dr Dre reveals Jay-Z and Nas convinced him to do a Super Bowl halftime show after producer fears it would look like a ‘sellout’

In February, hip-hop took center stage at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show for an unprecedented high-profile performance featuring several iconic artists, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. with a surprise performance of 50 cents, but it almost didn’t happen. In a new interview, Dre admitted the show was saved by rap legends Jay-Z and Nas.

During a recent appearance on Dolvett Quince’s “Workout the Doubt” podcast, the hip-hop mogul expressed his concerns about performing at the annual show, noting that he “didn’t want to appear as a sell-out” partnering with the NFL. The organization has faced criticism over the years regarding former NFL players Colin Kapernickwho was kicked out of the league for kneeling for the San Francisco 49ers for the national anthem.

“I was absolutely concerned about it,” admitted the 57-year-old star. “I actually called a couple of close friends and said, ‘Listen, I’m retiring.’ He continued, “‘I’m not going to do the show. ‘Cause I don’t know if I want that smoke I don’t know if I want the backlash after doing the show and possibly looking like a frigging sellout or something. ”

Dre said he ended up getting on the phone with the New York legends, who reportedly spent about 10 minutes convincing the West Coast rap pioneer to stay on board.

“I spoke to Nas on the phone. He called me and said, “Yo bro” – you know Nas has that voice – “Yo bro, you have to do it. You have to do this. It’s going to be so powerful for f–king hip-hop, for the culture, for you, for LA and the whole Nine.” He added, “We talked on the phone for about 10 minutes and he talked me into doing it . Nas and JAY-Z were big reasons I chose the show.”

Jay-Z faced his own accusations of being a sellout in 2019 after it was revealed the “4:44” host would be working with the sports organization on music and the League’s social justice initiatives. Kaepernick’s girlfriend Nessa Diab also accused him of only working with the NFL for money.

The Roc Nation boss addressed the matter in a song called “Flux Capacitor,” which is featured on Jay Electronica’s album A Written Testimony. “Why should I sell out? I’m already rich, makes no sense,” Jay-Z raps. “Had more money than Goodell, an entire NFL bank / Did it one-handed like Odell, handcuffed to a jail / I would have stayed on the sidelines if they could have handled this themselves.”