Dr. Dre Talks Eminem Taking A Knee, NFL Telling Kendrick Lamar To Take Out Gang References

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Dr. Dre

The Aftermath icon also discussed how "everybody really felt the magnitude of what this thing was and what we were gonna be able to accomplish."

The chaos of the Super Bowl and its halftime show has subsided and now, Dr. Dre is sitting down to give his take on the performance that stunned Hip Hop and R&B fans worldwide. He was joined by Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar as they relived some of our favorite tracks, but the show was not without its controversy. There were murmurs that Eminem defied the NFL by taking a knee after his portion, but the league issued a statement saying they knew ahead of time that the Detroit icon would follow Colin Kaepernick's lead.

During a casual chat with TMZ, Dre confirmed that the NFL was already aware of Eminem's plans while also detailing the "minor" changes that the league requested.

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"There were a few things we had to change but it was like, really minor things," he told the outlet. "Em taking a knee, that was Em doing that on his own and there was no problem with that. I think the beginning of Kendrick's set, he says 'If Pirus and Crips all got along,' they had a problem with that, so we had to take that out. No big deal, we did it, but all in all, everybody came in, we were professional, everybody was on time and everybody really felt the magnitude of what this thing was and what we were gonna be able to accomplish."

"It was a fantastic experience." Dre revealed that once the halftime show was over, Blige met him back at his home where they went into the studio and listened to some new music she was working on. He then offered a public apology to the singer because he wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a secret.

Dr. Dre also joked that his trainer would be upset with him because on the way home from the Super Bowl he decided to stop by McDonald's. "There's something about those fries," he quipped. Check it out below.


About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.