It’s taken years for hip-hop and rap to be recognized by the mainstream. This year’s Super Bowl Halftime show, with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Mary J. Blige, is a milestone that’ll open doors for Hip-Hop artists to come.
In a 15-minute press conference this morning, Dr. Dre spoke on the halftime show and the cultural significance and legacy of the hip-hop genre.
“We’re going to open more doors for hip-hop artists in the future and making sure that the NFL understands that this is what it should have been long time ago,”
The five performers will take the stage Sunday, inside SoFi Stadium.
The @Pepsi Halftime Show is just three days away… #PepsiHalftime #SBLVI@drdre @eminem @snoopdogg @maryjblige @kendricklamar pic.twitter.com/NiTUNKdTJS
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2022
I, for one, couldn’t be more excited. As Dre mentioned, this is a long time coming. Hip-hop is frequently stereotyped as inappropriate or “hood.” All of these generalizations are rooted in systematic racism. The exact same things were said about African-American blues artists in the early 1900s, who paved the way for modern music.
We’d like to think that society has changed since then, and it has, but not enough. Hip-hop is the biggest genre of music, yet it’s still considered taboo to white America. It’s interesting that people can write off an entire genre, claiming it to be “too vulgar” when that’s exactly what conservatives said about rock and roll when black people invented the now celebrated genre.
Arizona’s Republican lawmaker, Wendy Rogers has been spreading racially fuelled conspiracy theories claiming that the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime performance “exposes children to ‘evil, wicked, Satanic’ things.”
Dr. Dre is arguably the most successful and influential hip-hop artist/producer/businessman to date. He’s the sonic architect of West Coast rap, which seems to be the theme of this year’s LA-hosted, Super Bowl Halftime show.
The other California natives, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar are just as acclaimed. Snoop has had a long and successful rap career and starred alongside Dre in the critically acclaimed Straight Outta Compton. Lamar has been regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation, with his unique rap style, creative vision and grit.
This is me when I see Kendrick Lamar before the super bowl halftime….. pic.twitter.com/JNwr0pcIZm
— Tony Carter (@AudacityofhopQ) February 5, 2022
Mary J. Blige is a notable trailblazer as a woman in the male-dominated genre. Referred to as the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.”
Eminem is one of the best-selling artists of all time with estimated worldwide sales of over 220 million records. He is a forever iconic figure in the hip-hop industry.
Collectively, the five rap heavyweights have taken home 44 Grammy Awards.
There’s no reason to stigmatize hip-hop and rap, this is history repeating itself within the music industry. I’ll go as far as to say that, I think these 5 performers are some of the most talented artists to ever perform at the halftime show. You have to be extremely talented to make it out of Compton or a shack in Detroit.
The adversity, strength and talent of these performers should be celebrated not shunned.