Usher turned back the clock with a high-energy medley of smash hits during his halftime performance at Super Bowl LVIII this month. Surrounded by a cadre of legendary Atlanta-based artists, the stunning production harkened back to hip-hop’s Southern dominance in the mid-2000s.
The multi-platinum artist exploded onto the stage singing his 2004 megahit “Yeah!” He quickly transitioned to later chart-toppers like “Love In This Club” while launching into smooth dance moves with backup dancers. Usher showed off the athletic dance talent that made him a global pop idol.
He continued marching through smashes across his twenty-plus-year career, allowing his star-studded guests to shine as well. Jermaine Dupri, who discovered Usher as a teen, rapped his verse from their 2005 collaboration “Confessions Part II.” Fellow Atlanta royalty Lil Jon led the crowd in a thundering rendition of his smash “Yeah!”
Usher nodded to his Southern roots by incorporating TLC’s “Waterfalls” into an emotional montage paying tribute to rapper Left Eye. He reached back to his breakout as a teenager by covering The Temptations with help from pop superstar Alicia Keys. The performance spanned generations much like football fandom.
In the end, Usher proved why he ranks among history’s elite R&B showmen. His kinetic set would have fit right in alongside previous iconic halftime shows like Beyonce’s Black Pride celebration in 2016. Much like we saw with Usher, that Super Bowl performance introduced proud Black expression to the masses.
Usher leading this year’s Apple Music showcase again brought hip-hop to one of the sport’s biggest stages. It shows the NFL continues embracing urban culture rather than avoiding rap entirely.
Perhaps soon the Carolina Panthers will apply that same logic by leveraging their platform for emerging industries like North Carolina sports betting. After all, Cam Newton was dabbing on touchdown runs back in 2016 well before most fans caught up to hip-hop trends. Why shouldn’t today’s Panthers set the pace promoting sports betting as culture shifts?