Hip-hop made history this weekend.
At the 74th Emmy Awards, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent won the Outstanding Variety Performance (Live) category for their celebrated performance at the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. The win marks the first time a Super Bowl Halftime Show won in the category.
For Outstanding Variety Special (Live), the #Emmy goes to The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring @DrDre, @SnoopDogg, @MaryJBlige, @Eminem, @KendrickLamar, and @50Cent (@NBC)! #Emmys #Emmys2022 pic.twitter.com/Nm5m4c6MtJ
— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 4, 2022
The show’s producers, which included rap mogul Jay-Z and ROC Nation CEO Desiree Perez, also won Emmys in the Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special and Outstanding Music Direction categories.
On Saturday, shortly after the Emmy announcement, Snoop jumped on Twitter to flex, and rightly so.
“I go by Emmy Award Winner Snoop Dogg,” he tweeted.
I go by Emmy Award Winner Snoop Dogg. https://t.co/ZOjALijuBM
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) September 4, 2022
According to the New York Post, Snoop got blazed AF before going on stage at Super Bowl LVI. So, this weekend’s Emmy win was also a huge win for cannabis. Snoop and Dr. Dre — along with Cyprus Hill — are credited with infusing gangsta rap with weed in the early ‘90s, a musical genre that was previously dominated by crack cocaine.
This isn’t the first time Snoop — and weed — were recognized by the Emmys. In 2017, Snoop was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program for “Snoop & Martha’s Potluck Dinner Party.” The cooking show is produced by yours truly, MERRY JANE.
This weekend’s Emmy win adds to the accolades of two of hip-hop’s most celebrated icons, as well. Kendrick Lamar won a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his album DAMN in 2018, the first and only hip-hop artist to win the literary award.
Meanwhile, Eminem is now just one Tony Award away from becoming hip-hop’s first EGOT — a rare breed of artist who’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Eminem also took a knee during the halftime show in protest of police brutality. According to the grapevine, he was specifically instructed by the Super Bowl organizers not to take a knee, but being Eminem, he did it anyway.
Now that they’re all on a roll (again), maybe these icons of rap should consider aiming for a Tony. Broadway, after all, elevated hip-hop with the acclaimed Hamilton in 2015.
Cover image via
