The Game Speaks on Dr. Dre Super Bowl Halftime Show Snub

The Game was not among the rappers Dr. Dre invited to join the star-packed Super Bowl LVI halftime show, and he thinks he knows why. During an episode of the I Am Athlete podcast, the "Westside Story" rapper suggested he was not a "safe artist" for the show. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige were the headliners for the Super Bowl halftime show in Inglewood, California, along with Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent as surprise guests.

"The real reason I wasn't on the Super Bowl [halftime show] is because I'm not a safe artist," The Game told I Am Athlete hosts Brandon Marhsall, Pacman Jones, and Nick "Swaggy P" Young, reports XXL Mag. "They went with the safe artists." The Game also said he was disappointed the halftime show included artists who were not West Coast rappers.

"We on the West Coast are the only muthaf— who have this crab-in-a-barrel mentality, where we wanna keep niggas down. Snoop Dogg was there because he's safe and he's a legend," The Game continued. "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. niggas wouldn't have been in the Detroit Super Bowl or New York Super Bowl. It just wouldn't have happened."

The Game said he was "hurt" that Dr. Dre never even called him. Still, he thought the halftime show was a success, even without him. The show was "amazing and a win for the culture as a whole."

This was not the first time The Game, born Jayceon Terrell Taylor, has spoken about being snubbed from the Super Bowl. In February, he took to Instagram to respond to a rumor he told Jay-Z to "suck his d—" after he wasn't invited to the show. "I don't feel no way about not being included. It was a great show featuring iconic artists. It was a win for the culture," The Game wrote in an Instagram post.

The Game was discovered by Dr. Dre and signed with his Aftermath Records. His first major-label studio album The Documentary was a huge hit. His 2006 collaboration with 50 Cent, "Hate It or Love It," was nominated for two Grammys in 2006. The Game's next album Drillmatic – Mind Vs. Heart will be released on July 1.