On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams took home the long-awaited victory at the 2022 Super Bowl LVI.
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Facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals, the game was full of its usual football flair, just ask Staff Senior Editor of Culture and Entertainment Jay Connor. But you didn’t click this link to hear about the game, you clicked this link to get into the fanfare stemming from this year’s Halftime Show featuring Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. So let’s get into it, shall we?
Will the Real Mickey Guyton and Jhene Aiko, Please Stand Up?
OK, so before we get into that, we’ve got to talk about the worst 15 seconds of fame that little camera mix-up that took place before the game even started. You know, that awkward moment when they announced that R&B singer Jhene Aiko and country music star Mickey Guyton would be singing “America, the Beautiful” and the national anthem, respectively, and got them mixed up?
See for yourself:
Wow. WOW. All we asked was for NBC to not get Black people confused for one day—one day!—and look what happened. And during Black History Month, too?! Shameful. It’s upsetting to me and my ancestors.
Regardless of that mini-mistake, both ladies absolutely murked their performances (as we all knew they would), so I encourage all of you who were previously unfamiliar to get familiar with them ASAP.
Now that that’s out the way, let’s really get into the Pepsi Halftime Show.
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Next Episode “In Da Club”
Naturally, it was up to West Coast royalty Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg to kick things off with a banger, and what slaps harder through your speakers than the “la-di-da-di-da”-ness of their smash hit, “The Next Episode?” Snoop, adorned in a blue outfit that only he could pull off—no, seriously; do not go online looking for that outfit thinking you’re about to stroll through any Inglewood’s streets with it on; you better know what you’re doing—and Dre followed that up with “California Love,” before the camera panned down to reveal a surprise guest: rapper and internet troll extraordinaire, 50 Cent!
Yup, you read that right! The “In Da Club” rapper astonished us all by beginning his performance while hanging upside down from the ceiling, a move that was a clear callback to his 2003 music video in which he did the same thing.
Mary J. Blige’s Hateration and Holleration-Free Dancery
GO MARY! GO MARY! GO MARY! GO MARY!
Whew, I’ve screamed it from the mountaintops for weeks now but it bears repeating. I was only showing up (as in on my couch) for this year’s Super Bowl just to see Mary J. Blige and her boots, and my, did she NOT disappoint!
Adorned in a white sequined, leopard-print ensemble that made me want to get it percolating while I was waiting, Mary hit us with “Family Affair” to start her portion of the Super Bowl Halftime Show performance party off right. She then followed it up with “No More Drama,” which was an odd choice considering the overall hypeness of the show, but she nonetheless still brought the flava necessary to cement her performance as one of the best of the night—as well as one of meme-worthy proportions.
We Gon’ Be Alright Because Kendrick Lamar and Eminem Did What Needed to Be Done
OK, so I know I said I was only interested because of Mary J. Blige, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little hype to see Kendrick Lamar do his little two-step strut out there on that field too.
Between opening with “m.A.A.d. City,” flowing effortlessly into “Alright” while these blonde-haired backup dancers hit us with some militant but mad impressive moves, and then giving us a little freestyle sample at the end, I was thoroughly pleased with what I saw. And as an added bonus, directly after Kendrick, Eminem smashed through Lord knows what to perform his popular hit, “Lose Yourself,” with another guest appearance from Anderson .Paak going crazy on the drums. The Detroit native ended his set by taking a knee à la Colin Kaepernick-style, which got plenty of people talking.
C-Walking Takes Center Stage and Dr. Dre is Still Dre
First and foremost, I cannot end this recap of sorts without shouting out the beloved dance, most notably known to many as the C-walk. If you don’t know what the C stands for, go Google it, then come right back and tell me you don’t agree that that dance is some of the best footwork you’ve ever seen.
While many of us probably have anecdotal memories in one way or another about that dance (and/or our failed attempts at trying to do it correctly), seeing on the world stage as Dr. Dre rapped “Still Dre” to close out the show felt like...a MOMENT.
While I’m still jealous that I can’t get my feet to actually do what my mind only thinks they’re doing while I do that dance, this performance was arguably one of the best. And if you, for whatever reason, missed it last night, you can watch the festivities right here and form your own opinions.
What was your favorite moment from the Pepsi SuperBowl Halftime Show? Let us know in the comments.
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