Beyonce Explains Performing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord"

Beyoncé is finally breaking her silence (sort of) on why she and not Ledisi performed “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” at this year’s Grammys. Viewers online were split over Queen Bey being chosen to sing the gospel song and not Ledisi who sang it for the movie Selma and was in attendance at the award show.

In a newly released behind-the-scenes video, Beyoncé explains during a rehearsal for her performance why it was dear to her and picking an all-male choir to accompany her. According to the singer:

I wanted to find real men that have lived, have struggled, cried and have a light and a spirit about them. I felt like this is be an opportunity to show the strength and vulnerability in black men. My grandparents marched with Dr. King, and my father was part of the first generation of black men that attended an all-white school. My father has grown up with a lot of trauma from those experiences. I feel like now I can sing for his pain, I can sing for my grandparents’ pain. I can sing for some of the families that have lost their sons.

Whether you love or hate Beyoncé, it is clear she wasn’t trying to steal Ledisi’s moment in the sun and instead wanted to point attention to the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Up Next: Kendrick Lamar Releases “The Blacker The Berry”

Kendrick Lamar Drops New Song,  “The Blacker The Berry”

A day after winning a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “i”, Kendrick Lamar has dropped a new song. K. Dot released “The Blacker The Berry” from his highly anticipated third album. The latest track by Lamar dives right in addressing race and violence currently in America. The title of the song is a reference to Harlem Renaissance writer Wallace Thurman’s novel. Empire’s Taraji P. Henson made the announcement of the track today and told fans how Lamar told her she can pick her favorite song from his upcoming album to drop. Kendrick’s a fan of Queen Cookie?!