A deaf rapper stole the show at Super Bowl LV on Sunday with his moving and expressive performance of the national anthem in American Sign Language.
Warren ‘Wawa’ Snipe, a 50-year-old recording artist and actor, blew viewers away with his powerful ASL interpretation of The Star-Spangled Banner as Grammy nominees Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church belted out the song’s lyrics.
Snipe, who also signed America the Beautiful alongside H.E.R, has earned himself thousands of new fans with his dynamic performances during the Super Bowl pregame show.
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Incredible: Warren ‘Wawa’ Snipe, a 50-year-old recording artist and actor, energetically performed the national anthem in American Sign Language at the Super Bowl on Sunday
Expressive: Snipes, who is deaf, signed the lyrics with a smile on his face as Grammy nominees Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church belted out the anthem during the pregame show
Standing between the 10- and 20-yard lines at Raymond James Stadium, Snipes had a bright smile on his face as he energetically performed the national anthem in ASL while appearing on the stadium’s jumbotron.
His movements were so seamless that it almost looked as if he were dancing while on the field, the result of his at-home practice sessions.
Snipe told The Washington Post via text messages on Monday that he spent weeks practicing in front of his bathroom mirror after the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) asked him to perform the two songs at the Super Bowl.
‘I would listen to the music over and over to get a feel of the music and the singing,’ he said. ‘This takes a lot of time and you want to make sure you’re understood, so playing with various ways to interpret a song is warranted!’
Snipe’s hard work led to him going viral during the game, with fans singing his praises on Twitter and Facebook.
Talented: Snipe’s movements were so seamless that it almost looked as if he were dancing while on the field
Stealing the show: Snipes appeared on the stadium’s jumbotron while signing the national anthem’s lyrics
Group effort: Snipe performed between the 10- and 20-yard lines while Church and Sullivan sang the national anthem together
‘I don’t know about yall but Warren “WAWA” Snipe stole the show!!! #NationalAnthem #SuperBowl,’ sportscaster Darren M. Haynes tweeted.
‘Genuinely obsessed with the ASL interpreter for the national anthem #SuperBowl,’ another person wrote.
‘And this will be the only best part of Super Bowl today. WAWA and his talent is just incredible,’ someone else gushed.
The NAD announced last month that Snipe would be performing at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, which was a dream come true for the artist.
‘I was very honored and humbled to be selected to perform these songs at the Super Bowl,’ he told CBS News ahead of the pregame show.
Pregame show: Snipe also performed America the Beautiful in ASL alongside H.E.R
‘That’s some BIG energy’: The performer’s ASL interpretations went viral during the game, with fans singing his praises on Twitter
‘It was always my dream to perform at the Super Bowl, and I would love to be able to perform the halftime show in ASL too!’ he added.
Snipes said at the time that he and the other performers would be rehearsing together, so they would be ‘aligned and ready for game day.’
He explained that ASL performers typically try to match the tenor, rhythm, and tempo of the singers they are working with.
Howard A. Rosenblum, NAD’s chief executive officer and director of legal services, told CBS News that there has been an ASL performer at the Super Bowl since 199, and the organization has been helping the NFL choose interpreters since 2009.
Snipes stressed the importance of having an ASL performer at the show, saying: ‘The Deaf and Hard of Hearing community needs access to these iconic songs just like everyone else.’
Talented: Snipe developed ‘Dip Hop’ — a mix of audio and images he describes as ‘hip hop through deaf eyes’ — in the late 1990s
Star power: The artist is also a working film and television actor and has a recurring role in The CW series Black Lightning
‘To those who are hearing, try watching television with the sound and captions off, and you’ll experience inaccessibility,’ he added. ‘Why wouldn’t you want to make everything accessible to everyone, including Deaf and Hard of Hearing people?’
Snipe, who majored in theater in college, has decades of performing under his belt.
He developed ‘Dip Hop’ — a mix of audio and images he describes as ‘hip hop through deaf eyes’ — in the late 1990s.
In 2016, he released his album Deaf: So What?!, which aimed to show how perceived disadvantages can actually be advantages. He most recently dropped his third album, Wamilton.
He is also a working actor and has a recurring role in The CW series Black Lightning.
Snipes told CBS News that he hopes his work ‘paves the way for more opportunities for black deaf actors as we are too often overlooked for roles.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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