Super Bowl halftime: Dr. Dre leads ensemble of headliners, Eminem takes a knee

Los Angeles, Feb. 14 (IANS): The halftime show of Super Bowl LVI was filled with livewire performances from the headliners: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem with the B-rabbit being the only white performer, reports Variety.

The lyrics to the songs featured in the long medley of the hits from the performers’ career. However, the lyrics gave a miss to the references of racial strife or parts of the human anatomy.

While Dr. Dre, who is known to be a meticulous producer, stole the show with his tightly strung performance at a futuristic console and flawless onstage collabs with fellow headliners, the set also saw a moment of protest as Eminem took a knee, Colin Kaepernick style, to protest police violence against the Black community.

Although the pre-show reports said he’d been expressly asked not to make the statement, an N.F.L. (National Football League) representative told Variety shortly after the show that they were fully aware of Eminem’s course of action: “We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that.”

“This was not an area of concern. A player or coach could have taken a knee today and there would not have been an issue.”

Representatives for Eminem and halftime producers Roc Nation did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.

The headliners performed a house-themed set atop a map of the city, as Dre led the stars through a powerful medley of their hits, nearly all of which were produced and/ or co-written by him. The performance began with Dre at the controls of a futuristic console, he was joined by Snoop Dogg, who donned a psychedelic blue tracksuit.

Eminem’s 2002 signature song ‘Lose Yourself’ served as the climax of the set as the ensemble roared its way to the audience’s hearts.

It was after this performance that Eminem took a knee for one minute to show solidarity with the Black community.