The Beauty and the Beasts at the Super Bowl 2022 Halftime Show

Have you heard about the halftime show at the 2022 Super bowl? There’s been lots of buzz about how Dr. Dre brought the party with a team of Beauties and Beasts. The popstar led a rousing homage to his home city of Los Angeles during the Super Bowl 2022 halftime show–and he did it alongside some of music’s brightest stars

The halftime show also featured support from fellow L.A. natives and West Coast rap icons, like Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. Also featuring legendary performances from actor and R&B superstar Mary J. Blige and rapper Eminem, this was the highest-wattage Super Bowl show in years.  I haven’t been this excited to watch the halftime show since Beyonce with Destiny’s Child and Beyonce with Bruno Mars.  These performances stand in the top right behind Michael Jackson and Prince’s legendary halftime performance.

This feat is especially remarkable for a show that has battled in recent years to reach the viewership figures it boasted in decades past. The array of superstars also featured 50 Cent and Anderson Paak. While 50 Cent rendered his 2003 hit “In Da Club,” Anderson Paak played the drums as Eminem broke into his Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself.” The latter stands out as a centerpiece of the entire show.

Meanwhile, for a few different reasons, this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show left us all talking about a couple of breathtaking moments. While all of the performers left us with goosebumps, we were still captivated by the Beauty and the Beasts on display. In all honesty, the Roc Nation team delivered nothing short of a masterpiece this year.

The Beasts Graced the Central LA-Themed Halftime Show

The halftime show featured icons like LeBron James, soccer star Alex Morgan, Jennifer Lopez, and Ben Affleck, and it opened with Dre behind the boards. Afterward, Snoop began rapping the hook of the 2001 single “The Next Episode.” 

The Central LA Theme

Dressed in jeweled sunglasses and a blue bandana-pattern tracksuit, Snoop stormed a stage built to appear like a townhouse. Shortly after, a team of dancers joined Dre and Snoop to perform Dre’s 1995 song with the late Tupac and Roger Troutman, “California Love.” 

Viewers saw a series of five soundstages modeled to look like houses in central L.A. and surrounded by satellite imagery of the city. Overall, the show made clear connections to the California culture of the early 1990s, including low-rider cars, beautifully slung khaki pants, and a bit of synchronized crip-walking guided by Snoop Dogg. 

The Sublime and Iconic Mary J. Blige

Then, it was time for Mary J. Blige to sing her 2001 hit “Family Affair.” She appeared in a leopard-print look designed by Dundas, with her backup dancers dressed in silver glitter unitards. After this, she dived into “No More Drama,” another hit from this same album. She rendered all these hits in a mix interpolating the piano line from Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels.” 

The Rest of the Beasts

Encompassed by blond-haired dancers with sashes that say “Dre Day,” Lamar lunged out of a set of cardboard boxes and began with his hit single “Humble” before switching to his civil rights-themed funk anthem “Alright.” 

Kendrick Lamar then began to sing Eminem’s hook from 2000’s “Forgot About Dre,” shortly before one corner of the soundstage went down. Emerging from ruins was the long-awaited sight of Eminem taking over his hook from the song, proceeding on to “Lose Yourself” with Anderson Paak in his band and on the drums. 

Then, after flashing off the opening notes to “I Ain’t Mad at Ya,” another tribute to Tupac, Dr. Dre began to play the famous opening strains of 2001’s “Still D.R.E.” before Snoop jumped in to render his verse in the song. At the end of the show, all the performers came together on the roof of the soundstage, encircled by tons of costumed dancers.

It was nothing short of spectacular, breathtaking, enthralling, and surprise-filled! But, that’s not all! 

Mary J. Blige Brings “The Beauty” to the Super Bowl Halftime Show

We can never forget how Mary J. Blige dazzled almost 100 million viewers at the Super Bowl halftime show. As she took the stage, together with fellow hip-hop heavyweights, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar, the crowd went berserk. 

