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Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Earns Raves On Social Media


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Icons of hip-hop and R&B lit up the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday night during the Super Bowl LVI halftime show – and it didn't take long for reactions to flood social media.

The show was a throwback (the most recent song on the setlist came out nearly seven years ago) and came with a couple of surprise guests, dozens of dancers and, of course, some booty shaking.

The time zone and open-air venue meant it was one of the first Super Bowl halftime shows in memory to be performed in daylight.

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg kicked things off with their 2000 collaboration “The Next Episode” and then paid tribute to the late 2Pac by teaming up on “California Love.”

Mary J. Blige sizzled with bits of 2001’s “Family Affair” and “No More Drama.”

Down at field level, Kendrick Lamar delivered his 2012 Good Kid track “m.A.A.d City” and then 2015’s “Alright.” He then joined Eminem and Dre on 2000’s “Forgot About Dre.”

Eminem thrilled the crowd with his 2002 anthem “Lose Yourself” – and surprise guest Anderson .Paak on drums. Eminem appeared to be the only artist to make a political statement when he briefly kneeled à la Colin Kaepernick.

The flawless set ended with the all-star line-up on stage together.

MORE: Does Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Glorify Misogyny?

There was some Canadian content on display. Montreal's PixMob provided 70,000 LED laminates to fans as well as the dancers and extras on the field during the show. Overhead was the stadium's massive double-sided 360-degree screen, powered by Ross Video of Ottawa.

Among the celebrities watching the spectacle were music stars like Jennifer Lopez, Ye, Joe Jonas and Canadians Shawn Mendes (with pal Niall Horan), The Weeknd and Justin Bieber.

As Snoop promised days before the halftime show, there were no wardrobe malfunctions.

Also on Thursday, Dre said the performance would have a lasting impact. “We’re going to open more doors for hip-hop artists in the future and making sure that the NFL understands that this is what it should have been a long time ago,” he said.

“We’re going to show how professional we can be, how dope we can be on stage and how exciting we’re going to be to the fans.”

Of course, there have been hip-hop artists in previous Super Bowl halftime shows – Nelly, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Big Boi – but they have usually been paired with pop or rock artists.

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