SUPER BOWL

The Game Believes He Should’ve Been Invited To Perform At The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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In addition to helping jumpstart the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar, who all performed at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, Dr. Dre also helped out The Game. The Compton rapper signed to Dre’s label Aftermath in 2003 and released his classic debut album The Documentary in 2005. Despite departing from the label before releasing his second album Doctor’s Advocate, The Game has maintained his love for Dre over the years. Indeed, he hoped their relationship would have earned him an invite to perform on stage at the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, as the spectacular performance only featured Dre, Anderson .Paak, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. As a result, The Game took to Instagram to share his feelings about being left out, resharing a few Instagram Story posts from fans who felt the same.

“FYI: @losangelesconfidential Should’ve been on stage at the Super Bowl I’ll be the first to say it,” one person wrote. The Game reshared the post, adding, “Sh*t brazy fr.” Another person wrote, “@Losangelesconfidential should have performed at Super Bowl with @DrDre I mean this is LA,” and a third wrote, “I believe Big Brother Jay @losangelesconfidential Should’ve been in the half time show too.” They added, “Oh and just wait till DRILLMATIC DROPS.” Drillmatic is the title of The Game’s upcoming tenth album.

You can view The Game’s posts about the Super Bowl Halftime Show above.

Shaq’s Fun House Offered A Supersized Super Bowl Party In Los Angeles

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Whenever the Super Bowl comes to town, it inevitably brings with it Super Bowl parties — parties that are usually among the biggest of the year. But for NBA Hall Of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, “big” isn’t just a descriptor, it’s a way of life. In that spirit, he has to go bigger than big, and at this year’s iteration of Shaq’s Fun House in Los Angeles, he did just that, inviting superstars Diplo and Lil Wayne to take over the Shrine Auditorium near USC for a massive carnival that supersized everything from the endless drinks and food to the jumbo NBA Jam arcade game set up outside the venue.

While Shaq may be from New Jersey, for the last several years he’s called Los Angeles home, so it’s only right that he pulled out all the stops for this year’s edition of his annual carnival. Upon arrival, guests were greeted by stilt walkers and a marching band playing brassy renditions of hits like Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” Among the attractions were such fairground staples as bumper cars, a high striker (you know, with the hammer and the bell), a water gun race, an 80-foot slide, and of course, a Ferris wheel.

Those attractions were augmented by the presence of an open bar supplied by Bud Light and Maker’s Mark, with pop-up food booths representing some of LA’s most famous eateries like Pink’s Hot Dogs and Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles. The Meat District food truck also had a non-stop line as partygoers clamored to pick up the signature burgers and fries on offer. Meanwhile, a section cordoned off for 1Up Arcade machines proved to be a steady draw as gamers indulged their nostalgia for games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons, and Mortal Kombat. Those unperturbed by the possibility of getting dunked on in front of the crowd could play an oversized version of NBA Jam with buttons the size of dinner plates.

Inside the Shrine, a roster of DJs including Myles O’Neal, Diplo, and DJ Diesel himself kept the party going with humongous bass drops and dazzling light shows ahead of headlining sets from Zedd and Lil Wayne. In the VIP area, fans could also try another LA restaurant, Kazunori, which got in the carnival spirit with its easy-to-carry hand rolls. On the red carpet, Shaq explained his philosophy in hosting the carnival each year, “All the other parties, you just come, you stand around and shake hands. You go, ‘Hey Tom, hey Bob, hey Jamal.’ This party is a carnival with rides, favorite restaurants, top restaurants in L.A… Ferris wheel. I paid a lot of money to get this stuff here.”

Dr. Dre Reveals What Line The NFL Made Him Remove From His Super Bowl Performance

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Although it has been decades since Dr. Dre himself was at the center of any hip-hop controversies, there was some speculation and debate ahead of his recent Super Bowl halftime show performance that the NFL worried parts of the show could become culture war flashpoints. While the moments in question went off without a hitch, some folks did find plenty to complain about — even after the NFL offered notes on how to tone down potentially troublesome moments during the performance.

Dr. Dre revealed what “minor changes” the NFL made to the set during an interview with TMZ. While he did acknowledge the rumor that the NFL had barred his co-star Eminem from kneeling during his set, Dre said the real changes came during Kendrick Lamar’s portion of the performance. “Em taking the knee, that was Em doing that on his own, and there was no problem with that,” he said. However, regarding Kendrick’s song, “M.A.A.D. City,” the opening line “if Pirus and Crips could all get along” didn’t fly.

“They had a problem with that, so we had to take that out,” he said. “No big deal, we get it. But, all in all, everybody came in, we were professional, everybody was on time. Everybody felt the magnitude of what this thing was, and what we were going to be able to accomplish. It was a fantastic experience.” You can watch Dre’s interview below.

