Dr. Dre

Anderson .Paak Made A Surprise Super Bowl Halftime Show Appearance And Dropped Hilarious Merch For It

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Anderson Paak Eminem 2022 Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show
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It’s official: Both members of Silk Sonic — Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — have performed during a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Mars headlined the 2014 event and popped up during Coldplay’s performance in 2016, and last night, .Paak served as a drummer for Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige’s (and 50 Cent’s) halftime spectacle. While .Paak’s appearance was unexpected, it wasn’t unprecedented, as he and Dre have forged a working relationship in recent years.

Getting to perform at the Super Bowl is one of the biggest achievements in music, so .Paak is pretty thrilled with the whole thing. He wrote on social media, “WOW WHAT A RUSH CONGRATS TO EVERY SUPER HERO ON THAT STAGE!! BIG SHOUT OUT TO @drdre LOVE YOU BRO AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE APART OF HISTORY!!! BE SURE TO PICK UP SOME MERCH OTW OUT!! AND HIT MY LAND LINE FOR ALL DRUM INQUIRIES ! Note: I ONLY PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AND FOR DIAMOND SELLING ARTISTS. RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.”

As for that merch, it’s pretty great, as it’s a t-shirt with a portrait of .Paak and text that reads, “We’re with Eminem’s drummer.” The shirt is available for pre-order now.

He also shared a clip of Eminem’s performance of “Lose Yourself” (during which he drummed) and wrote, “YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT!!! THE @rams ARE WORLD CHAMPS!!! SALUTE @eminem @drdre IT WAS SUCH AN HONOR!!! @snoopdogg @eminem @kendricklamar @therealmaryjblige YALL KILLED THAT SH*T!!!! [trophy emoji].”

Ahead of the performance, he also posted a photo of himself with Lamar.

Check out the full Super Bowl Halftime Show here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Fans Loved 50 Cent’s Surprise Upside Down Appearance At The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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50 Cent Super Bowl Halftime
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Though we didn’t get the surprise new Kendrick Lamar single that plenty of people were hopeful would drop, another unexpected gift blessed hip-hop fans at this Super Bowl halftime show. Was it Eminem’s decision to kneel in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick? Well, that was lauded by most people. But no, the real gem that plenty of people were more thankful for was 50 Cent showing up to give us a little preview of his own litany of hits. Rumors that Fif would take the stage were already circulating, but nobody was sure if he was actually going to make it.

So when he entered with an upside down intro to his biggest hit, “In Da Club,” surprising the whole stadium who roared their approval, it was one of the big moments for the show. Obviously, Mary J. Blige killed her performance, Dre was amazing, especially for a man who was very recently hospitalized, and Eminem’s decision to kneel in solidarity with Kaepernick will likely be the biggest headline. Kendrick didn’t drop a new single, but he was electric, and Snoop is always a classic performer. But since fans were expecting all of those artists to show up, and 50 was the surprise guest, well, he was very appreciated for giving fans that moment. Check out some reactions to his performance below.

Watch Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg And Mary J. Blige Star In An Epic Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Anticipation for this year’s halftime show has reached a fever pitch as rumors about a new single from Kendrick Lamar have followed Dr. Dre’s star-studded lineup for the show. Well, the Kendrick single never materialized, but his performance was so electrified that fans were just as satiated. Between Kung Fu Kenny, Dre himself, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and a surprise appearance from 50 Cent, how could anyone not feel like this was one of the most epic halftime shows in history?

Though the league has a long history of avoiding booking rappers for the show, this year’s star-studded lineup was clearly designed to buck their past booking decisions and give hip-hop the spotlight. Particularly in a sport that includes so many Black athletes, staffers, and incorporates hip-hop culture in a lot of ways, it seems like a no-brainer that the league would want to embrace the relationship. In another move that feels like a no-brainer, Eminem elected to kneel after his performance of “Lose Yourself,” a clear sign of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick that the NFL had reportedly asked him not to do. Their first mistake? Telling Em what he can and can’t do. Check out the entire performance above, this one is one for the history books.

Eminem Kneels In Solidarity With Colin Kaepernick During Super Bowl Halftime Show Despite The NFL’s Orders

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Eminem Kneels Super Bowl Halftime Show
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After reports leaked that Eminem had been forbidden to kneel in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick’s protest campaign, during today’s halftime show he decided to go his own way. Eminem’s contribution to the star-studded show was focused mainly on his massive hit, “Lose Yourself,” which featured a cameo from none other than Anderson Paak on the drums, but at the end of that song, he chose to kneel down onstage and highlight Kaepernick’s protests.

Some might think it’s too little too late for white artists and athletes to begin supporting Colin’s movement, which ended up with him struggling to find a place when it came to the draft, others will definitely find it commendable that Eminem used his own position to shine a light. Currently, Ava Duvernay and Netflix are working on a six-episode series about Colin called Colin In Black And White.

It might’ve been a little bit more impactful if the activist himself had been invited onstage, either by Dr. Dre and his cohort, or by the NFL themselves, who seemed intent on silencing or ignoring the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback during the height of his protests, which were primarily enacted as the peaceful act of kneeling during the National Anthem before games. Check out some reactions to Eminem’s choice to kneel below.

Dr. Dre Jokingly Warned Eminem And Snoop Dogg To Keep Their Junk In Their Pants During Their Super Bowl Performance

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During the press conference for Dr. Dre’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show featuring Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg, the West Coast rap impresario refused to offer any insights into potential surprises during the performance, but he did offer assurances regarding what fans won’t see: anyone’s junk. After Snoop brought up the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” from the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, Dre jumped on the opportunity to razz his notoriously mischievous costars.

“I had to talk Snoop and Eminem out of pulling their penises out,” he joked. “Especially Eminem.” You can check out the full press conference above.

Of course, the wild days when you could expect Snoop or Eminem to troll America this way are far behind both. In one of Snoop’s recent interviews regarding the upcoming performance, he waffled about performing one of his most iconic songs while admitting to being “nervous about watching it to see what the reaction is.” Eminem likewise admitted that the preparations were “f*cking nerve-wracking,” telling Sway Calloway that “there’s nothing more final than live TV… if you f*ck up, your f*ck up is there forever.”

Both men also have outside endeavors to think about: While Em’s serving up Mom’s Spaghetti (here’s Uproxx’s review for any Angelenos looking to try it out), Snoop will be hosting the Puppy Bowl with his buddy Martha Stewart.

Eminem Praises Kendrick Lamar’s Lyricism Ahead Of Their ‘Nerve-Racking’ Super Bowl Performance

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It’s odd to think that Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, two of rap’s top entertainers, have rarely ever shared a stage but despite both being in the upper echelons of talent and proteges of master producer Dr. Dre, they’ve barely even collaborated musically, let alone performed together. However, that’s set to change this weekend as they take the stage along with Dre, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg for Super Bowl LVI’s heavily-anticipated halftime show at LA’s SoFi Stadium.

In an interview with SiriusXM’s Sway Calloway on his own Shade 45 station, Eminem admitted that the prospect of performing not just for the 70,000 or so football fans in attendance at the big game but also upwards of 20 million people watching at home is “f*cking nerve-racking.” As he explained to Sway, “There’s nothing more final than live TV… if you f*ck up, your f*ck up is there forever.” However, getting to share the stage with Kendrick might somewhat mitigate that apprehension, as Eminem agreed with Sway’s assessment of the Compton rapper as “the most electrifying vocalist of this generation.”

“Kendrick is at the very top-top tier of lyricists — not just of this generation, but of all time,” Em said. You can catch them live during Super Bowl LVI this Sunday.