Superstar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has given Vice President Harris permission to use the song “Freedom” throughout her presidential campaign.
The Grammy-award winner gave Harris the nod to use the song just hours before the vice president addressed a crowd at Democratic campaign headquarters Monday in Wilmington, Del., entering as the song blasted through speakers, according to CNN.
“Freedom,” from Beyoncé’s acclaimed 2016 album "Lemonade," features rapper Kendrick Lamar. The anthem, which increased in popularity following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, references the history of slavery in America as Beyoncé sings about breaking chains. It calls for ending police brutality and racial discrimination and demands criminal justice reform, as Lamar raps of being chased by police before opening “correctional gates in higher desert” and opening minds to “cast away oppression.”
Harris, a known Beyoncé fan, has been an ardent supporter of teaching Black history and addressing racial injustice.
“In this election, we know we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” she said Monday. “A country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?”
This is not Beyoncé’s first time venturing into politics. In 2020, she endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket.
In 2016, Beyoncé and her husband, rapper Jay-Z, headlined a preelection concert for then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in Cleveland.
And in 2013, she sang the National Anthem at then-President Obama's second inauguration.
Beyoncé has yet to issue an endorsement this cycle, but her mother, Tina Knowles, happily endorsed Harris in a post on Instagram following President Biden’s decision to exit the race.
A representative for Beyoncé did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
