The rather conservative folks who decide the Super Bowl half-time shows have featured hip-hop in the past primarily as a side dish, but the genre will be the main course in 2022.
Five major hip-hop and R&B stars of the past quarter century will be featured in Los Angeles Feb. 13: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Collectively, they have garnered 43 Grammy Awards (though Snoop has no Grammy wins despite numerous nominations.)
The West Coast emphasis makes sense given where the Super Bowl is being held: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. So Georgia hip-hop royalty ― unless a surprise appearance happens ― will not be represented at all this time around. No Migos. No Ludacris. No OutKast. No Gucci Mane.
When the Super Bowl came to Atlanta in 2019, Maroon 5 was the inexplicable lead act, with Big Boi of OutKast making a brief appearance. Reviews were not kind.
Besides the very pop-oriented Black Eyed Peas in 2011 and R&B superstar Beyoncé in 2013, hip-hop acts who have shown up on stage the past two decades have tended to be in supporting roles e.g., Blige (2001), Nelly (2001, 2004), P. Diddy (2004), Usher (2011), Nicki Minaj and LMFAO (2012), Missy Elliott (2015) and Travis Scott and Big Boi (2019). Beyoncé even came on to help out Coldplay in 2016.
Pop, R&B and rock have been the genres of choice for the Super Bowl the past 20 years, including the Who, Tom Petty, U2, Prince, Madonna, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, the Weeknd and Justin Timberlake. The only country act to get top billing in the 2000s was Shania Twain in 2003 with No Doubt.
Acts are not paid to appear, but their appearances are seen by around 100 million Americans each year, providing a boost in free publicity and sales.
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