NFL Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar Come Together for the PEPSI® Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show in Inglewood, CA
The Super Bowl LVI halftime show is a star-studded roster of the hottest R&B and rap artists of the past two decades, plus the halftime show is making Super Bowl history with the ASL artists who are accompanying them. Here is what you need to know.
The Halftime Show Performers
The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show features five “epic hitmakers” from the world of R&B and rap — Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
The NBC Sports press release reads:
The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show marks the first time these five multi-award-winning artists will perform together on stage, exciting music fans worldwide and holding a special significance for the greater Los Angeles community, as they host the Super Bowl for the first time in nearly 30 years. Collectively, these artists have been awarded 43 Grammys and have created 22 No. 1 Billboard albums.
“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,” said Dr. Dre in a statement. “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.”
“On February 13, 2022, at the Super Bowl LVI in Inglewood, CA, in the new SoFi Stadium, Dr. Dre, a musical visionary from Compton, Snoop Dogg, an icon from Long Beach and Kendrick Lamar, a young musical pioneer in his own right, also from Compton, will take center field for a performance of a lifetime,” added Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter. “They will be joined by the lyrical genius, Eminem and the timeless Queen, Mary J. Blige. This is the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. This is history in the making.”
“This year we are blowing the roof off the concept of collaboration,” said Adam Harter, Senior Vice President of Media, Sports and Entertainment at PepsiCo. “Along with the NFL and Roc Nation, we continue to try and push the limits on what fans can expect during the most exciting 12 minutes in music; this year’s superstar line-up is sure to deliver a mind-blowing performance.”
The American Sign Language Performers
The NFL and the National Association of the Deaf are partnering up to bring “an elevated accessibility experience to the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show with talented American Sign Language (ASL) artists,” according to the NBC Sports press release.
Famed deaf musicians Warren “Wawa” Snipe and Sean Forbes will be signing the halftime show for the first time in Super Bowl history.
The press release continues:
At Super Bowl LV last year, Wawa wowed the world with his ASL rendition of the National Anthem and America the Beautiful, with his performance viewed by more than 8 million people. Wawa has been a trailblazer as an acclaimed recording artist in the Hip Hop world and developed his own niche: Dip Hop, which he defines as “Hip Hop through deaf eyes.” Wawa is thrilled to return to the Super Bowl and fulfill his dream of bringing the beauty of ASL to the Halftime Show.
Sean Forbes is a long-time Deaf hip hop artist from Detroit who has produced several hit songs. In 2011 Sean released a music video called “Let’s Mambo” featuring Oscar award-winning actress and two-time Super Bowl pregame performer Marlee Matlin. In 2012 Sean released his debut album Perfect Imperfection and toured the world promoting it. In February of 2020, Forbes released an album called “Little Victories” which reached #1 on the iTunes and Amazon charts for a hip-hop album, and #1 on Amazon for nationwide album sales upon its release. Sean is the co-founder of DPAN (Deaf Professional Arts Network) a 501c3 nonprofit which showcases the talents of deaf performers worldwide and also ensures that music is artistically accessible to the Deaf Community.
The 2022 Super Bowl pre-game coverage airs from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pacific times on NBC. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern and 3:30 p.m. Pacific on NBC.
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