It’s odd to think that Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, two of rap’s top entertainers, have rarely ever shared a stage but despite both being in the upper echelons of talent and proteges of master producer Dr. Dre, they’ve barely even collaborated musically, let alone performed together. However, that’s set to change this weekend as they take the stage along with Dre, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg for Super Bowl LVI’s heavily-anticipated halftime show at LA’s SoFi Stadium.
In an interview with SiriusXM’s Sway Calloway on his own Shade 45 station, Eminem admitted that the prospect of performing not just for the 70,000 or so football fans in attendance at the big game but also upwards of 20 million people watching at home is “f*cking nerve-racking.” As he explained to Sway, “There’s nothing more final than live TV… if you f*ck up, your f*ck up is there forever.” However, getting to share the stage with Kendrick might somewhat mitigate that apprehension, as Eminem agreed with Sway’s assessment of the Compton rapper as “the most electrifying vocalist of this generation.”
“Kendrick is at the very top-top tier of lyricists — not just of this generation, but of all time,” Em said. You can catch them live during Super Bowl LVI this Sunday.