The Queen reigned supreme at the first Super Bowl Halftime Show, consisting entirely of Hip Hop Headliners.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige, performed alongside Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent, who made a surprise appearance, during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime show, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, which some are already calling one of the greatest Halftime shows. The Yonkers native, who is recognized by Billboard as “the most successful female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years,” performed her 2001 hit song “Family Affair,” which was produced by Dr. Dre, and the self-titled single, “No More Drama” – from the same album – in a stunning white two-piece set with mirror leopard print embellishments and matching boots.
“Wow. That’s all I’m gonna say, wow. I think you want to give them Mary on steroids, just, like, the most beautiful, glamorous, ghetto fabulous, whatever! We’re gonna take it to a whole other level,” she told Entertainment Tonight of her outfit ahead of the reveal.
MJB showed why she is the Queen during the male-heavy Pepsi Super Bowl LVI halftime show. Dr. Dre assembled a great ensemble to share the stage with. But while I think this was a great look for Hip-Hop, Mary could have held it down all by herself, and it would have been just as fantastic.
The entire show was incredible, especially for any Real Hip-Hop lover, but one of the other greatest standout moments was from Grammy-winning artist Kendrick Lamar. The only rap artist to win a Pulitzer Prize award winner for his music, gave an energetic performance of “Alright,” his 2015 single that became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. Kung Fu Kenny also paid tribute to the other Compton superstars that came before him, Dr. Dre and N.W.A.
Eminem took a knee after performing his 2002 hit “Lose Yourself,” 50 Cent made a surprise upside-down entrance, and they were all there to celebrate Dre Day at the first Super Bowl Halftime Show lineup consisting entirely of hip hop headliners. I don’t know if there is anyone who forgot, but after Sunday night, no one will Forget About Dre, and Mary reminded everyone why she is The Queen.
Oh, and by the way there was a game played. The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinati Bengals in Super Bowl VLI. It’s the Rams’ first Super Bowl win since the 1999 season — and their first representing Los Angeles since 1951.
