Posted on

BEST HIP-HOP HALFTIME PERFORMANCES

BEST HIP-HOP HALFTIME PERFORMANCES

Hip-hop has moved the crowd at various sporting events during its rich history.

Source: XXLMag

Queen Latifah holds the distinction of being the first rapper to perform at a Super Bowl halftime show. The hip-hop icon rocked the mic at Super Bowl XXXII in 1998. Although Latifah sung during her set, she left an indelible impression on the NFL, which allowed other rappers to grace future halftime stages.

For example, Missy Elliott delivered a show-stopping performance at Super Bowl XLIX in 2015—and she wasn’t even the headliner. The veteran rhymer was a guest performer for Katy Perry and rapped a medley of her biggest hits, including “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control.”

Another memorable halftime performance happened in 2022, when Dr. Dre headlined the Super Bowl LVI’s Pepsi Halftime Show and brought out Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige. Everyone brought their A-game and each artist delivered an electrifying performance.

Outside of football, rappers hit the stage at other sporting events as well. In 2011, Rihanna brought out Drake and Kanye West to perform during her headlining set at NBA All-Star Weekend. In 2013, Ludacris was tapped to be the musical ambassador during the NCAA Final Four games, which took place at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. Luda was on the bill for a halftime show that also featured fellow rapper Flo Rida.

XXL decided to take a trip down memory lane and compiled a list of 13 of the most memorable halftime performances during a sporting contest. Check it out below.

Queen Latifah Performs During Super Bowl XXXII
In 1998, Queen Latifah was one of a slew of performers selected to pay homage to the legacy of Motown Records during the Super Bowl XXXII halftime show. Performing her song “Paper,” which features a sample of the Motown classic “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Latifah made history as the first rapper to hit the stage at the Super Bowl, opening yet another door for hip-hop.

 

Nelly Performs During Super Bowl XXXV
Coming off the heels off his wildly successful debut album Country Grammar, Nelly joined music royalty during the Super Bowl XXXV halftime Show. In the midst of ‘N Sync, Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige joining Aerosmith on stage for a rendition of their hit “Walk This Way,” Nelly came out of nowhere, dropping the opening verse from his own hit single “E.I.” over Steven Tyler’s rollicking guitar riffs.

 

Diddy and Nelly co-starred alongside the likes of Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson, Kid Rock, and Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004. Performing a medley of Bad Boy’s biggest hits, including “Bad Boy for Life,” “Diddy” and “Mo Money Mo Problems,” Diddy was joined by Nelly, who lit the crowd on fire with a quickstrike from his 2002 hit, “Hot in Herre.” It was a historic moment that’s unfortunately been overshadowed by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Nipplegate controversy.

 

The Black Eyed Peas Perform During Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show
“Boom Boom Pow,” “Pump It,” “Let’s Get It Started” and “Where Is The Love?” are just a few of the selections The Black Eyed Peas performed during their headlining performance during the Super Bowl XLV halftime show at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In addition to rockers like Slash, The Black Eyed Peas were also joined by Usher, who popped up to perform his will.i.am collaboration “OMG” before the Peas closed things on a high note with a reprise of their sing-along smash, “I Gotta Feeling.”

 

In 2011, Rihanna performed during the NBA All-Star Game halftime and brought along a few surprise guests to turn up the energy. Drake was the first surprise—he spit his verse from her Rih’s single, “What’s My Name.” The Bajan singer later summoned Kanye West for a performance of “All Of The Lights.”

 

In 2012, Nicki Minaj appeared alongside Madonna and M.I.A. for a rendition of “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” their collaboration from Madonna’s MDNA album, during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.

 

Ludacris and Flo Rida Perform at NCAA Final Four 2013
Atlanta representative Ludacris served as a musical ambassador for his stomping grounds during the NCAA Final Four 2013, which was held at Centennial Olympic Park. Billed alongside a diverse list of acts that included Sting and Dave Matthews Band, Ludacris pulled out all of the stops, turning up with signature cuts like “Pimpin’ All Over the World,” “What’s Your Fantasy” and “Roll Out,” showing the attendees a bit of southern hospitality in a big way.

