The Super Bowl Halftime Show is a big stage. The hype, expectations and attention isn’t for everyone. You have to be a certain caliber of entertainer to even consider it. Over the years, we’ve seen unforgettable performances from Beyonce, Prince, The Weeknd and Rihanna. Everyone handles the moment differently, but some are better suited for the extra hot spotlight than others. As Usher prepares to take his turn as the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, let’s look back at some of the best Black performers to take center stage at the big game.
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13: James Brown
So you had the game in New Orleans and instead of giving “The Godfather of Soul” James Brown the stage for the entire 13 minutes, you made us sit through the “Blues Brothers Bash” with ZZ Top, Dan Akroyd, Jim Belushi and John Goodman? Seriously, whose idea was this?
12: Diana Ross
Diana is in full diva mode in this 1996 tribute to 30 years of the Super Bowl. She performs classics like “Baby Love,” “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand,” and of course, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Then, like any true “Boss,” she leaves the stadium in a helicopter.
11: Stevie Wonder and Savion Glover
The musical genius and dance legend performed alongside Gloria Estefan and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in what was called a “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing.” This basically felt like two different shows crammed together in a weird mash up. They should’ve just let Stevie do his thing.
10: Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations
We always have time for the fun nostalgia of a Motown tribute, but honestly, this felt out of place at the biggest football game of the year. It was like something you would see at an award show, not the Super Bowl. And why are Boyz II Men slowing things down with “Mama” in the middle of the game?
9: The Black Eyed Peas
Sure, the group brought all the bells and whistles that come with a Super Bowl performance, but this basically felt like what you would get from any other live Black Eyed Peas show. It didn’t feel special.
8: Bruno Mars
In 2014, Bruno Mars was coming off the success of his Unorthodox Jukebox album, and in the thick of constant comparisons to Prince. He was clearly on the verge of superstardom and the Super Bowl jumped on it early. He’s amazing in this performance, giving hints of the entertainer he would become, but he’s also clearly not quite at the 24K Magic, Silk Sonic levels of his power yet.
7: Beyonce and Bruno Mars (with Coldplay)
Yes, technically Coldplay were the headliners here, but even the band’s frontman, Chris Martin, will admit that they were absolutely overshadowed by the one-two punch of Bruno performing his monster hit “Uptown Funk” and Beyonce getting everyone in “Formation.” Notice how Martin just hands over the stage because he knows he’s been beat.
6: Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent
Since Super Bowl 56 was in Los Angeles, it just felt right that there was so much “California Love” in this halftime show. Normally, these multi-act sets don’t work as well as having one headliner, but everyone got a chance to shine. That being said, I’m gonna need them to bring Mary back for a solo set.
5: The Weeknd
There were a lot of questions about how The Weeknd’s eclectic artistry would fit into the Super Bowl Halftime constraints. Turns out, he’s the kind of larger than life performer this stage is made for. His memorable set opened the eyes of millions of new fans. Dammit, now “Blinding Lights” is stuck in my head again.
4: Rihanna
This set was a love letter to Rih’s Navy, as she ran through an impressive number of her hits. Sorry Ye, “All of the Lights” is officially hers now. Plus, the Barbadian billionaire deserves a medal for navigating those floating stages while pregnant with her second child.
3: Beyonce
The huge stage of the Super Bowl Halftime Show is tailor made for Beyonce. Let’s be honest, they could bring her back every year, making it a Queen Bey Super Bowl residency and we’d all be perfectly OK with that.
2: Michael Jackson
MJ is the one who revolutionized the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Before he took over the game in 1993, they were putting on ice shows with Peanuts characters. Then Michael came along and literally stole the show from the Super Bowl, once again changing the scope of entertainment.
1: Prince
It’s official, Prince could control the weather. Yes, he delivered all the classics, subtly shaded the Foo Fighters by performing their song, “Best of You,” better than them and brought out the Florida A&M marching band, but it’s really about that finale. Nothing any headliner does will be better than Prince belting out “Purple Rain” in the pouring rain!
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