Eminem showed his support for sports star Colin Kaepernick by taking the knee during the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.
The Without Me rapper headlined the show with collaborator Dr. Dre as well as Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
After performing Lose Yourself near the end of the set, he made a statement by kneeling down and holding his head in his hand. He stood there for a minute while Dre played an instrument on the piano.
Quarterback Kaepernick first took the knee to protest police brutality during the 2016 season, a controversial decision that has spread to all sports. He has not played in the National Football League (NFL) since the end of this season and it is widely believed that he was blacklisted by the league for his protest.
In a statement to Variety, an NFL rep insisted they were aware of Eminem’s plan because he did it during rehearsals.
“We watched every element of the show in multiple rehearsals this week and knew Eminem was going to do it,” the rep said. “It was nothing to worry about. A player or a manager could have taken a knee today and there would have been no problem.”
The headliners were joined by surprise guests 50 Cent, who performed his track In Da Club, and Anderson .Paak on drums.
The set opened with Dre and Snoop’s 2000 hit The Next Episode, before Dre performed his verse to Tupac Shakur’s California Love. Blige sang his big hits, Family Affair and No More Drama, before Lamar came out and rapped MAAD City and Alright. After Eminem gave a rendition of Lose Yourself, the five headliners plus 50 Cent reunited for the finale – a performance by Still DRE
The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl trophy.