The Big Game is only a few days away and hype around the Pepsi Halftime Show is at a fever pitch. Dr. Dre,Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg will hit the stage on Sunday (February 13) as the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Ahead of the historic Hip Hop event, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige have been making the press rounds.
During a press conference on Thursday (February 10), the three music industry vets talked about the upcoming gig and Dr. Dre made a promise apparently both Eminem and Snoop Dogg must keep. As Snoop Dogg said there “won’t be any wardrobe malfunctions,” Dre quickly hopped in with, “I had to talk Snoop and Eminem out of pulling their penises out, especially Eminem.”
Of course, Snoop Dogg was referring to the infamous Super Bowl XXX VIII in 2004 that saw halftime performer Justin Timberlake accidentally expose Janet Jackson’s bare breast live on national television. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined CBS for an indecency violation of $27,500 and increased it to $325,000. They eventually slapped CBS with a record $550,000 fine for the incident that was ultimately voided by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 2011. A case to reinstate the fine was refused in 2012.
Dr. Dre announced the Super Bowl LVI Pepsi Halftime Show lineup in September 2021. JAY-Z played a big role in booking the gig. In 2019, Roc Nation signed a deal with the National Football League to aid in the league’s social justice efforts and bolster its connections in the music industry.
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As the NFL’s “live music entertainment strategist,” JAY-Z and Roc Nation serve as consultants on productions such as the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
“The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career,” Dr. Dre said in a statement sent to HipHopDX. “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, “This is the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. This is history in the making.”
Mary J. Blige Quotes Eminem While Discussing Unpaid Super Bowl LVI Gig
Fans might be surprised to learn none of the artists get paid for their performance. According to Esquire,NFL policy promises to cover travel expenses for the artists and all costs related to the production of the halftime show, but the performers don’t take home any money. Speaking to The Cruz Show on Wednesday (February 9), Blige was confident it would pay off in other ways.
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“Listen, you gonna be paid for the rest of your life off of this,” she said. “They don’t have to pay me. But if it was payin’ it would be a lot of money. But I’m good. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Eminem says that in ‘Lose Yourself,’ this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
