Well-known artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and special guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak made history by being the first rap artists headlining during the Pepsi Superbowl 56th halftime show. With over 29 million viewers and 60,000 spectators, the audience was engrossed in the extraordinary performance that took place at the SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California back on February 13th.  

The performance started off with Dr. Dre rising up on the roof of a ginormous white platform with a set of five buildings. He performed “The Next Episode” and “California Love” along with Snoop Dogg and numerous backup dancers.  They utilized every inch of the extravagant set and it was clear that all of the performers were having a blast. The performance then took a dramatic turn and shifted to the unannounced performer 50 Cent. He entered the scene upside down from the ceiling of one of the buildings and performed “In Da Club” along with a bunch of female dancers.

Mary J. Blige entered the scene with sparkly attire and performed her Number 1 hit single “Family Affair” and “No More Drama.” She finished her performance with a grand gesture with a death drop (collapsing to the ground) and causing a bit of her own “drama.” A group of Black dancers came from cardboard boxes labeled Dr. Dre and wore Dre Day sashes while performing alongside Kendrick Lamar during “M.A.A.D City” and “Alright.” Eminem then performed fan-favorite “Lose Yourself” along with Free Nationals and Anderson .Paak on drums. The finale was when all six performers joined Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre on top of one of the building’s sets to perform “Still D.R.E.” 

The Pepsi Halftime show was able to illustrate all of these artists’ prominence in the rap/hip-hop world. The artists picked for this year’s Superbowl Halftime show truly defined the 90s and 2000s music scene and this legendary collaboration stage will remain legendary for years to come.