Dr. Dre Gave Rihanna Important Advice For Creating Her Super Bowl Halftime Show
Dr. Dre and other hip-hop legends shut down the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show, and in 2023, the torch is being passed on to hit-making singer Rihanna. Dre himself is thrilled about Rih headlining the show, and gave the “Pon de Replay” singer some advice ahead of her taking the stage at Super Bowl LVII.
Dr. Dre performed at the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show along with Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar
After the NFL faced backlash in the late 2010s for its perceived blackballing of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, artists including Rihanna and Cardi B publicly stated they wouldn’t perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. In 2019, Jay-Z’s record label and entertainment agency Roc Nation took over production of the Super Bowl halftime show, and has brought on some incredible performers for some unforgettable shows in the years since, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and The Weeknd.
The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show was an ode to hip-hop, as five hip-hop legends — Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem — came together for the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in Inglewood, California.
Dr. Dre gave Rihanna advice for performing at the Super Bowl halftime show
After Rihanna was announced as the Suer Bowl halftime show performer in September 2022, Dr. Dre expressed his excitement in an interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1.
“I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do,” the longtime rapper and producer said. “I just like her and what she does and her get down and how she approaches her artistry and the whole nine. It’s fantastic.”
“She has the opportunity to really blow us away,” he said, adding, “I know we set the bar extremely high.”
He also imparted some wisdom on Rihanna as she prepares her show months in advance. “Put the right people around you and have fun. That’s basically what it is — making sure you have the right creative people around you,” he said. “She might want to look into some of the people that we used to do our show.”
Dr. Dre was nervous for his halftime show
Even though Dr. Dre comes off as a tough rapper without stage fright, he admitted to Ebro that the Super Bowl was possibly the first time before a performance that he was stricken by nerves.
“It made me extremely nervous. I don’t know if I’ve ever been that nervous before. Not only that, I don’t know if I’ve ever looked more forward to a Monday morning. So it’s the preparation and making sure you have the right people around you,” he said. “All of these people came through for me, and everybody was extremely enthusiastic about the show. We had a good time, although it’s a lot of things and a lot of people you have to depend on. You’re talking about at least 3,000 people that you have to depend on to get this show right for 13 minutes. So it is an extreme amount of pressure, but it’s fun at the same time.”
“When it’s done, it’s like goosebumps, bro,” he continued. “I got goosebumps, especially from the reaction that we got from the show, and especially being able to do the show with all of my friends.”
