In a Super Bowl first, Eminem is expected to perform with two deaf rappers from Detroit in this year’s halftime show.
Detroit rappers Sean Forbes and Warren “WaWa” Snipe are expected to perform during the halftime break at next week’s Super Bowl, alongside a stellar line-up of hip hop royalty including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
The event will be held next Monday AEDT at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with the LA Rams taking on the Cincinnati Bengals to be crowned Super Bowl champions.
To ensure that the halftime performance is accessible and enjoyable for hearing-impaired viewers, Forbes and Snipe will perform the headliners’ songs in American Sign Language (ASL).
The halftime show will make history, as the first Super Bowl performance to include ASL. But WaWa’s first Super Bowl inclusion was actually last year, joining Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church on the field for the national anthem before the game.
“The doors to accessibility are busted wide open with something like this,” Sean Forbes told the Detroit Free Press.
At the infancy of their careers, Eminem and Forbes often recorded in the same Detroit studio, 54 Sound, and Forbes’ father is reportedly linked with “some of the folks inside Em’s business and studio circles.”
“My goal is to get out there, show what we can do, and have fun,” Forbes explained. “And I want to open the door for other deaf performers.”
If you think Eminem’s rapping in Rap God is impressive, just wait until you see it performed in ASL.
You can check out the trailer for the halftime show here.