 

Missy Elliott Performs During Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show
During the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Katy Perry gave the crowd and viewers a pleasant surprise when she brought out Missy Elliott. The rap legend had been relatively quiet on the music front for much of the previous decade, performed a medley of her biggest fan favorites, with songs like “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control.”

 

Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams Perform at 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend
Hip-hop was in full force during the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend, as Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams were tapped to hit the stage and take part in the festivities. Kendrick, who headlined the Saturday night of the All-Star Weekend, performed a medley of hits, including “M.A.A.D. City” and “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” prior to the Sprite Slam Dunk, while Pharrell Williams joined Janelle Monae and Earth, Wind & Fire during All-Star Game player introductions.

 

E-40 Performs During Game 1 of 2015 NBA Finals
In 2015, legendary spitter E-40 put on for The Bay by performing during halftime of the series opening match-up between his hometown squad’s Golden State Warriors and LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Hitting the crowd with bangers like “Tell Me When To Go” and “Choices,” E-40 sprinkled his swagger all over the court, perhaps providing an energy boost that helped Steph Curry’s squad to win the series in six games, giving the team its first NBA title in decades.

 

Desiigner Performs at Rucker Park
Brooklyn rapper Desiigner took his talents Uptown when he performed at Rucker Park in 2016 during the Entertainer’s Basketball Classic. With a standing-room-only crowd flocking to the court, the G.O.O.D. Music signee delivered a charged-up performance of his breakout hit “Panda.”

 

Flo Rida Performs During Game 2 of 2017 NBA Finals
Flo Rida may have made his bones coming out of the Florida rap scene, but the rapper showed Golden State Warriors fans a good time by delving into a set that ran the gamut of his biggest hits during the second game of the 2017 NBA Finals. “My House,” “Good Feeling” and his Sage the Gemini collab “Game Time” were among the tracks that Flo Rida pulled out of his grab bag of hits during his performance, which got everyone from kids to the Warriors cheerleaders involved.

 

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and More Perform During Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show
Dr. Dre spread California love during his headlining set at the 2022 Super Bowl. The hip-hop icon along with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige delivered memorable performances at the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

 

Among the highlights included Eminem kneeling after performing his Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself” in honor of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Of course, we can’t forget K-Dot’s militant performance of “Alright.”

Super Bowl 56 Pepsi Halftime Show, First-person POV inside SoFi Stadium

Read More: Best Hip-Hop Halftime Performances – XXL | https://www.xxlmag.com/best-hip-hop-halftime-performances/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Posted on

EMINEM TEASES NEW MUSIC, ADDRESSES POTENTIAL 50 CENT JOINT ALBUM

EMINEM TEASES NEW MUSIC, ADDRESSES POTENTIAL 50 CENT JOINT ALBUM

Eminem has hinted he has new music in the works and said he is open to making a joint album with 50 Cent.

Source: HipHopDX

Speaking to DJ Whoo Kid on his own radio channel Shade 45, the Detroit rap legend teased new material, saying: “I’m working on a little something.”

Whoo Kid then asked Eminem about a potential collaborative album with 50 Cent, to which the Shady Records boss replied: “I don’t know where that’s come from but it’s crazy.”

Em also revealed he’s been trying to get his “Patiently Waiting” rhyming partner to put together a new album: “I’m trying to get him to make a new album so bad. We need another 50 album like really bad. 50’s on a roll right now. He’s been on a roll since the tour.

“I told him whatever the fuck he needs from me, I’m here. That shit’d be crazy, though — an album with me and him.”

Check out his comments at the 7:14 mark below.

Eminem’s last studio album, Music to Be Murdered By, arrived in January 2020 and was followed by a Side B deluxe edition in December of that year.

He also released the compilation album Curtain Call 2 — the sequel to his 2005 greatest hits record — in 2022, which featured some of his biggest songs from the second half of his career as well as previously unreleased material.

While fans have continued to clamor for new music, Em has largely remained silent on the prospect of another album.

