On Sunday (September 25), Dr. Dre discussed with Apple Music's Ebro Darden his previous Super Bowl Halftime Show journey, just after the NFL revealed Rihanna as the 2023 headliner.
Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige all made cameos in the spectacular West Coast-themed performance, which was the most Hip Hop-centric performance in NFL history. Despite his stern appearance onstage and decades of crowd-rocking experience, Dre said he was everything but calm.
“It made me extremely nervous,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been that nervous before. Not only that, I don’t know if I’ve ever looked forward to a Monday morning. So it’s the preparation and making sure you have the right people around you. All of these people came through for me, and everybody was extremely enthusiastic about the show. We had a good time, although it’s a lot of things and a lot of people you have to depend on".
“You’re talking about at least 3,000 people that you have to depend on to get this show right for 13 minutes. So it is an extreme amount of pressure, but it’s fun at the same time. When it’s done, it’s like goosebumps, bro. I got goosebumps, especially from the reaction that we got from the show, and especially being able to do the show with all of my friends.”
Dr. Dre also shared some sage advice for Rihanna ahead of the Big Game, which is set for February 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
“Put the right people around you, and have fun,” he said. That’s basically what it is, making sure you have the right creative people around you. She might want to look into some of the people that we used to do our show.”
Dr. Dre is certain she'll deliver outstanding performance, even though he knows the Super Bowl LVI Pepsi Halftime Show will be a difficult act to follow.
“Oh, my God,” he said. “Let me tell you something, man. I actually just got the news that Rihanna’s going to do it, and I’m a super fan of
Rihanna. I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do. I just like her and what she does, and her get down, and how she approaches her artistry and the whole nine. It’s fantastic. She has the opportunity to really blow us away. I know we set the bar extremely high.”