SUPER BOWL

Young Thug’s Attorney Uses Snoop Dogg’s Super Bowl Performance As Evidence In Trial

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The YSL RICO trial has the very culture of hip-hop in its veins. It’s obviously very literally related to rap music as rappers are directly involved. Gunna, YFN Lucci, and most notoriously Young Thug are directly related to the case. It’s also intersected with plenty of other high-profile artists and notable moments in rap. The use of Thug’s lyrics has introduced rappers like Juice Wrld into the mix. Thug’s attorneys even once brought up Lil Uzi Vert’s notorious forehead diamond to explain a particular lyric used by the defense.

Now, yet another iconic piece of hip-hop lore is coming up in the trial. Young Thug’s attorneys have been trying to fight back against the prosecution’s claims of gang affiliations for weeks now. One of the major ways they’ve done that is by attacking the very notion that many of the gang signs cited by the prosecution necessarily imply gang affiliation. They used clips of athletes like Serena Williams and LeBron James to show that gang culture reaches far beyond those directly affiliated. For similar reasons, the defense played clips of Snoop Dogg’s Super Bowl performance in court. They aimed to prove that gang culture is so deeply ingrained in rap that it doesn’t work as direct proof of any actual gang affiliations.

Read More: Young Thug’s Apparent Weight Gain Goes Viral

Snoop Dogg Performance Played In Young Thug Trial

Last week, the prosecution in the trial tried to shut down the livestream fans have been using to watch the trial. After incidents like threatening comments made in the Zoom call and even an outright hack, they claim that the harm outweighs the good. Despite that claim the livestream is still available and today’s proceedings are currently available to watch online. One of YSL’s co-founders is back in court today answering even more questions about the label.

What do you think of Young Thug’s attorney playing a clip of Snoop Dogg performing during his trial? Do you think it does a good job of proving how engrained gang culture in in rap music? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Meek Mill Weighs In On Young Thug’s Trial

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Reba McEntire, Post Malone, And Andra Day To Perform Super Bowl Pregame Songs

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Reba McEntire will perform “The Star Spangled Banner”, Post Malone will sing “America the Beautiful”, and Andra Day will close out with “Lift Every Voice And Sing” at next month’s Super Bowl. These performances will precede the first half of a game that will also include a Roc Nation-produced halftime show performed by Usher. The Super Bowl is scheduled to be held on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Last year’s game featured performances from Chris Stapleton, Babyface, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Usher’s halftime show will look to outdo an electric (and pregnant) performance from Rihanna.

McEntire is a country legend, with three Grammy wins and 25 Billboard No. 1 singles. Malone is a 10-time Grammy nominee whose albums are 14 times platinum certified. Meanwhile, Day is a Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated, Grammy-winning singer and actress. The trio should provide an electric start to the proceedings. The teams for the Super Bowl are yet to be decided, with the divisional round of the playoffs this weekend.

Read More: Usher Wants His Super Bowl Performance To Be Nothing Short Of Perfect

Usher Drops First Super Bowl Teaser

Meanwhile, Usher recently dropped the first trailer for his aforementioned halftime show at the Super Bowl. Titled “One performance, 30 years in the Making”, the minute-long trailer highlights Usher’s legacy, with a collection of fans and celebrities performing the singer’s 2004 classic, “Yeah”. Usher was announced as the Super Bowl headliner back in September 2024, with the NFL debuting a skit involving Kim Kardashian.

Furthermore, Usher also announced that Super Bowl Sunday (February 11) will also mark the release of his new album. Coming Home will be Usher’s ninth studio and his first since Hard II Love in 2016. In the last seven years, Usher’s only extended project was 2018’s A, a collaborative album with Zaytoven. Furthermore, he will be hoping that Coming Home will be a return to form for his work. Hard II Love was his first album since his 1994 debut to neither peak at #1 nor receive an RIAA certification.

