5 Times The DNC Was The Whole Entire Musical Vibe We Didn’t Know We Needed

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On Thursday, the final night of the DNC, as we waited with anticipation to watch the historic Vice President Harris officially accepted her party’s nomination for President of the United States, there was something else abuzz (sorry) that we also were looking out for” Beyoncé!

Read Full Transcript of Harris’ Historic Acceptance Speech

With Vice President Kamala Harris being given permission to use Bey’s masterful collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, “Freedom” as her campaign theme song, it made sense that the superstar would appear on the night that Harris addressed the convention. But it wasn’t just that unbroken line of logic.

There were mountains of evidence!!

Source: Larry Busacca/PW18 / Getty

First came the whispers, then the much louder rumors and then White House political director Emmy Ruiz posted an emoji of a bee at around 4:30 pm!  It was mos def Beyoncé! Why else a bee emoji if it wasn’t related to Queen Bey and the Beyhive???I mean, it was true that Ruiz never said that in actual, literal terms. But what other possible reason for The Bee Emojiiii???? It was the equivalent of Gotham City lighting up the sky with the Bat Signal. 

But being astute people we are who would never believe something without solid confirmation, we only really, really believed it when TMZ dropped the word and said.  It’s. About. To. Go. Down.

The Shocking Case of The Six-Year-Old and The Bumble Bee Yellow Red Herring

Imagine the shockwaves across all of our investigative brains, all the wide-eyed pearl clutching and Whaaaaaaa??? when we learned that it wasn’t to bey (sorry again) and The Bee Emoji was a cleverly conceived red herring sent out to all of us innocents by Ruiz’s apparently prodigy of child who knew how to get us and get us good. It seems, Ruiz claimed, her precious little one got hold of Mama’s phone and the rest, well.. is…hivstory (forgive me)I’m not sure anyone is swallowing something so simple and obvious, but we’re not the ones to get all national security involved. Not good for the health.

So… no Beyoncé live and in-person, but we were actually okay with that because hearing her masterpiece with Kendrick Lamar blasting as the first Black woman of color stepped on the stage to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination as the next POTUS filled us All The Way Up–especially after all that was poured into us by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s words, Oprah’s incredible energy and call to action, and the big, beautiful heart of Tim Walz’s son, 17-year-old son, Gus.

Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty

But in no way least of all, there was also all that incredible music weaving the week together. What a gift!

Because think about it: the DNC, with like a month to pull this off, didn’t have to go that hard in the Chi. I mean, could the bar have been set any lower after the RNC and Kid Rock?

DNC showed up to say they weren’t there to compete against those guys. They were there to show them and the world how it’s done. And they did that, over and over again and the only thing really missing were our beloved mothers and grandmothers who didn’t make it witness this day, this hour.

But if I know them, they were probably there, hiding their wings in the wings holding each other and whispering a soft, powerful chorus of, “G’head Baby. Cause we not going back. We’re not going back.”

Here are 5 of the best musical moments from the 2024 DNC!

DJ Cassidy’s Roll Call!

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Every  convention features a state-by-state roll call, where each state accounts for its respective delegates and announces its endorsements. This ending component of the primary process was enhanced at the DNC when DJ Cassidy played music that corresponded with each state. For Indiana, Cassidy played “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” by the late Michael Jackson, a Gary native. 

Lil Jon Turns Up With the Turn Down!

Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty

DJ Cassidy helped the crowd get motivated with his musical roll call. But for the state of Georgia, he got some assistance from an Atlanta native. Platinum-selling producer and artist Lil Jon brought his trademark boisterousness to the DNC during Georgia’s roll call, briefly performing his smash collaboration with DJ Snake, “Turn Down For What.” 

Sheila E. and John Legend Honor Prince

Source: Myung J. Chun / Getty

To coincide with Harris’ running-mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the DNC incorporated a tribute to Minnesota’s favorite song, the late, great Prince. Performing a medley of the legendary singer/songwriter, the DNC featured a Prince medley performed by John Legend and long-time Prince collaborator, percussionist Sheila E. The highlight of the medley was their rendition of “Let’s Go Crazy,” featuring a blistering guitar solo from Ariel “Ari” O’Neal. The Maryland native previously played for Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Ariana Grande.

Stevie Wonder Elevated DNC to a the Highest Ground 

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In a moment people will talk about for a long time to come, the national treasure who is Stevie Wonder got everyone up onto a higher ground before he even sung a note. He began by endorsing Harris and calling for peace for the country and “courage over complacency,” and then he took us to the sky with his legendary song, “Higher Ground.” And there’s nothing else to say–except we soared. We soared far up into the clearest sky.

And Patti LaBelle Called Our Loved Ones into the Room 

Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty

And still, with all the many triumphant musical moments at the DNC, the power of what was done was the way they chose to honor the breadth of our emotions, and it would be difficult to imagine anyone but Ms. Patti LaBelle doing it better. In a poignant and deeply moving performance of “You Are My Friend,” LaBelle tributed beloveds of ours who had passed away since the 2020 DNC. Behind her we saw images of so many, including the once-in-a-generation actor, Chadwick Boseman, Calvin O. Butts, III, who’d been the cherished senior pastor of Harlem’s world-renowned Abyssinian Baptist Church and defining feminist, theorist, professor and author, bell hooks. 

SEE MORE:

5 Takeaways From Kamala Harris’ Historic Acceptance Of The Democratic Nomination

Exonerated Five Spotlights Donald Trump’s History Of Anti-Black Racism On Convention’s Final Night

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