Although it has been decades since Dr. Dre himself was at the center of any hip-hop controversies, there was some speculation and debate ahead of his recent Super Bowl halftime show performance that the NFL worried parts of the show could become culture war flashpoints. While the moments in question went off without a hitch, some folks did find plenty to complain about — even after the NFL offered notes on how to tone down potentially troublesome moments during the performance.
Dr. Dre revealed what “minor changes” the NFL made to the set during an interview with TMZ. While he did acknowledge the rumor that the NFL had barred his co-star Eminem from kneeling during his set, Dre said the real changes came during Kendrick Lamar’s portion of the performance. “Em taking the knee, that was Em doing that on his own, and there was no problem with that,” he said. However, regarding Kendrick’s song, “M.A.A.D. City,” the opening line “if Pirus and Crips could all get along” didn’t fly.
“They had a problem with that, so we had to take that out,” he said. “No big deal, we get it. But, all in all, everybody came in, we were professional, everybody was on time. Everybody felt the magnitude of what this thing was, and what we were going to be able to accomplish. It was a fantastic experience.” You can watch Dre’s interview below.