Negro Spiritual is defined as folk songs that were created by enslaved Africans in the late 19th century. These songs were invented during the arrival of these enslaved people to the Americas. While lift every voice and sing is considered a hymn and not a spiritual necessarily it is important to mention it because Beyonce did in her 2018 homecoming Coachella concert. This concert highlighted the unique experience that Black Americans have curated at Historically Black College and Universities(HBCUs). Lift every voice and sing is seen as the black national anthem and has been showcased in black culture and at HBCUs for decades because of its empowering and liberating lyrics. 

Beyonce’s Lemonade era really showcased the beauty of what Black pain and struggle looks like through the seven stages of grief that are often times displayed in conversations surrounding psychology. Beyonce’s Lemonade album is riddled with many different homages to early black culture and that is where the negro spiritual comes from. In her song Daddy’s Lessons she is singing over a banjo which is mostly played in folk/negro spirituals. While this is all speculation this could be true in theory for her album because of the various mentions of black womanhood and pain especially with how our pain was showcased during enslavement.