Queen Latifah Leads Giants-Cowboys Game With Riveting National Anthem Performance

The New York Giants’ opening night didn’t exactly go as they hoped on Sunday, when they lost 40-0 in a game against the Dallas Cowboys. But the tri-state area still garnered a win when New Jersey-native Queen Latifah kicked off the night with a dazzling rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at MetLife Stadium.

Fireworks blasted out around the stadium as Queen Latifah ran through the national anthem with backing vocals from New York Fire Department and New York Police Department choir members. Even as it began to rain, the musician carried the performance through to the end with crystal clear, pitch-perfect vocals.

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Queen Latifah’s legacy has been innately intertwined with the National Football League since 1998, when she became the first rapper to perform at the Super Bowl. At Super Bowl XXXII, where the Denver Broncos faced off with the Green Bay Packers, the multi-hyphenate performed “Paper” from Order in the Court. Years later, in 2010 and in 2014, Queen Latifah delivered performances of “America the Beautiful” at the annual event. Since then, the Super Bowl has witnessed performances from Missy Elliott, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Nelly, and Nicki Minaj.

The rapper’s influence and impact on hip-hop was celebrated earlier this summer when she appeared in the Netflix docuseries Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop. The four-episode special featured commentary from Latto, Tierra Whack, Remy Ma, Sha-Rock, Yo-Yo, Bahamadia, Monie Love, Kash Doll, Saweetie, and more, including Queen Latifah herself. “We have come through a lot, and we have stood back up,” she says in the documentary. “We’ll always keep standing back up.”

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