The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige performed alongside Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent who made a surprised appearance, during the Superbowl 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” that 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 Snoop Dogg were all there to celebrate Dre Day at the first Superbowl Halftime Show lineup consisting entirely of hip hop headliners. I don’t know if there is anyone who actually forgot but after Sunday night no one will Forget About Dre. Once again 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.
AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester and Co-Owner of Urban Soul Media Group, the parent company, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show. AJ is a Father, Brother, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Hip-Hop Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others.
