Super Bowl 2022 halftime show: The 5 biggest talking points after Eminem and Kendrick Lamar perform
Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre performed on one of the world’s biggest stages as millions tuned in to watch live
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Your support makes all the difference.Fans tuned in for one of the most anticipated Super Bowl halftime shows in years, with Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mary J Blige all headlining.
The 2022 Super Bowl took place tonight (13 February) at the SoFi Stadium in LA, with the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s the first time that the Super Bowl – one of the biggest sporting events of the year in the US – will return to the Los Angeles area.
Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Blige, and Lamar joined a list of celebrated musicians who have played during Super Bowl halftime shows, including Beyoncé, Madonna, Coldplay, Katy Perry, U2, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Shakira.
Here are the biggest talking points from the halftime show:
A surprise performance from 50 Cent
As usual, surprise performances were kept under wraps until the very last moment. A slightly breathless-sounding 50 Cent was this year’s guest star, appearing after Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg opened the show with “Still Dre” and “California Love”. Fiddy performed “In Da Club” while surrounded by beautiful dancers, which perhaps explains why he looked rather distracted for most of it.
Eminem kneels after “Lose Yourself”
The “Lose Yourself” rapper defied rumoured instructions from the NFL to keep politics out of the halftime show, kneeling at the end of his performance of “Lose Yourself” for one minute. Eminem had apparently mentioned the idea of kneeling ahead of his performance, but had been asked to avoid doing so by Super Bowl organisers. The form of protest by kneeling was brought to the NFL by Colin Kaepernick, who first began sitting silently on benches during the national anthem, at the start of the 2016 season on 26 August.
While many praised Eminem for doing so, others pointed out how Kaepernick, a Black man, continues to be blacklisted for his protests against racial injustice, while Eminem, who is white, was able to take the knee today (14 February) on that same platform.
Anderson .Paak on drums
A beaming Anderson .Paak could be seen on drums during Eminem’s performance of “Lose Yourself”, with Dr Dre also performing.
Kendrick Lamar works in his own political statement
Ahead of the Super Bowl, widespread reports emerged that headliners Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Snoop Dogg were being heavily censored from making any political statements.
According to the New York Post, Dre felt “disgustingly censored” by executives who didn’t want the performance to become a “divisive culture war moment”.
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However, Lamar chose to perform “Alright” for his segment, which felt significant given the rumoured requests to keep politics out of the halftime show. “Alright” became an anthem against police brutality and racial injustice in 2015, after activists in Cleveland State University were filmed chanting it. The song originally appeared on Lamar’s universally acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly.
Kanye West makes an appearance
Kanye West was spotted with his daughter North watching the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Los Angeles Rams in the climax of the 2021 NFL season at So-Fi Stadium.
The controversial rapper and producer was filmed wearing a black mask covering his face while sitting with North and wide receiver Antonio Brown.
The trio were shown on the jumbotron, with North appearing to be caught off-guard as she realised she was on the giant screen.
Read more
The liveblog is now closed
How to watch the Super Bowl halftime show
For those of you tuning in from home, here’s a reminder of how to watch the halftime show and all the key times
What time does the Super Bowl halftime show start?
Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar are all performing
Simpsons episode goes viral for ‘predicting’ Super Bowl 2022 winner
A series of The Simpsons stills shared online convinced people that the animated series once predicted a win for the Super Bowl underdogs.
The stills are taken from the eighth episode of season 16, which is titled “Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass”. Originally broadcast in February 2005, the Super Bowl-themed episode arrived after the New England Patriots won for the third time.
The episode sees Homer become a viral sensation thanks to a victory dance filmed by Ned Flanders, which is then put on the internet by Comic Book Guy.
Read more here.
Simpsons episode goes viral for ‘predicting’ Super Bowl 2022 winner
Simpsons episode goes viral for ‘predicting’ Super Bowl 2022 winner
How to watch the Super Bowl halftime show
For those of you tuning in from home, here’s a reminder of how to watch the halftime show and all the key times
What time does the Super Bowl halftime show start?
Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar are all performing
Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg open the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show with some West Coast classics, including “Still Dre” and “California Love”.
It’s hard to pick up on the vibe from home, but both artists look like they’re having a great time. It’s a real party happening down there, complete with dancers and... 50 Cent! A surprise appearance to perform a medley of his biggest hits, including “In Da Club”.
Mary J Blige opening her segment with a rendition of her classic, “Family Affair”, dressed in a dazzling mirrored costume. Looking and sounding absolutely fantastic.
Amid reports that this year’s Super Bowl halftime show was heavily censored by the NFL, Kendrick Lamar makes a huge opening statement by performing “Alright”, which became a protest anthem during the Black Lives Matter protests.
Now to Eminem, with “Lose Yourself”, and Anderson .Paak on the drums!
Just in:
Eminem kneels during Super Bowl halftime show performance
In a display of defiance against the NFL, Eminem knelt during his performance at the Super Bowl halftime show.
In a display of defiance against the NFL, Eminem knelt during his performance at the Super Bowl halftime show.
The rapper took the knee at the end of a rendition of “Lose Yourself”, which also included Dr Dre, and Anderson .Paak on drums.
The move came amid widespread reports that he and fellow headliners Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige and Snoop Dogg were being heavily censored from making any political statements.
According to the New York Post,Dre felt “disgustingly censored” by executives who didn’t want the performance to become a “divisive culture war moment”.
The NFL also reportedly expressed its discomfort over lyrics in “Still Dre” about “still not loving police”.
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