![]() ![]() ![]() The songs leading up to it describe stories of crime and gang violence, but Angelou represents a voice of good, playing a churchgoer who urges Lamar and his friends to embrace “a new life”. ![]() On Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, Angelou appears in the final few minutes of the closing track. Many hip hop artists have cited Angelou as an influence, and she pops up as a cameo on several celebrated tracks. He later explained, “I knew she got me, she understood the time we were living in, she understood the world we were living in, and she knew what could be our undoing, as well as our unchaining.” A recording of the poem, entitled On the Pulse of Morning, won a Grammy award the following year. When he decided to have a poem read as part of his inauguration as US President in 1993, Bill Clinton knew exactly who he wanted to write and deliver it: Maya Angelou. I've had people overlook me because I was a woman.” She then ended the speech by reciting an extract from Still I Rise, crediting it to “my favourite poet, Maya Angelou." In a passionate and personal acceptance speech, Williams described the immense adversity she has faced during her career: "I've had people put me down because I didn't look like them – I look stronger… I've had people look past me because of the colour of my skin. Tennis star Serena Williams drew on Maya Angelou’s words when she became the first solo black woman to be named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2015. She captioned it “Rest in peace phenomenal woman”, referencing another of Angelou’s poems, Phenomenal Woman, which celebrates female power and beauty. Rihanna tweeted that I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was the first book she read as a teenager and went on to say: “She made us feel so safe, safe enough to trust her wisdom! Wisdom one can usually only acquire through experience.” Beyoncé – whose perfume Rise is thought to be inspired by Angelou’s poetry – posted a handwritten version of Still I Rise on Instagram. When Angelou died in 2014, celebrities took to social media to express their sadness and respect, and it was clear she had made a big impact on many of music’s most famous names. “I walked him down into a little gully and kept his back to the people so they wouldn’t see him, and I used my hands to dry his cheeks.” She recalled how Tupac took some time to calm down, but eventually agreed to talk to her: “I said, ‘Do you know how much you are needed? Do you know what you mean to us? Do you know that hundreds of years of struggle have been for you?’” The power of her words had a huge impact on the troubled star. On the set of the film Poetic Justice, Angelou famously stopped a fight between Tupac Shakur and another young actor. When he was finally freed after 27 years in prison and elected President of South Africa, Mandela chose Angelou’s words for his inauguration, reciting her poem Still I Rise. But the celebrated statesman didn’t forget her – according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, records show that he watched the film version of Angelou’s autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings while in jail. Soon after, Mandela was imprisoned and the pair weren’t in contact again for three decades. Nelson MandelaĪngelou first met Nelson Mandela in 1962 when she was living in Cairo, Egypt, with the South African civil rights activist Vusumzi Make. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace.” 2. about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken, it's how she lived her life. Above all though, she said, “what stands out to me. After Angelou’s death, Winfrey remembered her as a teacher who believed in sharing knowledge so that others could learn too. Angelou mentored TV host Oprah Winfrey from her twenties onwards, acting as a support, friend and guide throughout her career. ![]()
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