Dr. Dre Almost Quit Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show But Jay-Z, Nas X Stepped In -- Why

Dr. Dre shared his doubts about the LVI Super Bowl, but after a ten-minute phone call with Nas, he decided to push through with it.

In an interview with Dolvett Quince's "Workout The Doubt," Dr. Dre mimicked Nas' voice telling him to go it.

"I got on the phone with Nas. He called me up and was like, 'Yo bro'... you know, Nas has that voice... 'Yo bro, you gotta do it."

"You gotta do this. It's gonna be so powerful for f**king Hip-Hop, for the culture, for you, for L.A. and the whole nine."

"Nas and Jay-Z were big reasons why I decided to do the show," he concluded.

Dr. Dre's Reluctance

Dre revealed that he was hesitant to push through due to the Colin Kaepernick protests and backlash, following Kaepernick's exile from NFL.

"I was absolutely concerned about that," he said. "[...] I'm not gonna do the show. Because I don't know if I want that smoke."

"I don't know if I want the backlash after doing the show and potentially looking like a f***kng sellout or something like that."

According to reports, an agreement between Jay-Z's Roc Nation firm and NFL fell through following the Kaepernick protests.

Colin Kaepernick was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ners. After kneeling during the national anthem during NFL games, he became an unsigned agent. It was done as a protest against police violence and systemic oppression.

Good Call, Jay-Z and Nas

Dre ended up performing alongside hip-hop legends Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. Their performance was nominated for five Emmy Awards.

Their hit performance was nominated for outstanding variety special (live) and outstanding music direction. The performance also amassed massive viewership.

Reports shared that Roc Nation produced the halftime show with Jesse Collins, who advised him on stage design.

Tags

Nas