On Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens officially opened the NFL season with a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game. Before the game began, the NFL tabbed a Grammy Award-winning artist to sing the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which has become known as the Black National Anthem.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance in 2014 and has been the recipient of three Billboard Music Awards over the course of her career. Ahead of Thursday night’s game, she delivered a beautiful performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
The song, which was written back in 1900 and is featured in 42 different Christian hymnals, has become known as The Black National Anthem and has been embraced by the Black community since it was written as it makes an allusion to the biblical Exodus from slavery to the freedom of the “promised land.”
The NFL began embracing the song as part of its pregame routines following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. It has been performed before every Super Bowl since, as well as several other prominent NFL games.
Cobbs expressed her excitement for her performance as she urged her fans to watch the performance with a post on social media, saying “we celebrate unity, culture and the thrill of the game.”
“I’m beyond excited to kick off the NFL season with a powerful live performance of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ at the Chiefs vs. Ravens game in Kansas City! This will be a night to remember—football, music, and an electric atmosphere,” she wrote on Instagram.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” was obviously still performed with Grammy-winning R&B artist Coco Jones performing the national anthem.
[Fox News]
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