Why Kamala Harris’ use of Beyoncé’s ‘Freedom’ as her campaign song is so fitting

In the voice-over for Vice President Kamala Harris’ first campaign ad as a 2024 presidential candidate, we heard her lay out her objectives for America — ­ranging from reducing gun violence, poverty and health care costs to codifying reproductive rights — and we see a racially diverse mix of enthusiastic voters, multigenerational families, union workers, the LGBTQ+ community, Harris on the campaign trail and headlines about Donald Trump’s conviction in Manhattan. The song, which was used as a battle cry for many Black Lives Matter demonstrations following the 2020 death of George Floyd, now evokes the aspirational promise of the Democratic Party. That song is Beyoncé’s 2016 anthem “Freedom” featuring Kendrick Lamar, which Beyoncé permitted Harris to use as her walk-out song during her first public appearance as a presidential candidate. With its liberating tone, the song, which was used as a battle cry for many Black Lives Matter demonstrations following the 2020 death of George Floyd, now evokes the aspirational promise of the Democratic Party. Alongside the pounding, warlike drums and fiery rock pulse, Beyoncé’s voice roars, “I’ma keep running ’cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”Great campaign songs often toe a fine line between galvanizing a political party’s base and aligning with its supporters’ interests and pressing concerns. No one should be surprised that Beyoncé let Harris use “Freedom.” From day one, she has been intentional about using her artistry to advocate for women’s empowerment, sisterhood, community, Black culture and freedom. As a member of Destiny’s Child, her quicksilver and resolute vocals adorned such chart-toppers as “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Independent Women, Pt. 1” and “Survivor,” articulating the ideals of modern Black women through an infectious, contemporary mix of R&B, pop and hip-hop grooves.On introspective, experimental full-length albums such as 2013’s world-stopping “Beyoncé,” 2016’s culture-defining song cycle “Lemonade,” and her celebratory 2022 love letter to LGBTQ+ culture’s roots in dance music, “Renaissance,” Beyoncé refined her sound and messages to reflect the social zeitgeist as well as her evolution as a woman and cultural observer. Using “Freedom” to amp up excitement for campaign is a sign that Harris understands Beyoncé’s influence on the culture and that her campaign recognizes Beyoncé as a generational icon with a wide appeal among younger demographics. She has to know what’s at stake if young people aren’t motivated to vote.According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the turnout of young voters ages 18 to 29 saw a significant boost in the 2020 election, rising almost 12 percentage points from 2016. Some have argued that this embrace of memes, celebrity endorsements and Gen-Z jargon is not enough. By itself, it isn’t. Some have argued that this embrace of memes, celebrity endorsements and Gen-Z jargon is not enough. By itself, it isn’t. But she can’t do that without grabbing their attention, and relying on celebrities who support her is not a bad way of doing that.Harris is also fortunate to be the kind candidate and to have the kind of platform that the world’s best musicians want to be associated with. When the former president’s campaign played a video of Celine Dion performing “My Heart Will Go On” at a rally in Montana this month, her team responded, “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use… And really, THAT song?” Last week, Isaac Hayes Enterprises (the estate of the late musician) announced that it is suing Trump and his campaign for “134 counts [of] copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song ‘Hold On I’m Coming’ at campaign rallies from 2022-2024.” Hayes co-wrote the song, which was most famously performed by Sam & Dave. (The Associated Press reports that in 2022, David Porter, another co-writer, wrote “Hell to the NO!” after learning that Trump had used “Hold On, I’m Coming” at an NRA rally. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/beyonce-kamala-harris-freedom-rcna166745