“Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise/ That I dance like I’ve got diamonds/ At the meeting of my thighs?” It’s not a verse lifted from one of Nicki Minaj’s empowering rap records, but lines Dr. Maya Angelou penned in 1978. Minaj did, however, deliver a phenomenal rendition of Angelou’s poem Still I Rise at Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America.
Minaj took to the stage in a gold, shimmering Balmain gown to execute Angelou’s words. Nicki’s steady poise and pace made it evident that lines like “You may shoot me with your words/ You may cut me with your eyes/ You may kill me with your hatefulness/ But still, like air, I’ll rise,” really resonate with the reigning queen of rap. She’s managed to hold her head high above serious industry clash: two of the most meaningful men in her life — boyfriend Meek Mill and longtime labelmate Drake — dragged her name through their highly publicized beef (a conflict which reached a tipping point in the New York Times Magazine’s cover profile about her). Nicki has also taken the high road when Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus inserted themselves in a larger point about representation the rapper aimed at MTV.
Shining a Light was ignited to reflect on the racially motivated acts of violence that have devastated America over the last 18 months. In addition to taping gatherings at sites like Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charleston, Shining a Light saw artists including Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, and Jill Scott join Minaj in Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. The entire event — which benefits nonprofit organization United Way — will be broadcast during a two-hour special which airs tonight on A&E. “Any solutions have to begin with dialogue, and we want to help get that dialogue going,” Pharrell told the LA Times about the benefit’s intentions.
Angelou’s work has long been a touchstone across all corners of culture. Her poems formed the centerpiece of Poetic Justice, a 1993 John Singleton-directed film starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur. Nelson Mandela read her poems throughout his 27 year imprisonment, and recited Still I Rise at his historic 1994 inauguration speech as South Africa’s first black president.
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Text Emily Manning
Image via YouTube