Warren "Wawa" Snipe wowed audiences at Super Bowl LV.
Warren "Wawa" Snipe wowed audiences at Super Bowl LV while performing both "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" in American Sign Language during Super Bowl LV.
Snipe, 50, won over the crowd with his animated expressions and bright smile as he performed alongside H.E.R. for "America the Beautiful", and with Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church for the national anthem.
Snipe majored in theater in college and developed "Dip Hop" -- which according to CBS News, he describes as "Hip Hop through Deaf eyes" -- in the '90s. Aside from being a rapper, he is also an actor, and has a recurring role on The CW's Black Lighting. He released his album, Deaf: So What?!, in 2016.
In a statement last month, Snipe, an avid football fan, talked about what it meant for him to perform at the Super Bowl.
"I was very honored and humbled to be selected to perform these songs at the Super Bowl," he said. "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!"
Prior to the big game, he told CBS News that he was preparing by practicing a rendition of the songs that closely tracks how this year's singers typically perform them. He also rehearsed together with the artists.
"My approach will follow how this year's singers handle the songs in their own way," he said.
"The Deaf and Hard of Hearing community needs access to these iconic songs just like everyone else," he also said. "To those who are hearing, try watching television with the sound and captions off, and you'll experience inaccessibility. Why wouldn't you want to make everything accessible to everyone, including Deaf and Hard of Hearing people?"
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