Music

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

by
50 Cent Super Bowl Halftime
Getty Image

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

by

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

by
Eminem Kneels Super Bowl Halftime Show
Getty Image

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.

Kanye West Pulls Up To The McDonalds Drive-Thru In A Tank For A Hilarious Super Bowl Commercial

by

Though there’s plenty of other headlines about Kanye West flying this morning, a sweet look at the “old Kanye” comes through in the form of a brief appearance in a McDonald’s commercial this Super Bowl. As so many brands gear up to try for a big hit during the annual commercial blitz, McDonald’s has landed on a way to gently roast their customers that will probably ring true for most people who have pulled up to a drive-thru, or stepped into a fast food joint, only to find themselves confronted with a massive menu full of options that suddenly knocks any idea of what to order out of their heads.

For the clip, McDonalds portrays patrons of all kinds encountering their menu and suddenly falling back on the familiar placeholder phrase: “Can I get uhhhhhhh” — something that will probably also resonate with plenty of counter workers. As if that funny set up wasn’t enough, the fast food giant also enlisted Kanye West for a rare commercial appearance in the clip. In true, over-the-top Ye form, he pulls up to the drive-thru in a best of a black vehicle, similar to a tank, only to find himself struck with a case of “Can I get uhhhh” along with everyone else. Check out the commercial, completely devoid of any beef or custody drama, up above.

Are Dominic Fike And Hunter Schafer From ‘Euphoria’ Dating?

by
Dominic Fike Hunter Schafer Euphoria premiere
Getty Image

(SPOILERS for this week’s Euphoria will be found below.)

This season of Euphoria has brought forth the start of new romances and the end of old ones. Things between Rue and Jules are a bit rocky after the latter sparked a tense and emotional intervention with help from Elliot and Rue’s family. Things have been heating up between Elliot and Jules and it remains to be seen where that goes in future episodes. Cassie is head over heels for Nate, who is the ex-boyfriend of her best friend Maddy, which sparks a love triangle that practically imploded last week on Euphoria. With that being said, there is one romance that has seemingly taken shape in the real world.

Are Dominic Fike And Hunter Schafer From Euphoria Dating?

All signs point to the answer being yes. Last month, the two Euphoria actors, who play Elliot and Jules respectively, were seen holding hands after they left The Nice Guy in West Hollywood. At the time, neither confirmed if things were more than platonic between them, but thanks to a new post from Fike, it’s clear that love is in the air. Last week, Fike shared a picture of him kissing Shafer to his Instagram Story. He captioned the picture, “Happy birthday happy birthday,” despite both of their birthdays being in December.

You can view the picture of Fike and Schafer below.

Watch Mickey Guyton Absolutely Belt The National Anthem At Super Bowl LVI

by

For those of us country fans who are passionate about expanding diversity within the genre — word to Jason Isbell — the recent success of Mickey Guyton has been a boon. This rising country star isn’t afraid to speak on the subjects that are closest to her heart, releasing the song “Black Like Me” last year, following up on themes addressed in the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. But her debut full-length, Remember Her Name was also an incredible addition to country music last year, and it earned Guyton three Grammy nominations in this year’s ceremony.

So for anyone who has been paying attention, the NFL’s decision to tap Guyton for the National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowl made perfect sense. And she was in fine form for her moment in the spotlight today, absolutely belting out the anthem to kick off one of the most important sporting events of the year. Another great addition to her setlist would’ve been Mickey’s own early hit, “Rosé,” but hey, we can’t have everything. Check out her performance up above, and if you want to get a headstart before she likely wins a few awards at this year’s Grammys, stream her 2021 album, Remember Her Name right here.

Jhene Aiko Nailed Her Rendition Of ‘America The Beautiful’ At Super Bowl LVI

by

Jhene Aiko and Big Sean are clearly fans of the LA Rams, even if they were mistaken for another celebrity couple at a recent game. The couple that makes music together, and watches sports together, stays together, chyron troubles be damned. Undeterred, Jhene showed up at Super Bowl LVI today, ready to honor her country and her team. She wasn’t singing a track off her Grammy-nominated album, Chilombo, but the oh-so-patriotic “America The Beautiful.”

Along with rising country star Mickey Guyton, who was tapped to sing the National Anthem this year, Aiko helped open this year’s Super Bowl with her rendition of the classic patriotic tune. In true Aiko fashion, there was plenty of soulfulness and her own twist on the standard. Check out her performance up above and stay tuned for a lot more music coming your way today.

