Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: NFL, Super Bowl, Eminem, Dr Dre
Poppy Bilderbeck
Dr Dre has responded to reports that the NFL didn't want Eminem to take the knee during their Super Bowl halftime performance.
On Sunday, February 13, the 'rap supergroup' took to the stage in what has since been dubbed the 'greatest Super Bowl halftime show ever'.
Making up the group were none other than rap legends Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Anderson .Paak, Eminem and Dr Dre.
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However, controversy ensued after it was alleged that the NFL had prohibited Eminem from taking the knee, which he did after his performance of Lose Yourself. NFL bosses have since denied the claims, and Dr Dre has now responded to the issues.
In his performance of Lose Yourself, Eminem was joined by Anderson .Paak on the drums and Dr Dre.
However, Eminem's decision to take the knee onstage not only set off the right wing, but had reportedly been banned by the NFL, who according to Puck, had also 'flagged something that Snoop Dogg was set to wear as possibly appearing gang-related'.
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The act of taking the knee represents taking a stand against police brutality and racism. It was first popularised in 2016, when Colin Kaepernick and his teammate Eric Reid took the knee during an NFL preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers.
Reporter Mike Freeman took to Twitter to clarify that NFL bosses had not warned the rapper against doing anything of the sort, with a spokesperson named Brian McCarthy having stated that the reports were 'false' and that 'the NFL watched every rehearsal this week and that element was included'.
In an interview with TMZ, Dr Dre has since confirmed that the NFL had no issues with his fellow rapper taking the knee, and that only 'minor changes' were made to the performance during rehearsals. Dre said a specific reference about Los Angeles gangs made by Kendrick Lamar was altered, but noted that it was 'no big deal'.
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'All in all, everybody came in, we were professional. Everybody was on time and really felt the magnitude of what this thing [their performance] was, and what we were going to be able to accomplish,' he concluded.
Dre went on to reveal the 'rap supergroup' then went out to dinner to celebrate the success of the performance before continuing the afterparty at his house.
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