In the midst of what was one of the closest-fought and most riveting Super Bowls of all time came a Halftime Show performance for the ages, bringing together some of the finest legends of hip-hop the world has ever seen and giving them the spotlight for 12 minutes of nostalgic epicness.
Dr. Dre brought together royalty from the genre including Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar, with 50 Cent also making a surprise appearance, hanging upside down from the ceiling as he gave a rendition of his classic hit In Da Club.
The setlist was packed with feel-good throwbacks that scored highly with the millions watching, including The Next Episode and California Love by Dre and Snoop, Family Affair and No More Drama by Mary J. Blige, m.A.A.d City and Alright by Kendrick Lamar and, Lose Yourself by Eminem.
Taking the knee after his performance, Eminem got tongues wagging; was he doing so in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and Colin Kaepernick or, was it a simple nod to the hip-hop legend Tupac, who was assassinated back in 1996? Perhaps, a combination of both...
Whatever your political alignment however, the entire show is hard to downplay. It is undoubtedly one that will go down in history, welcoming a majority of Black performers to the stage and celebrating a genre that often goes without enough credit.
The only problem? We could've done with another 30 minutes.
RELATED: Vanessa Bryant pays tribute to late husband Kobe in Super Bowl commercial