The epic night that combines sports, music and entertainment is quickly approaching. You heard it right, Superbowl LVI is on February 13, and you will be wanting to get your chips and wings ready for this year’s halftime performance lineup. 

The Pepsi Superbowl Halftime Show will feature Grammy winners Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. Can we just admire what an accomplished and inspiring selection of artists are going to be performing for us? 

In addition to being a hip hop, rap and R&B enthusiast dream, the performance will feature a majority line-up of Black artists, allowing these artists to pay homage to the culture that the Black community has engrained into the music community. The performance will also be taking place during Black History Month. Woot Woot! What a way to celebrate Black History Month with some of the biggest names in the music industry.  

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg broke barriers in the Gangsta rap and West Coast hip hop genre to bring it to mainstream media. On the other hand, Mary J. Blige has been renowned as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get goosebumps while watching! 

The Trailer

The trailer for the Pepsi Halftime show is titled as “The Call” and was directed by F. Gary Gray who is famous for his works in “Straight Outta Compton” and “The Fate of the Furious.” The video has a theme of a chess board with Dr. Dre making his next moves representing each artist he is performing with on this epic night. 

The first chess move began with Eminem versus “Slim Shady” throwing neon rap verses at each other. A plane then swoops viewers into the next scene which featured Snoop Dogg cruising down the streets of California in his lowrider. 

Mary J. Blige was up next showing out in her glamorous outfit alongside her fabulous makeup artists. She is also strutting in front of a luxury car while being photographed. The next chess piece transition then took us to Kendrick Lamar in a creative office tossing lyrics sheets out a window. With the lyrics sheets flying into the clouds, we are taken to a beach with a cinematically captivating ocean featuring a piano keys playing “Still D.R.E.” along the shoreline. On this majestic beach was the musical genius himself, Dr. Dre. 

The last chess piece was placed, making a significant transition into the final scene. In this scene, all the musical icons are gathered together walking to the SoFi stadium itself, setting the stage for their highly anticipated performance. 

Click here to see the magic of this trailer with your own eyes on the Pepsi YouTube channel.

UM Students Get Ready!

Jordan Barnes MA in Music Industry

“ I think the halftime show will be both nostalgic for the fans and inspiring for the upcoming creatives in the same field! Every artist in the lineup have solidified their careers as legends in the industry so each performance will add something special to the show. The show will even give the chance for people who aren’t as familiar with the music to explore their catalogs learn more about the artists. I also think it’s cool that the artists from California get to represent their hometown on a large stage due to the show’s location. Overall, I’m eager to watch it and will be tuned in on game day!”

Cassandra Michel, Junior (Third year) Major: Psychology and Community and Applied Psychological Studies

“I am not one to get excited about the Super Bowl or halftime. But this year I am excited to make some time in my schedule to potentially watch the halftime after looking up the lineup. I am shocked that the Super Bowl was able to get Dre and Kendrick Lamar to be part of the halftime show. As a fan of Kendrick Lamar, I’ve never really seen him as the type of person to perform at the Superbowl. Kendrick is very intentional about his performance and the music he creates, so I know his performance at the Super Bowl will be amazing. Dre, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige are all amazing artists as well. Together, the three rappers will bring the energy needed to create excitement from the crowd, and Mary J. Blige will bring a soul and rhythm sound. This halftime show will definitely make history!”

words_sarah ruiz. photo_jaxon gee-dub on unsplash.