Culture Crash: Nostalgia of Music in Super Bowl Halftime Show

This year’s Super Bowl halftime show marked a return to the big game using nostalgia acts. Instead of highlighting current hitmakers like The Weeknd or Beyonce, this year saw an explosive combination of mostly 90s and 2000s superstars take center stage, as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and 50 Cent performed, along with the one exception, contemporary star Kendrick Lamar, who was himself famously very influenced by the more classic rap that came before him.

And stats published by The Wall Street Journal may indicate why that nostalgia-focused approach was such a success. MRC data shows 65% of U.S.-based hip-hop listening on streaming services last year were of tracks that are at least 18 months old. Simultaneously, monthly radio play of classic hip-hop has risen almost 40% in just five years, with songs like “California Love” and “Get Ur Freak On” continuing to blast over the airwaves, even into 2022.

The albums charts also reflect this wave of nostalgia listening. According to The Wall Street Journal albums from the 1990s and 2000s made up one-third of the total number of hip-hop records sold last year. And that’s pretty darn impressive, especially in a year that saw the release of new music from Kanye West, Drake, Lil Nas X and others. I don’t know what’s on the horizon for next year’s halftime show, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some more retro artists are in store.