Rapper Eminem, 49, took the knee and held his head in his hands at the end of his hit, Lose Yourself, as he headlined the Super Bowl halftime show. Eminem knelt for the best part of one minute as Dr Dre played an excerpt of Tupak’s hit, I Ain’t Mad At Cha, on the piano.
Eminem had reportedly mentioned the idea of kneeling ahead of his performance and rumours swirled that he was asked to avoid doing so by the NFL.
The star’s gesture comes as NFL rules still state that “all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem” with players that refuse to stand being asked to “stay in the locker room until after the anthem has been performed”.
Following Sunday’s game, the NFL confirmed that it was aware Eminem was going to make the gesture, whilst denying they told him not to.
In a statement, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said: “We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that.”
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Eminem’s gesture was an apparent tribute to former quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The American footballer took the knee during the national anthem six years ago to protest police brutality. Following Kaepernick’s gesture, other players started following suit.
Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since that season and the league faced widespread controversy, as it was alleged he was not signed due to his political statements.
In the wake of protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020, the league admitted they were in the wrong in their handling of the situation.
Jakki added: “When it comes to the halftime show, I tip my hat to the performers. Outstanding job… and when it comes to Eminem taking a knee, whether for Colin or Tupac, in my book it was in remembrance of a life lost too soon.”
Maverick echoed: “Eminem is the [greatest of all time].”
And user @duty2warn wrote: “Eminem wins Super Bowl. [Most valued player] for taking the knee #I’mWithKap.”
Joining Eminem on stage included Hip Hop legends Dr Dre, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak.
Dr Dre said in a press conference ahead of the performance: “This should have happened a long time ago.
“Hip-hop is the biggest genre of music on the planet right now, so it’s crazy that it took all of this time for us to be recognized.
“I think we’re going to do a fantastic job. We’re going to do it so big that they can’t deny us anymore in the future.”
The stars performed a range of hits including Eminem’s Lose Yourself and Forget About Dre.
Mary J Blige also took to the stage with 90s classics Family Affair and No More Drama.