Since the 1990s, the Pepsi Super Bowl has been associated with top-caliber music entertainment, getting some of the biggest names in the industry from Katy Perry, The Weeknd, J-Lo, and Shakira down to Lady Gaga. Fast-forward to 2022, where they pulled out all the stops to deliver a nostalgic, epic, and heart-stopping performance. This year definitely brought the old-school hip-hop vibe and brilliantly combined this with top-caliber production, song choices, and choreography. And here are some of our highlights from the show this year’s 2022 Super Bowl Half Time Show.
1. Amazing Production
First of all, we have to laud the production of the whole thing. Despite the limitations that the pandemic may have brought, they were still able to pull off a grand-scale production led by Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar (with a special appearance by Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent). This made us wonder how much grander it would have been in a pandemic-free world. On a more specific note, the song choices, the choreography, and the performers were solid. It beautifully captured hip-hop culture and immortalized it on global television. The production level, however, continued what other half-time shows have done in the past which wasn’t a new sight, to begin with in terms of grandeur but the atmosphere was definitely different due to the solid list of performers.
Reunion of Legends
You may be a fan of hip hop, or maybe you prefer listening to other genres, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the 2022 Super Bowl Half Time Show was graced by music royalty. Seeing musicians, or any type of artist in his or her element is amazing, proved to be one of those experiences that set this performance far and beyond any that we have seen in more recent times. Seeing them onstage together transported us to old school jamming or hang-out sessions, just embracing the moment with people around us and taking it all in. And of course, witnessing—even if it was through our TV screens—was pretty exhilarating because it was truly a celebration of a multi-generational set of artists who shared the love for music—specifically, hip hop. It was as if we were witnessing the evolution and glory of rap and hip hop at its finest.
The Classics Never Get Old
Back in 2001, Family Affair reached the top spot of Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks, and we can see why. Perhaps we’re being biased as a big part of our youth happened in the 00s, but that doesn’t take away the flavor of the song, combining a groovy melody with catchy hip hop beats. It is a type of song that will make you feel like dancing practically any time of the day. During the 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl Half-time Show, Blige was her usual class act with an excellent command of the audience to boot. One word: LEGEND. But of course seeing artists such as Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar perform some of their hit songs was truly epic from Lose Yourself to In Da Club and down to The Next Episode, this year’s show is proof that nothing beats the classics especially when they are truly amazing hits.
Curious to know what its original music video looked like? Watch it here.
This barely scratches the surface of things we can talk about on the 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl Half-Time Show. Who would you want to see for next year’s half-time show?
