Dr. Maya Angelou's Words Come To Life In 'Harlem Hopscotch'


Maya Angelou Harlem Hopscotch Still

Right before the legendary Dr. Maya Angelou passed, she worked on an interesting music and spoken word project that reinterpreted her timeless messages from her most significant writings with modern music. The recently released album Caged Bird Songs, produced by RoccStar and Shawn Rivera of the R&B group Az Yet, is an unique musical collaboration that blends together the beloved poet's words with hip-hop and electronic beats.

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At first, the thought of Dr. Angelou's powerful and classic words, which always sound amazing on their own, drowned out by a hip-hop beat initially made us cringe. However, after seeing the official music video for single "Harlem Hopscotch," we can see the value in a project such as this.

In the video, her 1969 poem "Harlem Hopscotch" is brought to life with the spirit of dance, which was another love of Dr. Angelou's. Directed and choreographed by Emmy-award winning choreographers and power couple Tabitha and Napoleaon Dumo, also known as Nappytabs, the video follows diverse individuals of all ages, as they dance to their own happy beat while traveling throughout Harlem and then eventually Venice Beach, CA.

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Even after Dr. Angelou's passing, it is great to hear the relevance of her words and to see how her legacy continues to live on through generations with the help of a project such as Caged Bird Songs. Peep the uplifting visual below, and, if you want to learn more about the project, visit the website.


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