The nine-time Grammy winner delivered her famous and celebrated hit “Family Affair.” while making a fashion statement in a one-of-a-kind silver bodysuit and thigh-high boots combination by Peter Dundas. Plus, in her true form, she served up a show-stopping hair look, perfect for the history-making event. Mary J. Blige truly knows how to bring style to any stage!

According to her hairstylist Tym Wallace, “Mary is the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, so I wanted to let that show in her hair.” Tym Wallace drew up her torrent of “Rapunzel”-like waves using hair extensions from Upgrade Boutique, creating the perfect big sight for the big night. Wallace says, “It’s ghetto fabulous.” 

However, if it were up to Wallace, the hairstyle probably would seem even longer. As Wallace and Blige talked about their vision for the night, her only demand was that her hair wouldn’t be too long, as she wanted to move freely and comfortably around the stage. “We reached a compromise. I’d originally requested 50 inches, and we settled at 40 inches,” says Wallace.

It wasn’t only Blige’s length and texture that got adjusted for the event–she also modified her platinum blonde hair. Wallace explains, “I darkened the roots up and ended the shadow a little lower than usual because the hair is so long. It’s super edgy, but still so beautiful.”

Putting in the Work

Wallace’s goal was to get just the perfect amount of texture and volume for the waves. So, he used two different irons. The first was a 1 ½-inch marcel iron before using a 1 ½-inch flat iron to help build switching waves. Then, the other broke them up with the help of his fingertips and his go-to wide-tooth comb. 

He explains, “It makes it really piece-y, gives the hair more volume, and adds a lot of movement. I also use it to backcomb, to tease the hair without it going too big.” Also, to bring out the texture and amplify the volume, Wallace misted the hair using Tresemmé One Step Texture 5-in-1 Texturizing Mist and Volume Spray.

He then set everything into place with just the exact amount of Extra Hold Hair Spray. He says, “I want the hair to keep all of its movement, so I didn’t use too much product.” For Wallace, it felt surreal to be a part of this iconic moment. In his words, “I never would have foreseen being a part of the Super Bowl. You imagine the Grammys, red carpets, editorials, covers….You aspire to have those opportunities, but the Super Bowl is something else…my adrenaline is finally kicking in and I just can’t believe it,” he continues. “I’m doing the Super Bowl! It’s a really, really joyous moment for me right now.”

Fun Fact: Wallace met Mary J. Blige for the first time thanks to Taraji P. Henson, who introduced both four years ago in his hometown of Chicago. Later on, he further connected to the music icon through stylist Law Roach.

Along with the hype and thrills, Wallace experienced pure joy. The significance of seeing Blige and her peers on the world’s biggest stage truly has profoundly impacted Wallace. “It’s a historical performance we haven’t seen and it’s happening during Black History Month. It’s an amazing moment for the culture,” says Wallace.

Reaching New Heights with the NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show

It’s significant that this is the first Los Angeles-based Super Bowl in the 21st century. Therefore, it was only right that the entertainment honored the city, which has deeply impacted hip-hop music and pop culture as well. Seems like redemption has finally arrived. 

In addition, there were 52 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles performed live at the halftime show this year. That is one phenomenal show of star power, and it doesn’t seem possible without the contribution of an icon like Jay-Z and his company Roc Nation. That’s right: this year’s show is the brainwork of Jay-Z and his Roc Nation crew. 

Snoop Dogg explained in a pre-show press conference last week affirming the rarity of the occasion: “We’ve got the queen of R&B, we’ve got the king of hip-hop, we’ve got all of his protégés in the place. This is what it’s about. This is what hip-hop and the NFL are supposed to be about: about representing, about change, about moving forward,” he explained.

The Banes 

Nevertheless, even Jay-Z couldn’t iron out every wrinkle in dealing with the risk-averse NFL. Over the last couple of years, they’ve been working overtime to avoid controversy since the infamous wardrobe malfunction during Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s performance in 2004. 