Hip-Hop Breathes New Life Into Super Bowl: Boosts Viewership Double-Digits and Shatters Previous Halftime Show Audience

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Hip Hop’s impact was felt in a major way on the stage of the Super Bowl halftime show. The star power and influence throughout the night brought new highs to the event’s viewership that had been in decline year-over-year. Super Bowl Performance Viewership Up By 12% After years of waning interests and decline that has […]

Snoop Dogg Fans Are Having Fun With A Baffling Report About His Pre-Super Bowl Activities

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Although Snoop Dogg wears many hats — rapper, actor, DJ, product pitchman, record label owner, Puppy Bowl coach/host, etc. — there are really only a couple of things he’s truly known for. One of those things is being a big fan of the devil’s lettuce, of which he partakes regularly and in copious volumes. Yet, somehow, the New York Post thought that it was worthy of a headline that Snoop Dogg — gasp — smoked weed before his Super Bowl halftime show performance. What a shocker, am I right?

Well, Snoop fans on Twitter are having fun with the reversed “man bites dog” moment, taking the Post to task for basically reporting that everything happened as planned and nobody got hurt. “Snoop Dogg engages in recreational activity that’s legal in LA and in…wait for it..New York,” wrote one miffed responder. Meanwhile, actor George Hahn gave his dramatic interpretation of the Post‘s tweet, positing that the writer, rather than being Captain Obvious from one of those travel website ads, was instead one of those pearl-clutching conservatives who railed at the supposed lasciviousness of the whole halftime endeavor.

For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like there was much condemnation behind the headline so much as a sense of “hey, get a load of this guy.” Still, people see what they want to see on Twitter and generally respond accordingly. Over here, we’re just happy we got to see Snoop take the stage alongside Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige for one of the most exciting halftime shows in years.

The NFL Denies Telling Eminem Not To Kneel During The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Last night’s Super Bowl halftime show drew its fair share of both praise and controversy, as West Coast hip-hop legend Dr. Dre took to the field with a cadre of superstar associates including 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. While some conservative pundits offered the probably disingenuous criticism of the show as depicting “sexual anarchy,” another lightning rod during the performance was Eminem taking a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and all the other players who protested police brutality during the 2016 season.

Ahead of the performance, it was reported that the NFL had apparently shot down the idea when he pitched it during planning and rehearsals, as well as flagging Dr. Dre’s “still not loving police” lyric from “Still D.R.E.” as possibly “divisive” moments. However, that report didn’t stop either performer from going ahead as planned, although Kendrick Lamar did censor the “we hate po-po” lyric from “Alright.”

A report shortly after the performance in the New York Times suggests new information from a league spokesman who insinuated that all those possibly controversial moments were cleared in rehearsals. Brian McCarthy said league officials “watched it during rehearsals this week” and didn’t mention receiving any notes. He also said that players and coaches were cleared to demonstrate before the game, although it didn’t seem that any of them did.

Conservatives Are Predictably Losing It Over The Super Bowl Halftime Show (And Calling It ‘Sexual Anarchy’)

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Oh boy. Where to start? The lead up to the Super Bowl included reports that Eminem was told not to kneel during the Halftime show. Well, Marshall Mathers did, in fact, kneel as a gesture of solidarity toward Colin Kaepernick. Surely, you’ve seen the moment by now, but just in case you haven’t, it goes down here (shortly after the 11:00 mark), and this was obviously too much for conservatives to handle. The same goes for the entirety of the Halftime show that included Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Bilge, Snoop, and an upside down 50 Cent.

None of this would stand for conservatives, including activist Charlie Kirk, whose tweet genuinely looked like parody (but it wasn’t). “The NFL is now the league of sexual anarchy,” Kirk wrote. “This halftime show should not be allowed on television.”

AOC (who once called conservatives “creepy weirdos” for their apparent fixation on her looks) had a swift response: “Like I said, weirdos.”

And from there, “sexual anarchy” inspired a ton of comebacks.

Yep, the far-right also seemed steamed about Eminem’s presence in general.

And as lawyer Ron Filipkowski joked, “MAGA is upset that the NFL didn’t bring out more ‘wholesome’ entertainment like Kid Rock and Ted Nugent.”

Is it a joke, though, if MAGA people really want this to happen?

And from there, the Kid Rock-related comebacks poured in because, as one person pointed out, “The distance between Eminem and Kid Rock as white rappers from Michigan could not be greater.”

A whole lot of pearls will meet their maker over this one. Is it time for the next Super Bowl yet? Asking, uh, for a friend who enjoys chaos.

50 Cent Shares His Favorite Memes From His Surprise Upside Down Super Bowl Halftime Appearance

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Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and the rest of the Los Angeles Rams did some celebrating last night, as they managed to top the Cincinnati Bengals and win Super Bowl LVI. As it always is, the Super Bowl was a major night in the music world, too, thanks to the halftime show. Ahead of the game, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige were billed as the stars of the performance, but when it came time for the show, fans were surprised with another headliner: 50 Cent. Not only did he perform, but for the first few lines of “In Da Club,” he rapped while hanging upside down.

Naturally, the moment inspired plenty of memes, and 50 Cent, an active social media user himself, loved them. He even shared a couple of his favorites on Instagram. He also shared a video of LeBron James enjoying his performance and wrote, “See we came in 03 and we still here. so we celebrate each other every chance we get. @kingjames you know the vibes.”

50’s appearance came after rumors about his cameo were started after a video of “In Da Club” playing at SoFi Stadium surfaced a few days ago.

Revisit last night’s halftime show here. Uproxx recently spoke with 50 about his Power cinematic universe and more, so check out that interview here.

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

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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.

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

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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.”