50 Cent, meanwhile, has previously teased that he would be reuniting with Dr. Dre for a new album, which would mark his first since 2014’s Animal Ambition.

Read more at https://hiphopdx.com/news/eminem-new-music-50-cent-joint-album

 

Posted on

Lil Wayne Reacts To Being Ranked 7th Best Rapper Of All Time

Lil Wayne Reacts To Being Ranked 7th Best Rapper Of All Time

Lil Wayne has responded to his placement on Billboard’s controversial “50 Greatest Rappers Of All Time” list, which saw him ranked at No. 7.

Source: HipHopDX

The Young Money mogul recently sat down with Zane Lowe at Apple Music to discuss his highly anticipated album, The Carter 6. Amid talks about the project, its Swizz Beatz-produced single “Kant Nobody” with the late DMX, Tunechi remarked that he is simply not concerned with the ranking as he’s confident that everyone knows he’s really the G.O.A.T.

“Man, who the hell is before me?” Wayne questioned. “Was the list including ALL Hip Hop, like before and after as well? I can deal with that… I will tell you that I am a muthafuckin’ one. Everybody whose names you named, they also know I’m number one. Go ask ’em. They know what it is.”

Ahead of Wayne on the list, in reverse order, were Biggie Smalls, Eminem, 2pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z.

Despite proclaiming himself No. 1, Wayne recently confirmed that, in his book, Hov remains the greatest rapper ever.

“The greatest rapper of all time is Shawn ‘JAY-Z’ Carter,” he declared on a November episode of Marcellus Wiley’s More to It podcast. “When you do this rapping thing, obviously like football, every sport is different. You play hockey, I’m sure they got something that they only know about. Something that they probably can’t explain, but only they know. That thing in rap, that we only know in rap, he has that. He’s the Tom Brady of that.”

Elsewhere in his new interview with Apple Music, Weezy gave a little insight on what fans can expect from the forthcoming C6.

“Everybody already know,” Lil Wayne said. “You already know. Come on – it’s Carter 6. I never even imagined. That didn’t even sound right years ago. I can’t believe we’re at Carter 6. My fans know I give my all. Go listen to my last feature and know it’s gonna be a thousand times better than that.”

While he has yet to set a release date for the LP, Lil Wayne has kicked off his roll out with the release of the DMX-assisted single and a tour announcement.

The 28-city Welcome To Tha Carter tour kicks off on April 4 at The Fillmore in Minneapolis. Wayne will trek through Detroit, Toronto, Houston, New York and other cities before wrapping in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on May 13.

More information and get Tickets at:
https://hiphopdx.com/news/lil-wayne-reacts-7th-best-rapper-all-time

Posted on

The Game Comes For Eminem’s Jugular On ‘The Black Slim Shady’ Diss Track

The Game Comes For Eminem's Jugular On ‘The Black Slim Shady' Diss Track

Source: HipHopDX

The Game has released a scathing Eminem diss track called “The Black Slim Shady”.

Taken from the Compton rapper’s new album, Drillmatic: Heart Vs. The Mind, which is out in the U.S. tomorrow (August 12) but already available in the UK, the over 10-minute tongue lashing begins with a skit centered around an Uber driver who’s been tasked with driving Game to a mysterious location in Detroit, although it’s “somewhere near 8 Mile.”

Game later discovers the driver is the brother of Stan, the fictional die-hard Eminem fan who dies at the end of the Detroit rapper’s 2000 hit “Stan.”

“Hey yo, I really fuck with that Starter cap; that shit hard as fuck,” Game says, to which the driver responds: “Crazy story behind it. My brother Stan, rest in peace, he gave me this hat 22 years ago. It’s my favorite.”

Game asks to see the hat, which he realizes is autographed by Eminem. The driver goes on: “He used to be like this rap god, but that’s when I was little. I don’t really like his new stuff.”

Throughout the song, Game continues to take jabs at nearly everything in Eminem’s life — from his ex-wife Kim Mathers and daughter Hailie to his white skin and addiction struggles.