Read More: Lil Wayne Wants 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show

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The NFL Has Announced Its 2024 Super Bowl Pre-Game Performers: Post Malone, Reba McEntire, And Andra Day

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The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in sports, but it’s also routinely a major moment in pop culture: The Emmys recently shared a list of the 75 most impactful TV moments of all time, and making the list were Janet Jackson’s Halftime Show and Whitney Houston’s National Anthem. The big game’s entertainment legacy will continue with this year’s match-up on February 11, and now we know who’s involved on the music side of things.

As Variety reports, at Super Bowl LVIII, Reba McEntire will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Post Malone will perform “America The Beautiful,” and Andra Day will sing “Lift Every Voice And Sing.” They all of course join Usher, who was previously announced as the halftime performer. Also worth noting is that all those performances will be accompanied by corresponding American Sign Language performances.

Malone has a busy year ahead of him beyond the Super Bowl, as he’s set to be all over the festival circuit this summer: He’s performing at Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, Rolling Loud California, and even Stagecoach. Speaking of country music, McEntire is set to return to her role as a coach on the upcoming season of The Voice. As for Day, she’s starring in the upcoming movie The Deliverance.

Usher Wants His Super Bowl Performance To Be Nothing Short Of Perfect

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The Superbowl Halftime Show is one of the biggest stages any musical artist can take on. So when the biggest stars in all of music perform they try and bring out all the stops. In recent years Rihanna brought impressive scale to the event with suspended platforms. The year before Dr. Dre delivered an intricate house set and surprise appearance from 50 Cent. Whatever Usher is planning for the big day is tightly under wraps, but expectations are mounting.

Part of those expectations are set up by Usher himself. In a recent interview with Vogue, he spoke on how extensively he’s been working on the performance. “It has to be perfect. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I want people who have been a part of that journey to feel like it’s a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point,” he said in the interview. Though the performances are often massive in scale they’re on a relatively short time scale. That means compacting his entire career of hits into a single performance is tricky. Elsewhere in the article he discussed his efforts to bring the spirit of R&B to the stage while performing for every single one of the millions of women who will be watching. Read the full interview below.

Read More: What Is Usher’s Best-Selling Album?

Usher On His Expectations

The Super Bowl performance isn’t even the only exciting thing happening for Usher that night. He will follow-up the with the release of his new album Coming Home. It’s his first new project since 2016 and is already off to a strong start. The single “Good Good” with Summer Walker and 21 Savage has turned into the R&B star’s biggest hit in years. The song peaked at number 25 on the Hot 100 and currently sits at number 34 on the chart.

Last month, Usher wrapped up his Las Vegas residency which made nightly news for the dozens of celebrities that attended. What do you think of Usher’s comments about his upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show performance? What are your expectations for his performance? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: Fans Hilariously React To Usher’s “Glitching” Dance Move

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Usher Teases Kai Cenat Collab

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Usher has teased a collab with Kai Cenat. The hint came as Usher called the widely popular streamer to personally invite him to next month’s Super Bowl. Furthermore, Usher also invited Cenat to come to an early listening party for his new album. Cenat was overjoyed about the opportunity and seemed to reciprocate the desire to work with the iconic singer.

Cenat has been making a name for himself throughout 2023 as his star has shone brighter and brighter. This included getting a Christmas present from Ice Spice. The present in question was one of Spice’s branded chia pets. While Cenat was very excited to receive a gift from Spice, he was slightly confused by the gift. After closely inspecting the gift, Cenat declared that it didn’t look too much like Spice at all. Regardless, he was very happy to have received something from the high-profile rapper.

Read More: Kai Cenat Meets 50 Cent, Begs Rapper For Role In Power

Usher Drops First Super Bowl Teaser

Meanwhile, Usher also dropped the first trailer for his upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show. Titled “One performance, 30 years in the Making”, the minute-long trailer highlights Usher’s legacy, with a collection of fans and celebrities performing the singer’s 2004 classic, “Yeah”. Usher was announced as the Super Bowl headliner back in September 2023, with the NFL debuting a skit involving Kim Kardashian. This year’s Super Bowl is being held in Las Vegas, where Usher wrapped up a residency late last year.

