When the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL's 56th Super Bowl enters the halftime break on Monday night, the real TV spectacle begins for many: the huge Halftime Show. In past years, the Pepsi-sponsored concert break has thrilled audiences with unforgettable performances by the biggest stars in the music world, including The Weekend, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and many more.
Icons of hip-hop history with a combined 130 years of stage experience
This year, the NFL has announced some of the most important figures in US music history to keep the approximately 500 million viewers worldwide in their seats during the break. Featuring Dr Dre, Eminem, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar, five legends of hip-hop and RnB will take over SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California.
It is a home game for Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar, who are from California themselves. Together with Eminem from Detroit and New York City's Mary J. Blige, the five superstars have an incredible combined 130 years of experience on stage, more than 623 million records sold and 33.6 billion views of their music on Youtube!
Without Dr. Dre, the stage would be empty
By far the most experienced of the group is 57-year-old Dr. Dre, whose musical career began back in 1985 with the legendary West Coast crew N.W.A. Today he is the most successful hip-hop producer in the world. Due to his flair for beats and the success of the songs he contributed to, his fortune is estimated at 820 million US dollars. Throughout his career, Dre has been instrumental in paving the way for all of his fellow stars who will join him on stage on Super Bowl Night.
Kendrick Lamar may be the youngest in the ensemble, but he is no less successful. The 35-year-old already has 13 Grammys to his name. In the 12 years since his debut, he has sold over 114 million records worldwide.
Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg, on the other hand, are celebrating their 30th anniversary on the stage this year. The Queen of Hip Hop Soul has won a total of nine Grammys in her career. In addition to her music career, the 51-year-old also shines as an actress. Her performance in the drama "Mudbound" already earned her an Oscar nomination.
The year 1992 also brought the turning point for Snoop Dogg that would change his life forever. Dr. Dre included him several times on his album "The Chronic". His catchy G-funk style hit like a bomb. In 1993 he released his solo debut "Doggystyle" and from then on became a popular featuring partner. As a result, he helped Pharrell Williams ("Beautiful") or Katy Perry ("Teenage Dream"), among others, to massive chart successes worldwide. Snoop's fortune is estimated at 150 million US dollars. The 51-year-old has sold more than 95 million records.
400 million records bear his name: Eminem
But nothing quite prepared the rap world for Eminem: His alter ego "Slim Shady" fit the spirit of the turn of the millennium like a glove. Despite harsh and angry lyrics where he wasn’t afraid to make disparaging remarks about powerful personalities (including George W. Bush and Michael Jackson), Eminem entered the music mainstream. With almost 400 million records sold, Eminem is the most successful rap artist of all time, at least to this day. Every single one of his 11 albums has now been streamed more than a billion times on Spotify. Ten of them reached the top of the US Billboard Charts.
Today, Eminem is increasingly seen with a softer tone and in collaborations with Ed Sheeran or Rihanna. It will be interesting to see what the 50-year-old will bring to the Halftime Show. At times, Eminem was considered the best technical rapper in the world, so maybe we'll see some of that again.
Trailer for the Halftime Show: 500 million viewers expected
The four-minute clip announcing the five icons' halftime show already gives us goosebumps as it recalls all the legendary hits that wouldn't exist without them, like....
💽 “Rap God” from Eminem
💽 “The Next Episode” from Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Nate Dogg
💽 “Family Affair” from Mary J. Blidge
💽 “HUMBLE” from Kendrick Lamar
💽 “Still D.R.E” from Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg
💽 “California Love” from 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre
Sources: Wikipedia: Diskografie Eminem, The Industry Observer, Wikipedia: List of Eminem records and achievements, Hip Hop Wiki, Wikipedia: Discography Snoop Dogg, Billboard, Wikipedia: Discography Dr. Dre, Celebrity Net Worth: Eminem, Wealthy Gorilla, The Richest, Wikipedia: Diskografie Kendrick Lamar, Celebrity Net Worth: Kendrick Lamar, Wikipedia: Discography Mary J. Blige