Super Bowl VII is getting some "California Love."
On Thursday, the NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced that Southern California natives Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar will headline the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show next year on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. This marks the first time since 1993 that the Super Bowl returns to the Los Angeles area.
Eminem and Mary J. Blige, the sole female headliner, round out the halftime performers.
"The opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show, and to do it in my own backyard, will be one of the biggest thrills of my career," Dr. Dre, who grew up in Compton, said in a statement. It will be an "unforgettable cultural moment," Dre added.
On Twitter, the "Forgot About Dre" rapper shared he was "extremely excited to share the stage with my friends for the #PepsiHaltime Show."
"This will introduce the next saga of my career… Bigger and Better than Ever!!!" he added.
Dre emerged from the West Coast gangster rap scene alongside Eazy-E and Ice Cube to help form the group N.W.A., which made a major mark in the hip-hop culture and music industry with controversial lyrics in the late 1980s. Dre is responsible for bringing forth rap stars such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Lamar. Dre also produced Blige's No. 1 hit song “Family Affair.”
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Eminem also shared the news, tweeting "Dre day in February? I’m there!" Snoop Dogg shared on Instagram, "Lets go! Super Bowl LVI. Inglewood."
Roc Nation founder Jay-Z said in a statement that their show will be "history in the making."
"Artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were at the forefront of the West Coast hip-hop revolution, so to be able to bring them back to LA, where it all began alongside Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will prove to be an epic, unforgettable celebration of the impact hip-hop has today," Todd Kaplan, VP of Pepsi's Marketing said in a statement.
The five iconic artists have a combined 44 Grammys (Eminem has the most with 15) and don't regularly tour, offering fans a rare chance to see them perform live.
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Five headliners is also a departure from the usual halftime shows, which normally feature one or two acts that bring out special guests.
One of the most recent times the NFL announced this many performers was the infamous Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004, where six artists shared the stage: Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson, P. Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock and Justin Timberlake.
Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Blige and Lamar will follow in The Weeknd's footsteps, who in February, performed a charismatic medley of his hits, including "Blinding Lights" and "Save Your Tears" from his neon-drenched fourth album "After Hours."
Previous notable halftime performers include Beyoncé, Madonna, Coldplay, Katy Perry, U2, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
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NFL and Pepsi will join together to support the launch of Regional School #1, a magnet high school in south Los Angeles. It’s set to open for students next fall as part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The high school is based on the USC Iovine and Young Academy, a program founded by Jimmy Iovine and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young. It will offer an educational model focused on the theme of integrated design, technology and entrepreneurship.
“This effort will help develop and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators,” said Megan K. Reilly, the LA Unified Interim Superintendent. “We are excited about the additional opportunities this partnership will bring to our students.”
Contributing: Jonathan Landrum, The Associated Press; Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
