The Super Bowl halftime show is considered one of the biggest stages in the music world – and this year several superstars from hip-hop, rap and R&B are sharing it. For twelve minutes, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar put on a superlative show on Sunday night at halftime in the 56th edition of the football spectacle between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Already the short official trailer of the performance, in which the five musicians present themselves, was clicked by many millions of people on the Internet. “We want to make sure everyone knows it’s going to be one of the best halftime shows ever,” said Dr. Dre in advance at a press conference. “We will show how professional and how great we can be on stage and how exciting we are for the fans.”
The fact that the show is now completely dedicated to hip-hop, R&B and rap for the first time is actually long overdue. dr Dre: “This should have happened a long time ago. It’s the biggest genre in music right now. It’s taken us so long to get recognized, it’s crazy. We’re going to put on a show nobody can look away from.”
Already during the rehearsals he got goosebumps when he saw Blige, said Dr. continue. The singer had previously performed the halftime show with the bands Aerosmith and NSync in 2001 – but she also gives this year’s show a much greater meaning. “It’s music history.” Colleague Snoop Dogg makes it clear: “Hip-hop is here and nobody can change that anymore.” When he got the news of this performance, he first told his hair and outfit stylists about it.
Every year, the Super Bowl is not only a huge sporting event, but also a music spectacle and a huge platform for the advertising industry. Around 100 million people in the US alone are watching the National Football League championship final live on television. No other event in the sports-loving country draws people in like that one football game at the end of an NFL season.
According to media reports, the broadcaster NBC will receive up to seven million US dollars this year for a 30-second commercial. In American professional football, even the course of the game and the pauses between plays depend on the length of the advertisements that are displayed.
Companies hire famous stars for the specially made special commercials. This time, for example, Scarlett Johansson and husband Colin Jost are working for a technology provider, Mila Kunis and Demi Moore – wife and ex-wife of Ashton Kutcher – for a telecommunications provider.
The halftime show was nothing more than a stage for university marching bands – until Michael Jackson caused a revolution in 1993. Since then, the show has been considered one of the greatest awards for a musician – and a source of money and attention.
Stars like Madonna, Prince or the Rolling Stones have already taken to the stage at halftime. Last year the Canadian singer The Weeknd (“Blinding Lights”) performed, the year before it was Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. In 2004, the show ended in a scandal when Justin Timberlake tore at his duet partner Janet Jackson’s top, baring her chest. Conservative America fumed over “Nipplegate” for weeks. The apparently planned incident was later portrayed as a “cloakroom error”.
Surprises are also planned this time, announced Dr. Dre – but he cannot reveal details yet. But it has nothing to do with clothes, joked Snoop Dogg.
Not only is the halftime show a big stage for the musicians, they can also present themselves in the run-up to the show – and some of them even become stars in the first place. Singing the American national anthem is considered a very special honor that goes to African-American country singer Mickey Guyton this year. Previously, musicians such as Jazmine Sullivan, Eric Church, Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Neil Diamond had taken over.
–
