Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg said the NFL was slow to embrace hip-hop and vowed their Super Bowl halftime show would create more opportunities for the genre.

“We’re going to open more doors for hip-hop artists in the future and make sure the NFL understands that this is what it should have been a long time ago,” Dre said in a subdued appearance that the trio made Thursday without their Sunday. co-headliners Kendrick Lamar and Eminem.

“It’s crazy that it took all this time for us to be recognized,” Dre said. “I think we’re going to do a fantastic job. We’re going to make it so big that they can’t deny us in the future.

No reporters were allowed to ask questions, unlike in previous years.

The five music icons will perform at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Lamar are from Southern California. Snoop Dogg called it a “great moment” combining “the greatest sporting event in the world” with hip-hop, “the greatest form of music in the world”.

“We appreciate the NFL for even entertaining hip-hop because we know a lot of people who don’t want hip-hop on stage,” he said. “But we are here now and there is nothing you can do about it.”

Other rap artists who have performed at previous Super Bowl halftime shows include Travis Scott, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Nelly and Outkast’s Big Boi. Pop-rap group Black Eyed Peas also performed at halftime.

Dre said there would be surprises during their show, but he’s already added two deaf musicians – Warren “Wawa” Snipe and Sean Forbes. This will be the first time Deaf performers will take part in the halftime show.

Wawa and Forbes will use their hands, bodies and facial expressions to deliver unique renditions of American Sign Language songs as the superstar performers rap and sing on stage.

The five musical artists scheduled for Sunday’s show have a total of 44 Grammys. Eminem has the most with 15. Blige is the group’s only returning performer – she was part of an ensemble cast that included Aerosmith, NSYNC, Britney Spears and Nelly in 2001.

Dre emerged from the West Coast gangster rap scene alongside Eazy-E and Ice Cube to help form the band NWA, which made its mark on hip-hop culture and the music industry with controversial lyrics. in the late 1980s. Dre was responsible for promoting rap stars such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Lamar. Dre also produced Blige’s #1 hit song, “Family Affair.”

Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Blige and Lamar join a list of famous musicians who have performed at Super Bowl halftime shows, including Beyoncé, Madonna, Coldplay, Katy Perry, U2, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez , Shakira and more recently Le weekend.

The game and the halftime show will be broadcast live on NBC.