50 Cent makes surprise appearance and Eminem takes a knee at Super Bowl halftime show
Dr Dre led a host of all star rappers at a nostalgic Super Bowl halftime show, which threw back to the stars' community hip-hop roots.
NWA co-founder Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for the event which also saw a surprise appearance from 50 Cent.
The 56th running of the NFL’s showpiece event took place in the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with home team the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion on Sunday, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 for their first NFL title since the 1999 season and their first representing Los Angeles since 1951.
The show was also a home event for Lamar, Dre and his protégé Snoop, all of whom are from Southern California.
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The pair kicked off the show with a rendition of their collaborative song The Next Episode, performed on top of a white community housing set complete with low rider cars.
A performance of west coast rap anthem California Love followed, with Dre singing the lyrics to song by the late Tupac Shakur, another of his rap disciples, while scores of dancers performed in front of the stage.
In a unexpected twist, rapper 50 cent, real name Curtis Jackson, appeared hanging upside down before joining the party with a performance of his hit song In Da Club.
R&B queen Mary J Blige followed, showing off her incredible vocal range as she performed on top of the set roofs alongside slickly choreographed dancers in sparkling one piece costumes.
Lamar followed with his own crowd of group of dancers dressed in all black suits, wearing sashes reading “Dre Day”.
Finally, Eminem appeared and treated crowds in the 70,000 seat capacity stadium to a rendition of Lose Yourself.
As his rendition ended, Eminem took a knee and held his head in his hand in apparent tribute to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality during the 2016 season.
Other players followed suit as Kaepernick began a movement, the act created widespread cultural controversy and the player would be out of the league soon after.
The NFL denied reports that it was attempting to stop Eminem from making the gesture.
“We watched all elements of the show during multiple rehearsals this week and were aware that Eminem was going to do that,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
The crew reassembled on the roof for a final performance of Still Dre.
The Super Bowl, one of the biggest cultural events in the US, featured the usual Hollywood star power, with blockbuster film trailers, including Marvel's 'The Multiverse Of Madness' and Amazon's new 'Lord Of The Rings' series, as well as celebrity-filled adverts appearing during the many commercial breaks.
A 30-second slot at this year’s Super Bowl reportedly costs about 7 million dollars (£5 million).
This year’s offering saw Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd team up for a humorous crisps advert, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek become Greek Gods to sell BMWs, and original cast members of the Sopranos recreate their famous opening credits for Chevrolet.
Mike Myers also reprised his role as dastardly comic villain Dr Evil for an Austin Powers themed sketch to promote electric vehicles.
The Super Bowl was opened by actor Dwayne Johnson, who channelled his former pro-wrestler persona The Rock to welcome the world to the game.