According to reports, as the NFL and the 1990s rappers planned the Super Bowl halftime show, the league only asked for “minor changes.” However, anti-cop lyrics in one of Dr. Dre’s songs were either ignored or not on the list.
According to Dr. Dre, Eminem’s taking a knee was NFL sanctioned, but the league had a gang reference removed from Kendrick Lamar’s song. In contrast, the anti-cop lyrics” ‘Still f***ing with the beats, a part of Dr. Dre’s song Still D.R.E., was audible in the stadium.
The incident during the Pepsi halftime show at Super Bowl LVI that raised eyebrows the most, of course, was the time rapper Eminem took a knee after his rendition of Lose Yourself.
Breitbart Sports reported yesterday that the NFL was fully aware that the rapper intended to take a knee, and now Dr. Dre has backed that reporting up.
Dre told TMZ that Eminem planned to take a knee the whole time, and the NFL never objected. It is still unclear why Marshall Mathers took a knee, though. Some have reported he did it to recognize national anthem protester and ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick. But others said he took a knee in homage to rap legend Tupac Shakur because one of Tupac’s songs was being pounded out on the piano at that moment.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Eminem performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Regardless, Dre insists that the NFL only asked for “minor changes” to the program as the rappers envisioned it. “There were a few things that we had to change, but they were really minor things,” the 56-year-old rapper told TMZ.
As Dre relates it, the league’s only real concern was in asking Kendrick Lamar to remove the gang references from his song.
Consequently, the anti-cop lyrics in Still D.R.E. were either not mentioned at all by the NFL or ignored by Dr. Dre. The song released in 1999 features a line saying, “Still not loving police.”
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“All in all, everybody came in, we were professional, everybody was on time, everybody really felt the magnitude of what that thing was and what we were going to be able to accomplish,” Dre added. “It was a fantastic experience.”
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