Mary J. Blige said Friday on ABC’s “The View” that this year’s Super Bowl halftime show made black people the “epicenter” of the night.
Co-host Sunny Hostin said, “I dance to you basically every morning. But this performance was so important for so many reasons. My generation grew up with this music. I mean, I was sweating in my living room dancing to you. It was also a significant cultural moment because, as we have discussed on this show many times, the NFL and I think has a significant problem with race. But the halftime show for many people was a showcase of hip-hop, rap, black artistry. Eminem took a knee. What did it feel like to play such a huge role in that moment?”
Blige said, “It was one of the most important roles and accomplishments in my career. We have come so far. Hip-hop has come so far. African — you know — black people have come so far. To have us the epicenter, the front line of such a huge, huge moment. Words can’t express how grateful I am to Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine for calling me to be a part of that … Because if I didn’t get a call from them, I wouldn’t have been there. So it was extremely important to all our careers, I believe.”
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