Eminem is set to perform at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium on Sunday (February 13) for an all-star Hip Hop and R&B spectacle alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.
Ahead of the big game (and performance), Slim Shady sat down for an interview with SiriusXM’s Sway Calloway, in which he heaped high praise on the youngest member of the Super Bowl Halftime Show lineup, Kendrick Lamar.
When asked by Sway if he agrees that Kendrick is “the most electrifying vocalist of this generation,” Em replied, “I absolutely would agree. Kendrick is at the very top, top tier of lyricists — not just of this generation, but of all time.”
Eminem’s comments hardly come as a surprise given the Detroit rap legend has repeatedly shared his admiration for Kendrick in the past.
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“I love Kendrick Lamar,” he told The New York Times in 2015. “The way he puts albums together — front to back, they’re like pieces of art.”
Eminem holds Kendrick’s 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d city in especially high regard, having told Genius, “When I first heard Kendrick’s debut on Aftermath, I couldn’t believe it. The fact that it was his first real album and he was able to make it into a story which intertwines with the skits like that was genius.”
He added, “That hasn’t really been done that many times, let alone on someone’s first time up. The level of wordplay, deliveries, the beats — it’s just a masterpiece.”
Eminem and Kendrick Lamar even joined forces on “Love Game” from Em’s 2013 album The Marshall Mathers LP 2, although they’ve yet to collaborate since.
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Elsewhere in his conversation with Sway, Eminem admitted the prospect of performing live at the Super Bowl is “fucking nerve-racking,” but that hasn’t dampened how impressed he is by the show Dr. Dre has in store for fans.
“When Dre first asked me and the whole thing started going down and we were like, ‘Ok, this might be actually serious,’ I tried to envision what Dre might do,” he said. “I was thinking like, ‘Yeah, that’s dope that all of us are going to rap together.’ But I didn’t expect the production to be like this.”
Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige might not be the only big names performing at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. 50 Cent is rumored to make an appearance after his 2003 smash hit “In Da Club” was heard being rehearsed at the SoFi stadium, while Ice Cube‘s name is also in the mix as a potential special guest.
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In any case, rap fans are in for a helluva show — one that Dre has promised won’t involve any Janet Jackson-esque mishaps.