“Ask Dre, all I got is my word, my dick and my MAC-10,” he spits. “One thing you can never have is my muthafuckin’ Black, skin/ This ain’t no suit that I wore, this ain’t a mansion to hang a plaque, this ain’t no stupid award.”

From there, Game goes into the same cadence as Eminem’s Oscar-winning hit “Lose Yourself” with: “So oh, he goes platinum and oh, I’m on the ‘Math with him/ He got all the Blackest friends, he wants to be African, me/ Left for dead on the Doctor’s Advocate/ Dre never executive produced it, I just imagined it.”

Game later claims Big Sean is the biggest rapper in Detroit and is adamant he’d rather listen to “Snitch9ne” than Slim Shady any day of the week.

For more information:
https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.72496/title.game-eminem-diss-black-slim-shady-drillmatic#

Posted on

Eminem, 50 Cent & Dr. Dre Reunite On ‘Curtain Call 2’ Collab ‘Is This Love (’09)’

Eminem 50 Cent Dr Dre - Curtain Call 2 - Is This Love

Source: HipHopDX

Eminem, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre have reunited on an unearthed song called “Is This Love (’09),” from Slim Shady’s newly-released compilation album Curtain Call 2.

As the title suggests, the track was originally recorded in 2009 — the same year Eminem made his post-Encore comeback with Relapse — and finds the close-knit trio connecting for a playful song about romantic and sexual infatuation.

“Girl, I’m diggin’ your whole MO/Give me a go, you’re throwin’ innuendo/Keep sendin’ me smoke signals/Everything’s movin’, spinning in slow M-O-T-I-O-N,” Em raps over bouncy production from Dr. Dre, Mark Batson and Trevor Lawrence Jr.

50 Cent, meanwhile, channels his inner Slim Shady with a rapid-fire, acronym-riddled verse full of shock value. Judging by at least one lyric, 50 recorded his rhymes much later than ’09.

“I kill a bitch with a potato peeler for the skrilla/I’m finna skin a sinner, dick robbed like Bruce Jenner,” he spits, referencing Caitlyn Jenner’s 2015 gender transition.

“Is This Love (’09)” is one of three new songs on Curtain Call 2 alongside “From the D 2 the LBC” featuring Snoop Dogg and the CeeLo Green-assisted “The King and I,” which also appears on the Elvis soundtrack.

Curtain Call 2‘s primary purpose, though, is serving as a highlight reel of Eminem’s decorated catalog since the release of his first greatest hits album, Curtain Call: The Hits, in 2005.

For more information:
https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.72322/title.eminem-50-cent-dr-dre-is-this-love-09-curtain-call-2

Posted on

New Music Friday – New Albums From Eminem, Jim Jones & Maino, Sean Paul, Jelly & Pi’erre Bourne + More

Source: HipHopDX

HipHopDX – It’s hard to think of anything besides the tragic mass shooting event in Texas just days ago, which left 19 children and two adults dead. That’s precisely why Kanye West pushed back his highly anticipated YEEZY Gap drop and artists such as 21 Savage, Missy Elliott and more have spoken out to condemn school shootings and make desperate pleas for the reform of gun laws.

Despite the dark cloud hanging over our nation, the silver lining is the fact that this week’s edition of HipHopDX’s New Music Friday Albums coverage includes a blend of new and old-school Hip Hop releases, including new material from OG artists such as Eminem and Sean Paul.

Other key releases include fresh material from Westcoast artist Jayson Cash, Millyz, Jelly and Pi’erre Bourne, among others.

Check out the entire batch of albums that dropped on Friday (May 27), below.

Eminem – The Eminem Show (Expanded Edition)
Jim Jones & Maino – The Lobby Boyz
Jelly & Pi’erre Bourne – Wolf Of Peachtree 2
Jayson Cash – Read The Room
Millyz – Blanco 5
Sean Paul – Scorcha

For more information and listen to previews, go here:

https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.70580/title.new-music-friday-new-albums-from-eminem-sean-paul-jelly-pierre-bourne-more#