perform a melody of hits and put on a dynamic performance.

Dr. Dre was the centerpiece of the show since all of the artists played a significant part in his career. Dr. Dre is known to be a legendary producer, but he’s also credited for helping launch the careers of Eminem and Snoop Dogg. His production credits began to expand when he collaborated with Blige and 50, landing them both their first career number one singles. The Super Bowl helped honor Dr. Dre by showing the world not only what he brought to the city of Los Angeles but also what his legacy means for the hip-hop genre overall.

Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre, the original L.A. Gangsters, kicked off the show. Dr Dre rose from the stage behind his production sound board, and Snoop Dogg came in behind him wearing a limited-edition blue bandanna outfit designed by Taliacoles, and rapping his iconic lyric “La-Da-Da-Da- Dah.” The pair performed their hip-hop classic The Next Episode.  Dr. Dre then got the crowd hyped and bouncing with hit song California Love. 50 then made a surprise appearance. Hanging upside down like in his iconic music video, 50 performed his hit single In da Club, co-written and produced by Dr. Dre.

Next Blige, the queen of hip-hop soul, took the stage wearing a white and silver Dundas custom long sleeve crop top, paired with matching boy shorts, her signature fedora-style hat and matching crystal thigh-high boots. She performed Family Affair, which was co-written and produced by Dr. Dre, and No More Drama an emotional ballad off of the same album.

She was then followed by L.A. native, Lamar who brought a different outlook to the show. He put on a power performance! He hyped up the crowd in his all-black Louis Vuitton ensemble, while his dancers also wore all black suits with Dr. Dre sashes across their chests. Lamar performed his hit songs m.A.A.d city and Alright.

Lastly, legendary rapper Eminem, who was signed by and worked closely with Dr. Dre, took the stage. Rising to the stage accompanied by Anderson .Paak on the drums, Eminem performed his hit song Lose Yourself. At the end of his performance Eminem did a gesture that caused a public outroar: he took a knee! While some thought he might’ve been showing support for former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, others thought he was making a simple sign of respect to Dr. Dre. Eminem has always been known to stir the pot, so I believe it might’ve been a mixture of both.

Dr. Dre ended the performance with a beautiful snippet played on the piano of I Ain’t Mad At Cha to honor late rapper Tupac Shakur, and one final song Still D.R.E with Snoop Dogg who amazed the crowd with his infamous crip walk.

This halftime show was a gift to all! The 90s and 2000s fans, Gen Z and Millennials all got to enjoy the sounds of their generation. It was what I would call an entertaining cultural reset. It was the first time America got to see five hip-hop acts as the sole main attraction for such a large, televised performance, and during Black History Month. On top of history being made, the whole country got to experience what the legend Dr. Dre has done for music.