Beyoncé is not usually considered an outwardly political musician. Some artists use their art and their platform to regularly speak up about certain causes or get involved in the political process. Queen Bey does support candidates from time to time, but much of her musical output stays away from that world—though not everything she’s released is free from connection to politicians.
“Freedom” wasn’t political when it was first released, but it became charged earlier this year. Beyoncé gave Kamala Harris permission to use the tune at rallies and in a number of ways throughout her presidential campaign, aligning herself with the current vice president. As election day neared, Americans started buying the cut again, turning it into a hit once more.
Beyoncé returns to the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart this week with the smash. The singer places her nearly-decade-old cut onto Billboard’s list of the top-selling titles in those styles at No. 15, in last place.
“Freedom” is not a solo affair, and Beyoncé is joined by a fellow powerhouse musician. Kendrick Lamar is credited as a featured artist on the song, and he is back on the chart as well.
In the past, “Freedom” has climbed as high as No. 3 on the purchase-only ranking. The tune has now spent 16 weeks somewhere on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, with most of those frames being fairly recent, as the title’s popularity surged in the past several months during the closely-watched campaign.
Beyoncé released “Freedom” in the spring of 2016. The tune is featured on her album Lemonade, which arrived without warning. Months later, the anthem was selected as one of the final singles from the project, and it climbed to No. 35 on the Hot 100.
In late October, Beyoncé officially endorsed Harris as her choice for President of the United States. The singer showed up to a rally in Houston, her hometown, and even delivered a speech. That’s a rare occurrence for the Grammy winner, and it’s a big deal that she’s stood up and associated herself with the person who may be the first female leader of the free world.