Following a report in Puck, NFL representatives had some unpleasant impact on the planning. There were reports of the NFL micromanaging the event, and a source close to Dre expressed how much he felt “disgustingly censored.” The NFL opposed a line in “Still D.R.E” where he says that he is “still not loving police.” Additionally, Eminem got instructions not to do a Kaepernick-style kneel on stage, and one of Snoop’s scheduled outfits got flagged as being “gang-related.”

However, it seems the NFL got overruled, as Eminem did some mixture of a kneel and a Tebowing-style motion. Snoop wore his blue bandana to perform on stage, and Dre delivered the line from “Still D.R.E” with intensity. 

It seems this may be due to the freedom the performers settled for from the beginning. Typically, halftime show performers do not get paid, and in January, TMZ noted that Dre had in fact used up his own money in the process of producing the show.

Delivering Nostalgia in Grand Style

With some of the biggest hits from the late 1990s and early 2000s on display to viewers’ delight, you missed something huge if you weren’t watching. This year’s event was one of the first halftime shows that appealed to audience’s nostalgia for our childhoods and teen years. With Dre, Blige, Snoop, and Eminem all being elder statesmen of pop music, you cannot deny that the array of acts was more retrospective than forward-looking. 

Likewise, Lamar, who was the youngest artist on the line-up, is a decade away from the album that embodied his outstanding breakthrough, and almost five years have gone by since his most current full-length project.

NFL and Roc Nation is a Resounding Success

The journey to this year’s halftime show began in August 2019, when the NFL declared openly that there is a partnership with Roc Nation. For the very few that do not know Roc Nation, it is the entertainment company Jay-Z created to continue where his former record label Roc-A-Fella stopped in 2008. 

As we learned, the agreement implied that Roc Nation would take charge of the league’s different musical shows during the year, including the halftime show.

With Jennifer Lopez and Shakira co-headlining the event, the first show of the Roc Nation era happened in 2020. This concert lauded the Latin heritage of the co-headliners and got astonishingly political, making overt references to immigration reform. There was also a children’s choir cover of “Born in the USA.” 

On the flip side, the 2021’s COVID-era show, which featured ‘The Weeknd’ as the sole performer, had a toned-down vibe, though the restrictions on the night’s staging suggested that he and scores of dancers had the liberty to use the entire field for one number.

As the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show indicates, the Roc Nation partnership has helped the NFL stay away from some of its horrible snags and avoid repeats of errors from the previous era. Now, we have witnessed possibly the biggest spectacle the halftime show has put on in years. Based on the reported failed attempt at control by the NFL, we might not expect to see something like it again. 

Electrifying on the Outside

Riveting, breathtaking, fascinating, and a total blast; this year’s Superbowl halftime show certainly kept us all at the edge of our seats. It wasn’t only a night of thrills and chills at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California. The feeling outside here was just as exhilarating! We all couldn’t get enough of the show as we watched it from home! 

Personally, it was quite an experience for me and my family. I enjoyed the show with my fiance, sister, nephew, and family friend. My 7-year-old daughter and I put the recliner up as I was rocking my 6-day old baby boy. It got so energetic and captivating that I had to put down the recliner, and my daughter noticed and asked me why I had put it down. I needed to bounce and seat dance with my newborn son in my hands, and who could blame me for wanting to do that? The nostalgic feeling was too strong. 

I wasn’t alone. Tweets kept rolling in from Twitter with viewers like myself that enjoyed every bit of the show. Here are just a few:

LeBron James and Young LeBron were in Complete Awe

The Nostalgia was Super Real!

We Loved to See Eminem Defy the Rules as Always

Kendrick Lamar was Fire

Could this be the Moon Landing?

A Stage of Stars

Conclusion

Whether you were in the stadium or watching from home like my family and I did, we can agree on one thing. The Super Bowl halftime show 2022 was electrifying, lovely, and nostalgic, and it brought the beauty and the beasts. It lacked nothing!