Mary joined Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem during the performance.
Mary J. Blige may be from New York, but she was right at home on the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show stage in Los Angeles. On Sunday, the Queen of hip hop soul took the stage in a dazzling white ensemble -- which included her signature knee-high boots -- and delivered a performance of two of her biggest hits.
Blige was joined on stage by dancers who wore matching white and silver ensembles as she opened her set with her 2001 singer "Family Affair." Following the opening sequence, that saw her hitting her signature bop alongside the dancers as she stood in the center of the stage, she went into a dramatic performance of "No More Drama."
The crowd cheered as she stood alone and belted out the hit. Blige ended the set by falling to her knees before laying flat on her back. Following Mary's set, Kendrick Lamar took the stage with steppers, as he performed "Alright."
Blige and Lamar joined Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Eminem, and surprise guest, Anderson .Pakk. The entire group of legendary performers joined Dr. Dre on stage as he wrapped the show with "Still D.R.E."
Ahead of the big show, Dre, Snoop and Mary J. Blige gathered for a press conference, where they promised one of the biggest halftime performances of all time.
"I'm not trying to be egotistical or anything, but who else could do this show here in L.A.?" Dre remarked. "Who else could perform the halftime show, other than these amazing artists that we put together?"
"The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the world, and hip-hop is the biggest form of music in the world," Snoop agreed. "For us to be able to have the opportunity to bring those worlds together? We got the queen of R&B, we got the king of hip-hop, all of his proteges, that's what it's about."
And of course they were asked about surprises, though at the time, Dre insisted, "Yes, but I'm not gonna talk about it."
"There won't be any wardrobe malfunctions, if that's what you're talking about," Snoop chimed in with a laugh.
For all of the artists, putting hip-hop on the Super Bowl stage was an important way to recognize the cultural significance and global power of their music.
"We're gonna go on and do a fantastic show, and we're gonna do it so big that they can't deny us anymore in the future," Dre promised.
Super Bowl LVI airs live on NBC on Sunday, Feb. 13. Additionally, the game will be streaming on Peacock, SlingTV, fuboTV and Hulu Plus. Stay tuned right here to ETonline.com for more exclusive Super Bowl coverage coming your way!
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