I’m definitely not into sports whatsoever but I was excited to watch the halftime show because I grew up on hip-hop, as many people my age did. It was dope! My boyfriend and I watched it and rapped along at El Torito while having some chorizo and steak tacos and a few drinks! Watching all the artitsts that I grew up listening to on the screen was mesmerizing. The day after the Super Bowl there were two things that I noticed were emphasized by media outlets and social media as well– Mary J. Blige being a part of the show “because she didn’t fit in with all the rappers” and 50 Cent being “fat.”
First of all, 50 Cent released “In Da Club,” the song that he performed during the halftime
show, 19 years ago! He was 27 years old at that time. Although he is 46 years old now, he is a healthy and muscular looking man. So fat-shaming 50 is definitely not valid. In the other hand, Mary J. Blige was critiqued for not fitting in with the rest of the rappers that were in attendance (Dre, Snoop, Kendrick, Eminem and 50). However, I think they’re missing the big picture. Mary J. Blige has been in the music game for over 30 years, overcame drug addiction AND is a woman of color. That in itself is powerful. As a society we have to really think about what the 2022 halftime show really represents not only to hip-hop fanatics and the black community but to minorities in general.
Cali's Chronicles 