Furthermore, he also announced that Super Bowl Sunday (February 11) will also mark the release of his new album. Coming Home will be Usher’s ninth studio and his first since Hard II Love in 2016. In the last seven years, Usher’s only extended project was 2018’s A, a collaborative album with Zaytoven. Furthermore, he will be hoping that Coming Home will be a return to form for his work. Hard II Love was his first album since his 1994 debut to neither peak at #1 nor receive an RIAA certification.

Read More: Usher Invites Las Vegas Aces To Residency Show After Missing Championship Parade

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Detroit Lions Fan Eminem Has An Urgent Message For LA Rams’ Matthew Stafford Ahead Of Wild Card Round

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Eminem isn’t afraid to hit folks with a cease and desist letter to protect his intellectual property. Sadly for him, legally, there’s nothing he can do to tip the scales in favor of the Detroit Lions. As a native of the Motor City, Eminem is putting all his faith into his beloved team to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy home.

On January 14, ahead of the Rams and Lions showdown for the NFL’s wild card round, the notorious introvert decided to step into the social media waters to share an urgent message aimed at the Los Angeles Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford. “Stafford, what’d I say,” he said in the video clip. “You owe me this favor, bro. I was there for you when you won it. I was there for you. I was right there. I rapped for you, Stafford. Bro, I rapped for you!”

With Stafford being a former Lions player, Eminem seems to hope the video would pull at his heartstrings. Ultimately, wishing Stafford would go easy on the franchise during the January 14 game. Typically, the team and Super Bowl hopefuls are words you’d use in the same sentence. However, after the team managed to win its first division in 30 years, Lions fans like Eminem are praying for a miracle.

The Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams game is set to begin at 8:15 pm Eastern. Find more information here.

Usher Drops First Teaser For Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Usher has released the first trailer for his upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show. Titled “One performance, 30 years in the Making”, the minute-long trailer highlights Usher’s legacy, with a collection of fans and celebrities performing the singer’s 2004 classic, “Yeah”. Usher was announced as the Super Bowl headliner back in September 2024, with the NFL debuting a skit involving Kim Kardashian.

Furthermore, Usher also announced that Super Bowl Sunday (February 11) will also mark the release of his new album. Coming Home will be Usher’s ninth studio and his first since Hard II Love in 2016. In the last seven years, Usher’s only extended project was 2018’s A, a collaborative album with Zaytoven. Furthermore, he will be hoping that Coming Home will be a return to form for his work. Hard II Love was his first album since his 1994 debut to neither peak at #1 nor receive an RIAA certification.

Read More: Elena Delle Donne Launches WNBA’s First-Ever Wine Brand

However, the Super Bowl is not Usher’s only sporting connection. In October, the singer extended an invite to the Las Vegas Aces to attend his “My Way” residency show after missing their WNBA Championship parade. “I wish I could’ve been there, but pull up to my show… I got U. Shoutout to the defending champs, the Vegas Aces. A’ja Wilson, I got your message, I see you, I hear you. Couldn’t be at the parade but wanted to send this out to you to say congratulations to you and all the lovely ladies that once again did it again. I wanted to invite you to come see the show, come see me do it my way here in Vegas. We stick together, we love one another. Congratulations on this day and I’ll see you soon,” the musician said in a video posted to social media. While Usher was unable to attend the Aces’ parade after defending their WNBA title, 2 Chainz was on hand to perform.

However, Usher’s offer led to a little bit of friendly beefing amongst the team. “A’ja hit us in the group chat talkin bout WE are invited to go see Usher, but now that I’m seeing the video…SHE was invited. Which is cool, that’s fine! But why lie to ur teammates? 💔,” Sydney Colson wrote on X. “Lolololololololol syd scores 2 points in game 4 and think she can get usher tickets awww,” Wilson shot back.

