DRE'S SUPER-SIZED SHOWCASE

Dr. Dre's electrifying halftime showcase for Super Bowl LVI was a career retrospective and beyond. The producer reminded the world of his contribution to hip-hop and the West Coast with a jam-packed set list spanning multiple decades—plus a few surprises.

Alongside Snoop Dogg, Dre got the halftime party—belatedly featuring hip-hop artists for the first time—started with "The Next Episode" from Chronic 2001. The legends then transitioned to 2Pac's "California Love" (produced by and featuring Dre), performing on top of makeshift strip malls featuring L.A. landmarks (shout-out to Tam's Burgers).

Beneath them, surprise guest 50 Cent, a Shady/Aftermath/Interscope superstar who wasn't on the bill, kept the party going with "In Da Club"—while hanging upside down.

Following 50, the stage went back to the rooftops with Mary J. Blige, who performed the Dre-produced "Family Affair" (which immediately soared to #2 on iTunes) and belted out a verse from "No More Drama."

The youngest star of the bunch, Kendrick Lamar, then took over, performing "m.A.A.d city" and new-school civil rights anthem "Alright." From there, Eminem—who got serious headlines after the show by taking a knee during the halftime extravaganza, a gesture the NFL had reportedly taken pains to discourage—reeled off his verse from the Dre collab "Forgot About Dre," concluding with 8 Mile smash "Lose Yourself." Anderson .Paak was another unexpected guest, playing drums for the house band.

Dre thereafter returned to the stage for a solo turn at the piano, playing the intros to DeBarge's "A Dream" (sampled in 2Pac's "I Ain't Mad at Ya") and "Still D.R.E." The latter song concluded the set with all six superstars onstage.