Since 1931, “The Star-Spangled Banner” has held the position of the national anthem in the United States. Its lyrics are renowned for stirring strong emotions. However, a singer’s offensive rendition of the song has caused a significant controversy. Conservatives are now criticizing her for both her impoliteness and her inconsistency.
Essence Fest, an annual music festival in New Orleans, has been celebrating African-American women since 1995. This year, Jill Scott, who rose to fame in 2000 with a highly successful R&B album, was one of the festival’s main attractions. While she has since ventured into poetry, modeling, and acting, she remains most recognized for her music.
During her performance at Essence Fest on July 5, Jill Scott made a significant change to her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Instead of singing the original lyrics, she substituted an alternative set that focused on the theme of slavery.
Her rendition began with the line, “Oh, say can you see, by the blood in the streets, that this place doesn’t smile on you, colored child.” Scott, whose estimated net worth is $12 million, continued for approximately two minutes, singing about the mistreatment of black people in America.
The alternative anthem’s final line was, “This is not the land of the free, but the home of the slaves.” This provocative performance received immediate praise from Essence Magazine, the festival sponsor, who declared it as “the only National Anthem we will be recognizing from this day forward.” However, it was met with less enthusiasm by patriotic Americans.
Lavern Spicer, a former GOP congressional candidate, strongly criticized the performance as a “WOKE rendition.” She highlighted Jill Scott’s significant wealth and questioned how she could claim to be oppressed. Another Twitter user suggested that Scott should relocate to another country and compare her life there to America, jokingly mentioning Afghanistan as an option. Many other responses focused on Scott’s financial status or the suggestion that she should leave the US if she dislikes it so much.
While there were defenders of Scott’s performance, it is evident that Jill Scott is not viewed as the individual who will bridge the racial divides that still exist in the country.
