Black national anthem performance set before Chiefs-Ravens game, drawing fierce reaction

Grammy Award-winning artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard was tapped to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night before the Kansas City Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens.

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.

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Tasha Cobbs Leonard performs on the Vibes Stage on the fourth day of CMA Fest in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, June 11, 2023. (Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK)

The announcement that the song was being performed before the start of the game drew the same kind of scrutiny as it has in the past. NFL teams started to have the song, also known as the Black national anthem, in 2020 after a summer of racial unrest in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.

The song has been performed before the Super Bowl each year since. The response online has been fierce in both directions. Fans have routinely spoken out about the song being played, while some have criticized fans for not standing during the moment.

On Thursday, it was more of the same.

(Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

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Cobbs Leonard implored her fans to tune into her performance as “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.

Coco Jones will sing the national anthem for the game. The R&B singer won a Grammy Award this year for Best R&B Performance.