Following the announcement that Rihanna will headline the NFL’s 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Dr. Dre spoke with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden on Sunday about his experience putting together last year’s event.
“It made me extremely nervous,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been that nervous before. Not only that, I don’t know if I’ve ever looked more forward to a Monday morning. So it’s the preparation and making sure you have the right people around you. All of these people came through for me, and everybody was extremely enthusiastic about the show. We had a good time, although it’s a lot of things and a lot of people you have to depend on.”
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He elaborated: “You’re talking about at least 3,000 people that you have to depend on to get this show right for 13 minutes. So it is an extreme amount of pressure, but it’s fun at the same time. When it’s done, it’s like goosebumps, bro. I got goosebumps, especially from the reaction that we got from the show, and especially being able to do the show with all of my friends.”
In addition to Dre, the halftime show featured Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige. The group was eventually honored with a Creative Arts Emmy for the performance.
Dre also reacted to the news that Rihanna has been selected as next year’s performer.
“Oh, my God,” he said. “Let me tell you something, man. I actually just got the news that Rihanna’s going to do it, and I’m a super fan of Rihanna. I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do. I just like her and what she does, and her get down, and how she approaches her artistry and the whole nine. It’s fantastic. She has the opportunity to really blow us away. I know we set the bar extremely high.”
[Via]