Billboard compiled a timeline of hip-hop performers at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
1998: Queen Latifah, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves and The Temptations
The Super Bowl XXXII Halftime Show at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium served as a tribute to Motown for its 40th anniversary, and among the label’s signees, Queen Latifah put a subtle hip-hop spin on a Motown classic. She performed her 1988 single “Paper,” which is not only one of her first songs that doesn’t feature her rapping, but is also a cover of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong’s famous 1968 composition “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”
2001: Aerosmith, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige and Nelly
Nelly’s first (but not last) appearance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show was quite brief, as he joined the entire A-list lineup of performers to sing Aerosmith’s 1975 single “Walk This Way.”
2004: Diddy, Nelly, Janet Jackson, Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake and Kid Rock
Once more, Nelly contributed to a star-studded lineup for the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show at Houston’s Reliant Stadium, where he got his first solo to perform his 2002 No. 1 hit “Hot in Herre.” Puff Daddy slid in with the fur-collared puffy jacket to bring his own medley of hits, from “Bad Boy for Life” to “Mo Money Mo Problems.” Before both rappers shared the stage, a group of cheerleaders chanted their names to the tune of the 1982 bubblegum anthem “Mickey.”
2011: The Black Eyed Peas
The night the Black Eyed Peas’ classic lineup of will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie took over Arlington, Texas’ Cowboys Stadium during Super Bowl XLV Halftime was, indeed, a good night. They shut the turf down with their hypnotic, robotic lyrical and physical flow on 2009 chart-toppers like “I Gotta Feeling” and “Boom Boom Pow,” and the swarming body of neon-green-lit dancers truly embodied their alt-hip-hop aesthetic.
2012: Madonna with Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., Cee Lo Green and LMFAO
With her own cheer squad taking control of Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, Madame X recruited the regal-looking Minaj and M.I.A. to perform “Give Me All Your Lovin,” and that’s exactly what the audience did for the trio. Green led a marching band to their victorious duet of Madonna’s ’80s Hot 100 No. 1 hits “Open Your Heart” and “Like a Prayer” as well as her No. 2 song “Express Yourself.” Yeah, they definitely took us there.
2015: Katy Perry with Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz
Sure, the left shark at Perry’s Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show at the University of Phoenix Stadium became one of the evening’s biggest stars, but a blinged-out Missy got a special “Holla” from the headliner during her performance of “Get Ur Freak On.” The two continued flipping the pop-dominant show into a hip-hop-leaning one with their joint performance of “Work It” and Missy’s solo “Lose Control.”
2019: Maroon 5 with Travis Scott and Big Boi
Scott was notoriously introduced onto the stage by a fan-petitioned clip from SpongeBob SquarePants’ “Band Geeks” episode and a flaming asteroid before the Houston rapper touched down at the Mercedes-Benz Auditorium and launched into the 2018 Drake-assisted Hot 100 No. 1 rage anthem “Sicko Mode.” Then OutKast‘s Big Boi rolled in a Cadillac before getting everyone from his Atlanta hometown moving to his 2003 Hot 100 chart-topper “The Way You Move,” with a dash of “Kryptonite.”
