The history of Super Bowl halftime shows is something of a mixed bag — that's why they're good fodder for impassioned arguments and comprehensive rankings. But there was extra anticipation for this one, and not just because of how many GRAMMYs juggernauts there'd be.

"Snoop Dogg told me that hip-hop's always been in the culture of the NFL," sportscaster Maria Taylor said during the 2022 Super Bowl. "But for the first time ever, hip-hop and rap will take center stage." Thus, she primed the audience for a hell of a ride, filled with rap royalty from multiple scenes and lineages — and the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show did not disappoint.

From the opening seconds, it looked like viewers were in for yet another first: Dr. Dre, enthroned on an office chair, pushed faders on a massive, pearl-white mixing board. Is this the first shout-out to producers and engineers on the halftime stage? That's probably for the Recording Academy's P&E Wing to debate among themselves on Monday. But in the moment, it simply felt like a fitting salute to Dre's legacy as a visionary behind the board.

Dre then stood up, arms outstretched, surveying his dominion. More than a year after his 2021 aneurysm briefly laid him low, it's poignant to see him back in action on such a grand scale. The set was revealed to be a city block (or, as multiple tweets jokingly surmised, a WeWork) on top of a map of L.A. Then, a joyous yelp of "Snoop Doooooogg!" What an homage to the West Coast; what a colossal party. Everybody's celebratin'.

Festooned in blue before a sea of Crip-walking dancers, The artist formerly known as Snoop Lion — who planted his flag as a hungry upstart on The Chronic back in 1992 — joined Dre for performances of "The Next Episode" and "California Love" — the latter being, of course, a Tupac Shakur joint. And if that wasn't enough of a throwback, surprise! An upside-down — then right-side-up — 50 Cent performed his once-inescapable, GRAMMY-nominated 2003 hit "In Da Club."

In what was destined to bowl over Twitter, a highly reflective Mary J. Blige appeared to perform "Family Affair," backed up by silvery dancers. She went from high-octane to heart-on-sleeve with "No More Drama," which she capped off with a flourish and a faux-faint. But it wasn't time to say goodnight: whether by flames or by chains, when it comes to bringing things to another level of high-concept drama, you can always count on Kendrick Lamar.

K-Dot — who's been finishing up his follow-up to DAMN. and collecting beach cruisers — blew minds the world over with an aerodynamic performance of "Alright," which won the GRAMMY for Best Rap Song at the 2016 GRAMMY Awards. Whatever he's got up his suit jacket sleeve for 2022 and beyond, be advised to brace yourselves.

Never one to be easily upstaged, Eminem brought the heat with "Lose Yourself" — you know, the one about a matriarch's certain Italian staple. And if that wasn't Anderson .Paak on drums! (Silk Sonic, his high thread count duo with Bruno Mars, is up for four GRAMMYs at the 2022 GRAMMY Awards.)

After rumors of a behind-the-scenes kerfuffle over whether Em would kneel in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, he did just that — as Dre plunked out the melody to Tupac's "I Ain't Mad at Cha" on a gleaming piano. Before the next round of commercials piped in and the Rams rode to victory, all five headlining musicians — plus 50 — joined together for a celebratory version of "Still D.R.E."

"I still got love for these streets," the pioneering MC and producer declared to the entire planet, toasting to the everlasting global supremacy of rap, flanked by his mightiest colleagues and compatriots. So do we, Dre. So do we.

Watch Country Leading Light Mickey Guyton Perform The National Anthem At Super Bowl LVI