The Super Bowl is always a huge event in the sports world, with the two best teams in the NFL meeting together to battle for the ultimate prize, the Super Bowl trophy. This year, the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams prepared to put on a show for sports fans. But the ultimate show for some of the Americans tuning in was not the game itself but the halftime performance.

This year is the first year that hip-hop and rap artists have headlined the show. The lineup included 90’s icons Dr. Dre and Mary J Blige as well as Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg. The performance has been anticipated by viewers of all ages, appealing to older generations with the 90’s stars and younger ones with the inclusion of Lamar.  Millennials watching this year’s game may have been looking forward to familiar faces like Eminem and Snoop Dogg as opposed to last year’s performance, The Weeknd, who tends to be more popular among younger crowds. 

So was the halftime show worth the watch? Did it deserve the excitement surrounding it? To put it simply, yes. 

The show centered around a house setup, with a scheme of white colors and lights. Surrounding the house setup was something that seemed to be an aerial view of city streets, potentially inspired by the game’s location of Los Angeles, with background dancers all over the field. The coordination of the entire scene was a show itself before it even started. But then Dr. Dre began the show by rising to the top of the house, cuing the music for “Next Episode,” his hit song featuring Snoop Dogg, released in 1999. This is where the show began.

It was a very good start to the show, and definitely engaged the viewers.  It brought the audience into the act right from the start, and used arguably the most popular songs known by the performers to draw everyone in. 

50 Cent also made a surprise appearance, performing “In Da Club” and taking the internet by storm. Millions of people loved 50 Cent’s part, taking to the Twitter to express their enjoyment. 

Mary J. Blige then took center stage. She sang her biggest hit, “Family Affair,” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001. Her costume was a shiny, sparkly, one-piece unitard with high, animal print boots. She definitely was not the highlight of the show. There was nothing that made this part of the show stand out, other than her costume. The dancing was very random, and not entertaining.

Kendrick Lamar was our next star, as he began his performance surrounded by men standing in boxes labeled “Dre Day.” His background dancers were a highlight due to their synchronization, and the illusion of them dancing around the streets from the aerial view was unique.

He performed one of his popular songs, “Alright,” released in 2015. While his performance was interesting and entertaining, it was disappointing that he did not perform either of his arguably more famous songs,“Humble” and “DNA.” 

As expected, Eminem was the best part of the whole show. He performed the electric version of “Lose Yourself,” his most famous song featured in the movie 8 Mile. The crowd roared and sang along as he performed. 

The audience involvement and focus on just Eminem throughout the duration of his part created a performance like none other.

The show ended on a pretty underwhelming note, however, because it only showed Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mary J Blige. It could have been better if it would have included Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar as well, given that they all headlined the show together. It was a good ending, but they could have made it better with all of their musical talents. 

After the show, memes and opinions about the show circulated on social media. #HalfTimeShow trended at #2 on Twitter, followed by #SuperBowl, on Feb. 13, as fans shared their likes and dislikes about the show. Some Twitter users were saying that this performance was one of the best of all time. 

This performance will go down in history as one of the greatest yet. The nostalgia and excitement for both older and younger viewers mixed with an intricate, unique performance created one of the best Super Bowl shows I’ve ever seen.