Dr. Dre made history in February by headlining the first-ever Hip Hop-centric Super Bowl Halftime Show alongside Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige, plus special guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak.
Aside from its obvious star power, the lineup had deep Dre connections, with every artist either having worked with the legendary producer or been signed to one of his Death Row Records or Aftermath Entertainment imprints (or both).
One Doctor’s advocate who didn’t get an invite, however, is The Game. During a recent appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast, the Compton rapper — whose 2005 debut album The Documentary was co-executive produced by Dr. Dre and came out on Aftermath — addressed his Super Bowl LVI snub.
The 42-year-old MC believes he was left off the lineup because he isn’t as “safe” as Snoop and co., while describing his exclusion as a further insult considering the Super Bowl was held in his hometown of Los Angeles and featured the L.A. Rams.
“The real reason I wasn’t on the Super Bowl is because I’m not a ‘safe’ artist,” he began. “You don’t know what Game gon’ do when he get up there. They went with the ‘safe’ artists. I feel like this: the Super Bowl is in L.A. It’s a Dr. Dre Super Bowl, but it is JAY-Z. But JAY-Z understands the dynamics of West Coast Hip Hop very well, and I don’t think JAY-Z would’ve had a problem if Dre would’ve said, ‘We bringing Game on the Super Bowl.’
“Outside of myself, I also think that YG should’ve been on the Super Bowl. If it was a New York Super Bowl you might’ve saw JAY-Z, you might’ve saw Nas, you might’ve saw Mary J. and Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys. We on the West Coast are the only n-ggas that have this crab-in-a-barrel mentality where we wanna keep n-ggas down or don’t do things based on what somebody else might think it looks like.”
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He continued, “Snoop Dogg was there because Snoop Dogg is safe, and he a legend. My grandmother knows Snoop! And so do my children. Snoop is an icon, Dre is an icon, Em is an icon — but Em is not from L.A., 50 is not from L.A. I’m not taking away from the fact that they were on the Super Bowl, but L.A. n-ggas wouldn’t have been on a Detroit Super Bowl or New York Super Bowl. It just wouldn’t have happened.
“The fucking Rams was in the Super Bowl, bro! L.A., L.A., L.A., all around the Super Bowl… and I don’t get the call.”
When podcast co-host and former NFL player Brandon Marshall asked him how it felt to be snubbed, The Game admitted he was “hurt” — although he clarified his disappointment was directed at Dr. Dre, not anyone else who performed.
“I was hurt by that,” he said. “And let me tell you, Snoop didn’t do me like that. Kendrick, it’s not his Super Bowl, it’s not Snoop’s Super Bowl. I talked to Snoop about it, Snoop was like, ‘You know, cuz, if it was my Super Bowl, we’d have been in that muthafucka.’ And that’s my uncle and I love him to death.
“I feel like Dre should’ve called and said why. I would’ve understood that because I talk to Dre often. I just know if I was Dre and he was Game, he would’ve been up there. That’s just it, it’s L.A. And I am L.A. I’m in the streets.”
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Four months on from the Super Bowl, The Game insists he isn’t nursing any wounds and saluted the performance for what it meant for Hip Hop.
“Now, am I bothered by it today? I’m not bothered by it today,” he added. “I feel that it was an amazing Super Bowl and it was a win for our culture as a whole. I just felt like if it was going to be in L.A. like, n-gga, you know.”
This isn’t the first time The Game has aired out his issues with Dr. Dre this year. During his Drink Champs interview in February, the Compton native ruffled feathers when he claimed Kanye West “did more for me in the last two weeks than Dre did for me my whole career.”
Watch The Game’s full I Am Athlete episode below.
The Game that plays itself
I WOULD BE REALLY UPSET TOO IF I HAD TO RELY ON 2 OTHER PEOPLE TO PERFORM MY BIGGEST SONGS.
Are you on your period? If not then, why are you typing in all caps like a teenage girl that’s on one?
LMAO YOU LOVE MY STYLE. YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH.
he needs to shut his hurt ass up… why does he think he’s more important than he actually is?? lmao..you know how many LA rappers come berfore u? RELAX….
this album cant drop quick enough so this clown isnt in the news every day
Game got a point. It coulda bin mo LA wit him up there. Jus lyk a NY Superbowl woulda bin Nas, Jay, King Tekashi, Alicia Keys supported by The Roots.
No it wouldnt have been. The Super Bowl was in Jersey and they had Bruno Mars (Hawaii) and The Red Hot Chili Peppers (California). Alicia Keys did a Tampa Super Bowl and ain’t no way in Hell that you’ll ever see Tekashi playing a Super Bowl FOH.
This dude has the nerve to say King Tekashi
But it can’t be Easy Coast Superbowl without da King of NY.
Well they let 50’s trash ass up there, so anything goes apparently.
