Eminem delivered a memorable performance during the 2022 Pepsi Halftime Show by taking a knee at the end of it. The statement seemingly paid tribute to former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick who, as a player had kneeled in protest of police brutality and racial injustice against Black Americans.
According to league spokesman Brian McCarthy, the NFL was aware that Eminem was going to kneel because he had made the gesture during rehearsals, The New York Times reported. The gesture came after Eminem finished performing his 8 Mile anthem “Lose Yourself.”
Kicking off the halftime show, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre delivered a medley of “The Next Episode” and Tupac’s “California Love” at California’s SoFi Stadium. Then, 50 Cent surprised the audience with a performance of his Dre co-produced hit, “In Da Club,” while mimicking the upside-down pose that he took in the original music video. A group of dancers joined 50 Cent in a makeshift club scene before the camera panned to Mary J. Blige who delivered a bouncy performance of the Dre-produced “Family Affair” before transitioning into the slow-burning “No More Drama.”
Next up, Kendrick Lamar took the stage to perform “Alright” and an intro of “m.A.A.d city” surrounded by Black men in “Dre Day” sashes.
To close out the show, Dre and Snoop reappeared onstage for “Still D.R.E” and were joined by the other halftime performers of the evening.
The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, which took place in the Los Angeles area for the first time in 30 years, was produced by Jay-Z and was the first-ever halftime set that was focused on hip hop. The Bengals and Rams game brought together L.A. hip hop icons Snoop, Dre and Lamar for their Big Game debut. Also joining the trio were Blige and Dre’s longtime collaborator Eminem.
Ahead of the performance, Dre said in a statement that performing at the halftime show would be “one of the biggest thrills of my career.” He added, “I’m grateful to Jay-Z, Roc Nation, the NFL, and Pepsi as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar for joining me in what will be an unforgettable cultural moment.” Jay-Z added that their performances would be “history in the making.”
This is the third year Roc Nation has produced the Super Bowl Halftime Show. In 2021, The Weeknd performed, while Shakira and Jennifer Lopez co-headlined in 2020 during a performance that also featured Bad Bunny and J Balvin.
Watch the full 2022 halftime show here.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