The Super Bowl halftime performance is always a big deal for any artist, but this year, Dr. Dre organized an all-star cast that includes Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige. And with rumors of a new single from Kendrick Lamar spreading like wildfire, that show is definitely not a music moment to miss, even if you’re not necessarily a sports fan.

Eminem Reportedly Isn’t Allowed To Kneel During His Performance At The Super Bowl Halftime Show

by
eminem
Getty Image

Not only are we a few hours away from a Super Bowl matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, but we’re also almost moments away from what’s lining up to be an awesome halftime show. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige are all going to take the stage later tonight. Dre has promised some surprises for the halftime show, but whatever’s about to happen won’t occur without approval from the NFL.

One thing they shot down was this: Eminem reportedly wanted to take a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. According to Consequence and Puck, the NFL denied Eminem’s request. The league has also allegedly denied one of Snoop Dogg’s outfits due to possible gang ties and it flagged Dr. Dre’s lyric from “Still D.R.E.” as it includes lyrics like “still not loving police.” It’s reported that the league doesn’t want the Super Bowl to be perceived as a “divisive culture war moment.”

Nonetheless, Dre is very excited about the halftime show, which he spent upwards of $7 million worth to put together. “Hip-hop is the biggest genre of music on the planet right now, so it’s crazy that it took all of this time for us to be recognized,” he said. “I think we’re going to go on and do a fantastic show and we’re going to do it so big that they can’t deny us any more in the future.”

Kanye West Declares That Pete Davidson Will Never Meet His Children

by
Kanye West
Getty Image

It’s pretty clear that Kanye West isn’t too fond of Pete Davidson at the moment. The SNL star is currently dating the rapper’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, which is one reason Kanye’s been continuously attacking Pete, whether it be through his music (see: “Eazy” and “City Of Gods“) or through Instagram posts. Kanye shared another example of the latter while making a firm declaration against Pete.

On Instagram, Kanye shared a screenshot of a text message he received from Pete. “… As a man, I’d never get [in the] way of your children,” Pete says in the slightly-cropped screenshot. “[That’s] a promise. How you guys [go about] raising your kids is [your business] and not mine.” He adds, “I do hope [one] day I can meet them and [we can] all be friends.” Despite the genuine move from Pete, Kanye shut it down through his caption of the Instagram post. “NO YOU WILL NEVER MEET MY CHILDREN,” he wrote.

Kanye also shared the post with a screenshot from Pete and Machine Gun Kelly’s infamous Instagram Live session that took place on Calvin Klein’s main account. In it, the two stripped down to their underwear for a truly wacky livestream. Kanye’s post comes after he announced an event for Donda 2 in Miami. It’s set to occur on February 22, the same day that the album is set to be released.

Cardi B Says It Doesn’t Make Sense That The Super Bowl Is In Los Angeles When ‘Everything Closes At 2 AM’

by
cardi-b.jpg

Today is Super Bowl LVI, when the Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Los Angeles Rams for this year’s NFL championship. There are plenty of exciting factors with this year’s game, which takes place in Los Angeles. The Bengals could win their first-ever championship; for the Rams, it could wind up being their first since 2000. Them there’s the halftime show, which is set to be epic, with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. Despite all of this, Cardi B has noted a downside with the big game taking place in LA.

During an Instagram livestream, Cardi expressed her frustration with not being able to spend a full night out because of city regulations. “My question is who thought it would be a good idea to do the Super Bowl in LA when everything closes at 2 AM?” she said during the livestream while riding around in her car. “Who thought that was a motherf*cking good idea? That’s not a good idea, it’s 2 AM there’s no afties.” She then asks if there’s a strip club open which there was not.

She went on: “Everything closes at 2 AM, oh my god, all the baddies are texting me right now. Oh my god, Normani’s texting me right now y’all, all the baddies are texting me right now. We were supposed to be going out somewhere else, but there’s no place else my n****. We’re homeless, we’re party homeless. Everything closed at 2 AM b*tch, this don’t make no f*cking sense. I don’t understand.” She then asked someone in her car — presumably her driver — who was responsible for creating such a law before comparing her nightlife experiences to that of Atlanta and New York.

Cardi concludes her light-hearted rant by once again saying it doesn’t make sense that everything closes at 2 AM in LA. She also noted that Teyana Taylor, Normani, Megan Thee Stallion, Karrechue, Chloe Bailey, and “every f*cking body is outside.” Finally, she and Offset, who was also in the car with her, settle on inviting everywhere to their house to continue their fun for the night.

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