Courtney Balcombe

Creative Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

SuperBowl LVI had an interesting lineup for this season’s halftime show, including a nostalgic reminder for all ages of the rap and hip-hop genre of the early 2000s. The lineup included Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige.

The stage set up was four different little rooms with roof tops with an interesting back and forth between the rap artists being both on top and inside the rooms. Opening with Dr. Dre on top on screen before it turned into a rap duo with Snoop Dogg joining him on top.

The scene then changed to special guest 50 Cent upside down below them. Following 50 Cent was Mary J. Blige back on top of the stage. Kendrick Lamar then joined in on the group stage surrounded by choreographers inside boxes that say “Dre Day.”

Ending the suspense of the lineup, Eminem comes up from a hidden wall that blows just a few panels away.  Dr. Dre became the piano accompanist for a moment before he and Snoop Dogg continued their duo rapping. The screams on the TV show just how excited all these fans were for this lineup.

The group ended their halftime show on the roof of one of the four buildings to then bow out for the game to continue.

The halftime show songs included:

“The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre Ft. Snoop Dogg

“California Love” by Snoop Dogg

“In Da Club” by 50 Cent

“Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige

“No More Drama” by Mary J. Blige

“Humble” by Kendrick Lamar

“Lose Yourself” By Eminem

“Still Dre” by Dr. Dre Ft. Snoop Dogg

However, many of these artists owe their career successes to the help they received from each other.

Snoop Dogg’s career began when he was in a song with Dr. Dre in 1992 when Dre released his first solo single, “Deep Cover” followed by his solo album “The Chronic.” According to Snoop Dogg’s biography, he has since sold over 23 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide.

Along with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre also signed Eminem in 1997, before Eminem released “The Slim Shady” EP. Under Dr. Dre’s label, “Aftermath Entertainment,” Eminem has released 11 albums.

While Mary J. Blige was not signed by any of these artists, she quickly became known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. According to CheatSheet, her 1994 album, “My Life,” remains one of the most acclaimed R&B albums of all time; on it, the “I’m Goin’ Down” singer opened up about love, loss, abuse and much more in a way that the music industry had not seen before.

Kendrick Lamar’s current label isn’t through Dr. Dre. According to Sporting News, when he released his first mixtape, “Youngest Head N— in Charge,” at the age of 16, it led him to signing with the independent label Top Dawg Entertainment, owned by Anthony Tiffith. Lamar gained recognition through other projects and features, and he signed deals with Interscope Records, owned by John Janick, and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment in 2012.