The Super Bowl half time show was a triumphant celebration of West Coast hip hop, with a band of veteran rappers and performers thrilling 100 million viewers with their classic hits from the early 2000s.
Los Angeles-born Dr Dre opened the show, and was supported by his fellow Angelenos Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar.
The Californian trio were accompanied by Mary J. Blige, Eminem and 50 Cent, who was mentored early in his career by the Detroit rapper.
Dre is responsible for promoting rap stars such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Lamar. Dre also produced Blige’s No. 1 hit song Family Affair.
‘It’s crazy that it took all of this time for us to be recognized,’ Dre said ahead of the show.
‘I think we’re going to do a fantastic job. We’re going to do it so big that they can’t deny us anymore in the future.’
The six have a combined age of 286, making this year’s Super Bowl show one of the ‘oldest’ – and yet also one of the best received.
They also have a combined wealth of $983 million – prior to 50 Cent being declared bankrupt, in 2015.
Eminem, 49; Kendrick Lamar, 34; Dr Dre, 56; Mary J. Blige, 51; 50 Cent, 46; and 50-year-old Snoop Dogg delighted Los Angeles with a celebration of hip hop
Mary J. Blige performed at the Super Bowl on Sunday night
The Bronx-born hip hop and soul superstar wowed in her silver sequined leotard and boots
The six musicians performed in and on a white structure built to look like a series of apartments or clubs – perfect for 50 Cent’s hit In Da Club
Eminem performed his Oscar-winning hit Lose Yourself, which featured in his film 8 Mile
Eminem takes a knee to protest police brutality at the Super Bowl half time show, while his long-time collaborator Dr Dre is on the piano
The 49-year-old was reportedly told by the NFL not to take a knee – but ignored them
Dre, 56, opened the show with his 2000 classic The Next Episode, featuring Snoop Dogg, 50.
New York-born 50 Cent then took over, with the 46-year-old performing a riotous version of his 2003 hit In Da Club.
He handed over to his fellow New Yorker Mary J. Blige, 51, who stunned in her silver sequined leotard and thigh-high boots.
She got the crowd jumping with her 2001 hit Family Affair – produced by Dre – before giving a powerhouse performance of No More Drama.
Compton-born Kendrick Lamar – the youngest of the group at 34 – then took the baton, delivering a rousing rendition of his BLM protest anthem Alright.
Eminem, 49, concluded with his 2002 hit Lose Yourself – a song which spent 12 weeks at the top of the charts, and won the Detroit-born rapper an Oscar for best song, from 8 Mile – the first hip hop song to win the award.
The rapper appeared to take a knee during the performance – something which reportedly he told organizers he wanted to do, in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and his protests against police brutality, but which the NFL told him to avoid.
At least two Rams players, safeties Terrell Burgess and Nick Scott, could be seen kneeling during the national anthem before the game. They had done on previous occasions as well.
50 Cent, born in New York, delivered a swagger-heavy performance of his 2003 hit In Da Club
The 46-year-old threw a party on stage for his hit In Da Club
Dr Dre, 56 – who produced many of the songs performed on Sunday night – is the richest of the six, with a fortune of $458 million
Dre – who produced several of the other rappers’ songs in Sunday’s show, through his Death Row Records label – is the oldest, at 56, and the wealthiest.
He is often described as hip hop’s first billionaire, thanks in part to his Beats headphones, divorce papers filed with L.A. Superior Court on November 18 place his net worth at $458 million, with $182.7 million of that sum in cash, $6.3 million in stocks, and $269.2 million in property and assets, including intellectual property.
He was thought to be worth significantly more – Apple bought his Beats Electronics in 2014 for $3 billion, and his stake was reportedly worth $800 million at the time.
In December, his ex-wife Nicole Young walked away from their 24-year marriage with $100 million.
Eminem is the second wealthiest, with a fortune estimated at $230 million.
Snoop Dogg, who earlier this month announced he had bought Death Row Records from the private equity firm that Dre and his partners sold to, is worth an estimated $150 million.
The comparative newcomer Kendrick Lamar, whose debut album was released in 2011, is believed to be worth $75 million, while Mary J. Blige has a fortune estimated at $20 million.
Former crack dealer 50 Cent infamously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2015, despite reports suggesting he was worth over $100 million.
He was ordered to pay $7 million to a woman whose sex tape he posted online, and was found to have been living an excessively lavish life that burned through his cash.
In 2017, he was cleared from bankruptcy proceedings having paid off the five-year plan early, with $8.7m of his own money and $13.65m he received in a recent settlement of a legal malpractice lawsuit against other attorneys.
He is now believed to be worth $50 million.
Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige during the half-time show
50 Cent stands in his ‘club’, while Mary J. Blige takes the roof with her dancers
Kendrick Lamar, born in Compton, performs his hit Alright
Lamar, 34, is the youngest of the six performers at the half-time show
