RIT/NTID grad will sign language-interpret Super Bowl halftime show
Super Bowl LVI will include a halftime-show first with a Rochester connection.
Sean Forbes, a deaf rapper who graduated in 2008 from Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, will make history Sunday by interpreting in American Sign Language performances by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
"Proud to be a tiger and represent my alma mater!!! Thank you," Forbes wrote on RIT/NTID’s Facebook page in response to an outpouring of support.
A Detroit native, Forbes became deaf at the age of 2 but grew up in a musical family and started playing the drums when he was 5, according to clickondetroit.com.
While attending RIT, he "was able to start sharing music with his deaf peers, singing songs in ASL and playing his guitar at full blast."
In 2006, he co-founded Deaf Professional Arts Network (D-PAN), a nonprofit that promotes inclusion and accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people through the arts. The company later became DPAN.TV, an online channel offering news and features programming in sign language.
Forbes released his debut EP, I’m Deaf, in 2010 and debut album Perfect Imperfection in 2012. He and musical partner and producer Jake Bass made national headlines in late 2018 by staging a pioneering collaboration with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, as deaf musicians and sign-language artists performed original music and covers of rock and pop classics, the Detroit Free Press reported. And in 2020, Forbes followed up with the album Little Victories.
On Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the 40-year-old will share interpreting duties with fellow deaf rapper Warren (WaWa) Snipe, according to the newspaper.
"The doors to accessibility are busted wide open with something like this," Forbes told reporter Brian McCollum.
In advance of heading to Los Angeles for a week of rehearsals, Forbes said he could not share specifics about the halftime set, other than that he would be accompanying Eminem and Snoop.
"My goal is to get out there, show what we can do, and have fun," he said. "And I want to open the door for other deaf performers."
It’s the first time the NFL has incorporated sign-language interpretation into a halftime show, although performances of the national anthem have been interpreted in the past.
Forbes’ and Snipe’s American Sign Language renditions will be viewable at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
NBC’s broadcast of the Super Bowl, in which the Los Angeles Rams will face the Cincinnati Bengals, starts at 6 p.m. on NBC.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Sean Forbes will sign language-interpret SuperBowl halftime show
