No One Is Taking a Knee on Sunday

Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Dr. Dre
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images
Eriq Gardner
February 13, 2022

Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles will showcase the National Football League as a study in contrasts: a rich and powerful organization that’s flying as high as ever, and yet one that is both beset with culture problems and intensely image-conscious. That tension can lead to some questionable calls that some might deem insulting.

Take the halftime performances by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. Historically, Super Bowls have offered artists exposure and marketing opportunities that far outweigh the surprisingly modest paycheck. But the NFL didn’t just get these hip-hop stars to perform for free. In fact, this year it’s costing Dre money, even though he’s got no new album or tour to promote. I’m told that the hip-hop legend and Beats Electronics mogul, who is from Los Angeles, has put up most of the $7 million budget himself and bought an extra SoFi Stadium box for friends to watch. He ostensibly recognizes the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take the stage before the world’s largest audience.

But it hasn’t exactly been an easy ride. In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, Dre has gone back and forth with league officials about the lyrics and content of the songs that he could perform onstage. And it goes beyond curse words. A source close to the artist complained that Dre was being “disgustingly censored.” How? The league apparently didn’t want its premier event to turn into a divisive culture war moment. In particular, I’m told, N.F.L. representatives indicated to Dre during rehearsals that they weren’t comfortable with a lyric from his signature 1999 hit, Still D.R.E., which states that he’s “still not loving police.”