Midway through a match-up between the Los Angeles Rams and upstart Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium, Dr. Dre brought out a championship team of his own for the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Joining the G-funk pioneer on stage were some of his closest collaborators: Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, and surprise guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak. By the time the 15-minute performance came to an end, it easily ranked among the most thrilling halftime shows in history.
Dr. Dre and his longtime creative partner, Snoop Dogg, kicked off the evening by performing “The Next Episode” and “California Love,” which doubled as a tribute to fellow West Coast hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur. 50 Cent’s surprise performance followed, as the one-time Dr. Dre protege waxed nostalgic by taking us “In Da Club.” Then came Blige, who treated the SoFi crowd to rousing renditions of “Family Affair” and “No More Drama.”
The second half of the set was headlined by two of the greatest of all time: Kendrick Lamar, making his long-awaited live return, delivered an epic medley of “m.A.A.d. City” and “Alright.” K. Dot then handed off the mic to Marshall Mathers, who ran through his own one-two punch of “Forget About Dre” and “Lose Yourself” with .Paak on drums. And despite the NFL’s objection, Eminem took a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.
To close the show, Dr. Dre returned to the stage with all of the evening’s performers for “Still D.R.E.”
Replay the Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl Halftime Show in full below.
During the days leading up to the halftime show, Dre hyped up the long-overdue hip-hop takeover. “This should’ve happened a long time ago,” he proclaimed. “Hip-hop is the biggest genre of music on the planet right now, so it’s crazy that it took all of this time for us to be recognized. I think we’re going to go on and do a fantastic show and we’re going to do it so big that they can’t deny us anymore in the future.”
Eminem also praised Lamar for being in the “very top tier” of lyricists of “not just this generation, but of all time” during an interview with Sway Calloway on the Detroit rapper’s own Shade 45 SiriusXM station.
This year’s event marked the third Super Bowl Halftime Show produced by Pepsi and Roc Nation since JAY-Z came into the fold with a highly publicized partnership with the NFL in 2019. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez shared the spotlight for the 2020 game, followed by The Weekend’s performance last year.
Setlist:
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg – “The Next Episode”
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg – “California Love”
50 Cent – “In Da Club”
Mary J. Blige – “Family Affair”
Mary J. Blige – “No More Drama”
Kendrick Lamar – “m.A.A.d. City”
Kendrick Lamar – “Alright”
Eminem – “Forget About Dre”
Eminem – “Lose Yourself”
“Maad City” Kendrick Lamar
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Anderson .Paak, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent – “Still D.R.E.”
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