It’s been a crazy year in Hip Hop. From iconic performances, random arguments to unexpected deaths, here are some moments that left the internet in disarray in 2022.
Super Bowl LVI halftime performance
On Feb. 13, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak performed at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. This was the first ever Super Bowl halftime show to be centered entirely around hip hop music. It was also the first Super Bowl halftime show to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). The performance also won Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special and Outstanding Music Direction at the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Lil Durk shoves fan during show for allegedly disrespecting King Von
On June 26, Lil Durk performed at De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In a viral video, the Chicago rapper was turning up to King Von’s 2019 hit “Crazy Story” when he suddenly told the DJ to cut the music and points out to someone in the crowd. Lil Durk walked to the front of the stage and had a heated conversation with the young man. He then ended the chat by shoving the man. “Aye, look. I don’t give a fuck where I’m at, nobody disrespecting Von in this bitch. You know how the fuck we rocking,” Lil Durk said to the crowd afterward.
PnB Rock was shot and killed in Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles
On Sept. 12, PnB Rock was gunned down while dining at a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles with his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang in Los Angeles, California. A teenage boy and his father were both charged with one count of murder, two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. The father’s wife was charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to the killing.
Brandy vs. Jack Harlow
During an interview on “Ebro in the Morning,” Jack Harlow said that he didn’t know that Brandy was Ray J’s sister. Fans immediately went off on the rapper and continued to tag Brandy in clips of his statement. “I will murk this dude in rap at 43 on his own beats and then sing [his] a** to sleep,” the R&B singer tweeted in response. She then fired back with a freestyle rap over his No. 1 single “First Class.” The “feud” ended on a positive note as Harlow shocked fans by bringing Brandy on stage to perform with him during his set at the 2022 BET Awards.
Cardi B vs. JT
Their beef commenced when JT gave GloRilla a shout out for her single “Tomorrow 2” debuting at number nine on the Billboard charts. Fans noticed that she didn’t mention Cardi B as well since she is featured on the song. “NAH actually the tweet was too long!” JT wrote when she was called out by a Twitter user. “PLUS Cardi been having top 10s. I been congratulating her for years, this is [GLO’s] first one. I’ve been ignoring y’all but y’all are hella annoying, move [around] [and] get off my D**K. Thank YOU!” she continued. In response, the “Up” hitmaker tweeted, “Lapdog.” From there the name calling continued, including claims that JT doesn’t write her own songs, and that Cardi B was needed on City Girls’ song “Twerk” in order to pull views.
Takeoff was shot and killed in Houston, Texas
On Nov. 1, Takeoff was fatally shot at a private event in a bowling alley called 810 Billiards & Bowling Houston. According to law enforcement, the rapper was killed following an altercation during a dice game. Takeoff was not involved in the argument, as he was just a bystander. This was a death that shocked the Migos member’s fans and music industry.