Hip-hop
is coming to save the world. Expect collateral damage.
Bring popcorn. Thats the message from the Marvel-style
trailer for Super Bowl LVI, in which Eminem, Snoop
Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre assemble
like rap superheroes en route to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood,
Los Angeles.
The
epic CGI-enhanced trailer goes for nearly four minutes.
The half-time show it advertises will be 13 tops,
but online chatter anticipates a landmark event which,
to most of the roughly 100-million viewers, easily
sidelines the football every year. As one YouTube
user surmises, This is gonna be the Avengers
Endgame of Super Bowl halftime shows.
The
prequels have carved quite a legacy. Janet Jackson
never recovered from Nipplegate in 2004 and neither
has America. The moment gave us the now ubiquitous
wardrobe malfunction disclaimer and reminded
us just how selective is the great nations moral
code. Justin Timberlake, her partner in the stunt,
emerged from the fiasco unscathed to headline solo
in 2018.
The
halftime spectacle as we know it began with the inspired
arrival of Janets brother Michael in 1993. After
25 years of marching bands and star-studded cabaret
revues, the extraordinary appearance of the King of
Pop drew a reported 133 million viewers to a fading
TV event.
Three
years on, Diana Ross was airlifted by helicopter from
Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe Arizona as the stunt factor
began to escalate. Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefans
1999 show featured 1,000 performers among the lasers,
balloons and pyro. Aerosmith and NSYNC introduced
the surprise guest card with Britney Spears
and others in 2001.
But
Janets nipple outrage demanded a reset. Shed
been bumped two years earlier, when U2 were deemed
a more sober option after 9/11: an example of how
halftime at the Super Bowl had come to resonate in
sync with Americas pulse. Safely clad, mostly
older white men McCartney, the Stones, Petty,
Springsteen, Prince, The Who ushered the event
back into wholesome heritage territory for the rest
of the decade.
Kendrick
Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr Dre and Mary J Blige
are performing at the Super Bowl halftime show on
Monday. CREDIT: GETTY
Whats
happened since has been more interesting: less rock
and more pop, less male and more coloured, and generally
more aware of its power and responsibility to project
identity and shape conversation in a world of instantaneous
digital saturation.
Madonnas
stunning 2012 comeback appearance was mostly about
Madonna (Forbes calculated her stock rose by US$84
million overnight), but her guests Nikki Minaj, MIA
and CeeLo Green acknowledged which way the mainstream
was blowing. Since then, pop headliners such as Katy
Perry, Coldplay and Maroon 5 have typically leant
on hip-hop and R&B guests Missy Elliott,
Beyonce, Travis Scott to bolster their cred.
Beyonces
headlining slot in 2013 was pointedly political in
the way that, well, she just is. Her Black Lives Matter
subtext was as bold as her dancers Black Panther
berets and the bullet-belts crossing her chest: in
turn a nod to Michael Jacksons Super Bowl get-up
20 years earlier.
Come
2020, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira arrived in a Trojan
horse of razzle-dazzle. Their entourage was a
reminder of the heritage of this country, which is
one of diversity, Shakira announced. Kids in
glowing cages against the star-spangled banner made
a potent statement in that US election year
even if most of the tweeting was about her tongue.
All
of which whets the appetite for an event which, notwithstanding
the Weeknds pandemic-compromised set last year,
has become a reliable bellwether of pop power and
cultural identity. To say the least, a bona fide assembly
of hip-hop giants faded public enemy Eminem,
gangsta godfather Snoop Dogg, rap queen Mary J and
Pulitzer-winning Kendrick Lamar, all curated by mix
master Dre feels like a moment whose time has
come.
Much
anticipation naturally revolves around the set list.
Dre is the common thread and grand master of the long
game (look closely at that trailer again), and any
number of classics he produced Eminems
My Name Is, Mary Js Family Affair, Snoops
Gin and Juice could burn up 12 minutes without
raising sweat. The way the mix is mashed is half the
fun, of course, and with Kendricks fifth album
among the most highly anticipated of the era, the
prospect of new material is equally thrilling.
Right
now, only these things are certain. Content is king.
Compromise is unlikely. Desperate times call for salient
rhymes, the whole world is watching, and hip-hop vengeance
is nigh. Heres hoping someone has Ms Jacksons
number.
Super Bowl LVI kicks off at 10.30am AEDT on Monday.