Has game ever performed on anything that was broadcasted on TV before? I can’t recall
This nut needs to stfu. Didn’t he say Kanye has done more for him than Dre has? Dre don’t owe him nothing, and the Super bowl was not only about LA, last time I saw it, two opposing team from 2 different States were competing. It is an American institution, simple. Ain’t got nothing to do with safe or not safe!
why would Dre bring game up? what about NWA? if anyone shouldve been up there its them guys, not Game, and dre and game have had a shaky relationship. It made perfect sense having Em on there, he came up under Dre, hes a global artist. Game is salty, always holding on to issues that he created, he messed up his relationship, cats bi-polar, who would trust having this former male stripper up there?
Throughout your whole career you’ve been throwing shots at both 50 and Jay, think they really wanted you there??
it aint even about that though. i hate using this word, but dude aint “relevant” / big / important enough to have been on that stage.
Lol, wuss.
Literally half the performers weren’t from Cali. Game is not checked for the way he wants to believe he is. Not denying he is talented and has a fan base but he isn’t the name value in the league of any of those performers, not counting Anderson. His mainstream appeal is limited. Why do you think Chino XL, E40 and Xzibit weren’t up there for a west coast Super Bowl? If Game was there here’s how I would’ve explained who he is: “remember he was in G-Unit and left” and they would’ve said “oh yeah he was on that 50 Cent song How We Do right”. Don’t take shots at Dre, Em and 50 then expect to be part of the family.
Facts
Did he stop and think, maybe it’s cuz he’s mentally unstable bipolar sociopathic maniac that craves all the spotlight and will sabotage anything and anyone around him just to get it….hmmmmmm…. maybe that’s why.
Jayceon,pull up your skirt. Stop crying and just focus on the money and the music. You 42 years old, act like it and move on.
Lol, why do you want to look up his skirt? You should be asking him to pull it down. You’re definitely a virgin…
That’s gay. Wait… Ken Kaniff is that you?
From Connecticut.
IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT PULL YOUR SKIRT UP MEANS YOU ARE A SQUARE AND A BOZO. POINT BLANK.
I recommend you either use Google or consult the famous, “pull your skirt down, b” line in Paid in Full. If you ever smashed a chick in a skirt with no panties on, you’d understand the concept…
Isn’t you the same guy Fatt mouthing about, Kanye did more for you than Dre. Isn’t you the same guy challenging EM to a Battle, isn’t you the same guy Beefing with FIF, well Damn that’s the whole shady aftermath roster, so why would they put you on the Bill? C’mon Maan
Well, he went at all of them because they didn’t put him on the bill. It’s kinda like the Will Smith slap, while professionally it’s wrong, if you look behind all the reasoning and what the person is dealing with, you can understand what pushed them to do something so hurtful to their career.
Stop Kennyken, you’re hurting yourself.
If anyone else, cube shouldve been up there
Yep! Cube & Ren doing the SAFEST N.W.A. Song possible: Express Yourself!! And if Game wasn’t on the outs w/50 & Dre, They could have done “How We Do” or “Hate It Or Love It”. But OH WELL!!!!
I support this message. None of us truly know why The Game wasn’t picked to be a part of this, but I’m going to say Dre picked all the most commercially popular artists
The nerve of them; trying to appeal to a wider audience during one of the most watched events of the year…
Haha Yep, you have to understand Dre’s mindstate about that, but I do understand The Game because he wears his feelings on his sleeves and he’s one of Dre’s biggest fans.
Snoop and 50 are not safe, neither is Em. Game is far safer than all of them. Difference is they are revered and respected. Game not so much.
Well I guess you shouldn’t have said anything about Dr.Dre. Karma comes calling and you’re not even in the same ball park with those others. I’m sure Em didn’t want your sissy ass their either.
This man’s career has been, and always will be about DR DRE. The name dropping never stops. It’s sad.
Before Dre would even consider Game there would be these artists Infront of him; Ice Cube and Xzibit
Bruh, you were left out cuz of your history with 50. Dre and Em staying loyal to their guy. Don’t flatter yourself
Maybe he didn’t want a name dropping cornball who already had smoke with 50. Not to mention, every artist featured in the show has more cache than The Game.
The gayme
The game is such a G irl
it was a Dr Dre halftime show. Not an LA halftime show. They’re Dre artists. If it was LA show, game is still not on there. Dogg Pound. Cube. E40. Warrent G. Dove Shack. Ice T. Too Short. DOC. Xzibit. MC Eiht. DJ Quick. Mack 10. Aint no room for no game.
Soo many west coast artists that are 10x more Westcoast culture than Game. He swears he’s the best rep of LA out there… no. He may be the most obnoxious and loudest about it.
Rather see Ren & Cube
When you on Dre’s status you do what the fuck you want, Game is all in with Kanyes punk ass and Hit-Boy so stay in that lane and stop bitching.