The highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show went down yesterday (Feb. 13). For the first time in NFL history, hip hop dominated the stage.
Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem hit the stage. 50 Cent pulled up as a surprise guest.
One of the notable moments during the show was when Eminem took a knee. After the rapper performed his 2002 hit “Lose Yourself, “the kneeling took place.” It’s not clear why he took one. It’s possible it could have been to honor Colin Kaepernick or Tupac. Rumors swirled that the NFL reportedly told Em not to kneel, but it’s not confirmed if they did or not.
Kneeling became a topic of controversy when Colin took a knee in 2016 to protest racial injustice. Since then, Kaepernick hasn’t been back on the NFL field, even though they claim they encouraged teams to look at Kaepernick.
Since then, some athletes from sports have knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin and his message. CNN points out Eminem has a history of supporting Kaepernick. In 2017, during the BET Hip Hop Awards, he performed an explosive 4.5-minute freestyle rap, calling out former President Donald Trump and embracing Kaepernick.
Eminem also included Kaepernick in the lyrics of his 2017 song “Untouchable.” Em rapped, “Somebody has to be the sacrificial lamb … So they call it a Kaepernick tantrum …If you don’t stand for the national anthem … We raise it, you better praise it.”
Take a look at social media reactions:
https://twitter.com/the_indoni/status/1493075987390681091?s=21
🏈 Eminem ended his hit 'Lose Yourself' by kneeling and placing his head in his hand, a gesture that former quarterback Colin Kaepernick made during the National Anthem at NFL games as a call for racial justice https://t.co/hFKbGbg2l6 #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/euHjN5Qibc
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 14, 2022
Eminem’s homage to the Colin Kaepernick kneel is respected because Black Lives Still Matter! pic.twitter.com/k7HwhO7fer
— 🕊️💞Dannie D💞🕊️ (@DannieD01) February 14, 2022
I think he was paying respect to Tupac because Dre was playing "I ain't mad at ya" when Em knelt down. But ke, social media ke masepa fela
— o b a k e n g . (@obie_offishal) February 14, 2022
NFL to Eminem: "DO. NOT. KNEEL."
Eminem: "This opportunity comes once in a lifetime."🧎🏻 https://t.co/6tanEIvwBR
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) February 14, 2022