Queen Latifah has always made it clear that she is multitalented. Now, she has made it even more clear after her performance at the recent Giants vs. Cowboys football game at Meadowlands Stadium. The “U.N.I.T.Y.” rapper showed the crowd her vocal ability by singing a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. The performance was also a 9/11 tribute as the game was on the eve of the anniversary of the attacks.
Latifah’s performance is an addition to the long list of Black women who have completely brought down the house with their renditions of the national anthem. Here’s a reminder of the Black girl magic that we’ve seen during the Star Spangled Banner.
Black Women’s Star Spangled Banner
Whitney Houston’s performance of the Star Spangled Banner is unforgettable. Her performance at Super Bowl XXV in 1991 has been touted as one of the best performances to date of the song by fans. At only 27 year years old, the late singer gave a ground breaking performance during a time when the country just entered the Gulf War.
Beyoncé performed the Star Spangled Banner at the historic inauguration of President Obama in the White House. Although she did an amazing job with her performance, she did later admit to performing over a pre-recorded track because she was not able to do a proper sound check prior to the performance.
Jazmine Sullivan performed the Star Spangled Banner at Super Bowl LV in 2021. She paired her strong vocals with Eric Church for the first duet of the national anthem performed at the event since 2006 when Aretha Franklin and Aaron Neville paired up for the performance.