Read More: Usher Serenades Kash Doll During Vegas Set

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WATCH: Usher Unveils Epic Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Trailer

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Usher Unveils Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Trailer

Usher has partnered with Apple Music to release the official trailer for the highly anticipated Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show. A monumental performance 30 years in the making, the trailer seamlessly weaves together footage over three decades, featuring Usher and an array of famous faces, including LeBron James, J Balvin, and Jung Kook.

As anticipation for the big game builds, the trailer promises an electrifying showcase of one of Usher’s biggest hits, leaving fans worldwide screaming, “Yeah!”

READ MORE: Usher Says His Super Bowl Performance Preparation Began 30 Years Ago

To prepare for the upcoming Halftime Show, fans can pre-add Usher’s ninth studio album, Coming Home, set to release on Feb. 9th, on Apple Music. Additionally, they can delve into three decades of USHER’s hits across various genres with the curated playlist “Usher Essentials” on Apple Music.

For interactive engagement, Apple Music Sing allows fans to sing along to their favorite USHER songs, adjusting vocals and enjoying real-time lyrics for a dynamic and immersive experience.

READ MORE: Usher and H.E.R. Drop New “Risk It All” Video

Building on the success of last year’s record-breaking Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show starring Rihanna, the ongoing partnership between the NFL, Roc Nation, and Apple Music continues to unite the Super Bowl Halftime Show with the world-class music experience offered by Apple Music. With a catalog exceeding 100 million songs and cutting-edge features like Spatial Audio, Apple Music remains at the forefront of delivering unparalleled musical experiences to fans worldwide.

The post WATCH: Usher Unveils Epic Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Trailer first appeared on The Source.

The post WATCH: Usher Unveils Epic Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Trailer appeared first on The Source.

Usher Has Reportedly Cut Out Alcohol And Sugar Ahead Of His Highly Anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Performance

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We are just weeks away from Super Bowl LVIII, during which Usher is set to perform the Apple Music Halftime Show. With over three decades worth of hits to his credit, Usher‘s halftime performance is sure to be iconic. And, we hear that the “Good Good” hitmaker is kicking it into high gear ahead of the show.

According to the Sunday Mirror, Usher is currently hard at work in rehearsals as the Halftime show is imminent. He is also reportedly on a very strict dining regimen.

“The Super Bowl has always been on Usher’s bucket list and he wants to be in the best shape to give the performance of his life to the 100 million-plus people watching. He has quit all sugar and alcohol and is rehearsing endlessly,” said a source to Sunday Mirror.

Upon the initial reports, fans noted similarities between Usher’s pre-performance diet and that of Beyoncé’s ahead of her 2018 performance at Coachella.

One fan on Twitter even noted “He on that Beyoncé Homecoming diet. We’re in for a treat.”

However, some may consider Bey’s a little more extreme, as she gave up alcohol, sugar, caffeine, meat, dairy, and bread, as revealed in her 2019 Netflix documentary, Homecoming.

Super Bowl LVIII broadcasts live on Sunday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

Jay-Z Is Still On The Fence About Ever Doing The Super Bowl Halftime Show, But ‘Maybe One Year’

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Jay-Z recently chatted with Entertainment Tonight about the possibility of if he would ever do the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Although he performed before the Super Bowl in 2011 and joined as the NFL’s music entertainment strategist, he has yet to play the halftime by himself.

As it turns out, he still is on the fence.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early. Maybe one year. Maybe.”

However, Jay-Z praised this year’s pick, as Usher will be performing when the Super Bowl is held in Las Vegas.

“I think he’s gonna take his rightful place,” Jay-Z added. “He’s one of the greatest performers we’ve seen in our time, and I think he’ll take his rightful place.”

Back in 2020, Jay-Z also revealed to The New York Times that the NFL had asked him to do a halftime show, but he turned it down after they wanted him to bring Rihanna and Kanye West to perform with him.

“Of course I would have,” he shared about the opportunity. “But I said, ‘No, you get me.’ That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they’re going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing.”

Still, hopefully fans get to experience Jay-Z’s halftime show the way he wants it to be.